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February 1, 1979: Khomeini lands in Tehran. Within months, the Pahlavi era, under which Iran's 100,000 Jews had lived in relative prosperity, collapses into a theocratic republic. By May, Habib Elghanian, the patriarch of Tehran's Jewish community, is hanged for "Zionist espionage." The signal is unmistakable. Over the next four decades, more than 90% of Iran's Jews leave, to Israel via Operation Cyrus, to Los Angeles forming "Tehrangeles," to Europe. This lesson covers the vocabulary of revolution, persecution, escape, and resettlement.
Cultural note, Iranian Jews are one of the oldest continuous Jewish communities on earth (2,700+ years, since the Babylonian exile). They do not see themselves as Mizrahi or Sephardi, they are Persian Jews, with their own liturgy, Judeo-Persian dialect, and distinct cuisine. In Israel, they cluster in Bat Yam, Holon, Or Yehuda, and Netanya. In LA, "Tehrangeles" (Westwood/Beverly Hills) is the largest Iranian Jewish diaspora city in the world, roughly 60,000 strong, with synagogues like Nessah, Eretz-SIAMAK, and Sinai Temple. When you meet a Persian Jew in Israel, ask about their family's escape route, almost every family has a Pakistan-or-Turkey story.
Revolution Vocabulary
Persecution & Trials
Escape Routes
Settlement Cities (Israel)
Diaspora (LA Tehrangeles)
The Elghanian Execution: A Turning Point
Habib Elghanian (1912-1979), industrialist and head of Tehran's Jewish community, was arrested on May 8 and hanged the next day on charges of "Zionist espionage" and "corruption on earth." His execution sent a clear message to Iran's 100,000 Jews, and triggered the first wave of mass departure.
A Family's Escape: Tehran to Tel Aviv via Pakistan
A composite dialogue based on testimonies of Iranian Jewish families who escaped during the 1980s, paying smugglers in Zahedan, crossing the Baluchistan desert, reaching Karachi, then Vienna via HIAS, then Israel.