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The Persian Jewish community is one of the oldest continuous Jewish communities in the world, 2700 years from the Babylonian exile (586 BCE) through Cyrus the Great's edict (538 BCE) to the Pahlavi era (1925-1979). At its peak in 1948 there were ~100,000 Jews in Iran, with deep communities in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Hamadan. This lesson is the Hebrew vocabulary you need to read about Persian Jewry, talk to Iranian olim in Israel, and understand a thread of Jewish history that runs straight from the book of Esther to twentieth-century Tehran.
Cultural note, Iranian Jews in Israel today (~250,000 including descendants) are one of the largest Mizrahi communities. They preserve a distinctive liturgy, the Judeo-Persian language, and a strong family memory of pre-revolutionary Tehran. Many came in two waves: economic migrants 1948-1978, and refugees fleeing the Islamic Revolution after 1979. The community's central organization in Iran was Anjoman Kalimian (the Jewish Association), founded 1916. Hamadan still hosts the traditional tomb of Esther and Mordechai, a pilgrimage site for 1500+ years.
Ancient Persian Jewish History
Cities & Communities
Pahlavi Era
Religious & Cultural Terms
Key Figures (Biblical & Modern)
A Conversation About the Family
A typical exchange between an Israeli of Persian descent and an oleh asking about his family's path from Tehran to Tel Aviv. The kind of conversation you'll hear at any Iranian-Israeli kiddush.