The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in his recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly: “Iran threatens the existence of its own country.” He accused Iran of being organized against Jews and referred to the new President of Iran as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

But one of the groups that rejects such claims is the large community of Iranian Jews; a reminder of the long-standing relationship between Iranian culture and Judaism, which has become more complicated alongside the intensification of tensions between the Iranian government and the Jewish community.

Nowadays, less than 70,000 Jews live in Iran compared to the 1940s when their population was over 100,000. However, alongside a significant period of migration after the revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, their numbers have remained stable and they still make up the largest Jewish community outside of Israel in the Middle East.

The report of the US Department of State on religious freedom in the world, recently published, states: “The anti-Semitic statements of some Iranian government officials have caused the Jewish community in this country to be in a hostile environment.” However, the report adds: “With the exception of a few cases, the Iranian government does not interfere or impose restrictions on Jewish religious affairs; although the Iranian Jewish community experiences official discrimination.”

These references usually include the prohibition of Jews from government jobs or their exclusion from entering state universities. However, Jews here have the freedom to practice their religious rituals and can also leave Iran. Therefore, those who remain do so by their own choice, not because they are forced to. In fact, those who leave Iran do so voluntarily and there is no coercion involved in this matter.

Some Iranian Jews who have mainly immigrated to the United States or Israel, talk about the pressures they face during their stay in the country to convert to Islam or other forms of harassment or mistreatment. They also complain that they are unable to see their relatives outside of the country, especially in Israel.

“However, several Jewish activists were executed in the days following the revolution in Iran, and in several cases, Iranian Jews were arrested on charges of spying for Israel; nevertheless, such incidents have gradually decreased.”

Annoyance from words.‌

Netanyahu.

Members of the Iranian Jewish community say that Israel’s accusations, such as the recent claim of thwarting an Iranian terrorist plot in Tel Aviv and the claim that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons to use against Israel, are damaging the relationship between the Islamic Republic and Judaism and the Jewish population.

Netanyahu’s warnings and constant questioning about whether the Iranian government recognizes the Holocaust cast a negative shadow over Iran, especially just a few days after the historic phone conversation between Hassan Rouhani, the new president of Iran, and President Obama as signs of a new chapter in relations between Tehran and Washington.

Israeli leaders are practically opposed to the warming of relations between America and Iran, but the Jews here, along with the majority of Iranians, believe that improving relations with America can lead to the lifting of international sanctions and a reduction of pressure on this country, which is being accused of trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

Homaion Samieh, the head of the Iranian Kameelian Association, said in an interview: “The congratulations for the Hebrew New Year by President Rouhani and Javad Zarif, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which were posted on Facebook and Twitter last month, showed a more friendly interaction with Jews around the world from a part of Iran’s leadership.” He noted the difference between Rouhani’s approach and that of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Samia said, “During the Ahmadinejad era, due to the denial of the Holocaust, some Jewish activists had problems here and now we see that Rouhani’s perspective is different. We hope that we have overcome the previous difficulties.”

For over a century, since the Qajar dynasty in the 19th century, Jews have had representatives in the Iranian parliament. However, Iranian Jews have rarely entered politics, even when their government did not prohibit them from doing so.

Siamak Moreh Sedgh, the only Jewish representative in the Iranian Parliament, has said: “We are not tenants in this country, we are Iranians and we have been here for more than a century.” Moreh Sedgh, as a member of President Rouhani’s entourage, recently traveled with him to the United Nations.

Marah Sadeq, in his diary at Dr. Sapir Hospital, one of the oldest medical centers in Tehran, criticized the Israeli government and others for claiming that his presence in the Iranian delegation to New York was only a display of the anti-Semitic nature of Iran’s political system. He said, “As a member of parliament, it is my duty to consider the interests of all Iranians, not just the Jews.”

Support for their homeland.

Community leaders say that Jews here have become more religious after the revolution; they have sixty active synagogues in different parts of Iran, twelve of which are only active in Tehran, and their sermons and religious study classes are accompanied by active participation. However, religious tendencies mentioned do not include accepting Zionism or immigrating to Israel.

Haroun Saketi, owner of a clothing store in Isfahan, said: “There is a difference between us as Jews and Israel.” He continued: “We consider ourselves Iranian Jews and this has nothing to do with the issue of Israel; it is a country that we love.”

Iranian Jews usually point out that, aside from their religious beliefs, there is no significant cultural difference between them and other Iranians; for example, at Tappo, one of the three Jewish restaurants in Tehran, lunch is served with traditional Iranian dishes such as kabab koobideh and ghormeh sabzi.

David Shomer, the person who manages this restaurant during the day, says: “Our food is exactly what other Iranians eat, there is no special difference except that our meat is kosher.”