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As Mideast fighting rages, Iran's Jews steer clear

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  • As Mideast fighting rages, Iran's Jews steer clear

    As Mideast fighting rages, Iran's Jews steer clear

    AP Worldstream; Jul 31, 2006
    BRIAN MURPHY

    Nothing in the office of Iran's sole Jewish lawmaker calls attention
    to his faith _ no Star of David, no menorah or other symbol of
    Judaism. But like nearly every public building in Iran, it has a
    portrait of the Islamic Revolution's patriarch, Ayatollah Ruhollah
    Khomeini.

    Moris Motamed's political headquarters highlight the well-practiced
    survival skills of Iran's remaining 25,000 Jews _ caught again in
    a political no man's land by the fighting between Israel and the
    Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

    Any public expression of sympathy for Israel would invite a sharp
    crackdown from authorities and hard-line Islamic groups.

    "We are Iranians. We work for what's best for Iran. The fighting,
    fortunately, does not affect the Jewish community in Iran," said
    Motamed, who holds the single parliament seat reserved for Jews. Other
    seats are set aside for the Christian Armenian and Assyrian minorities
    and followers of Iran's pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith.

    But Iran's Jews have undeniable bonds with Israel _ most notably
    Israel's Iranian-born president, Moshe Katsav. Thousands of Iranian
    Jewish families have relatives in Israel. The historical links between
    Persia and the Holy Land go
    back to antiquity and are celebrated each year with the festival
    of Purim.

    In January, the leader of Iran's Jewish community, Haroun Yashayaei,
    issued a rare challenge to Islamic authorities after President Mahmoud
    Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a "myth." He said Ahmadinejad was
    questioning "one of the most obvious and saddening incidents in
    human history."

    Israel, however, presents a red line no one will cross. Iran's Jews
    have remain publicly silent as Iranian leaders have called for Israel's
    destruction, including Ahmadinejad's call last year for Israel to be
    "wiped off the map."

    Last week, Jews in the southern city of Shiraz held a pro-Hezbollah
    rally that was covered by state-run television _ a sign that the march
    was likely overseen by the Islamic regime to reinforce the idea of
    national solidarity.

    The Web site of the Tehran Jewish Community includes statements
    opposing Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip and praising
    uranium enrichment by Iranian scientists. The U.S. and many of its
    allies, including Israel, believe Iran is using its nuclear reactor
    project as a cover for a weapons program.

    "For Iranians, there is a distinction in their mind between Zionism and
    Judaism," said Motamed. "This is a very important distinction for us."

    Iranian Jews face no restrictions on their religious practices,
    but they must follow Islamic codes such as head scarves for women in
    public. The same rules apply to the larger Christian and Zoroastrian
    communities.

    But the Jewish population in Iran continues to shrink from emigration
    to Israel, the United States and elsewhere. Before the 1979 Islamic
    Revolution, nearly 100,000 Jews lived in Iran, Motamed said.

    Anti-Semitic acts are rare, but Jews often are the target of degrading
    caricatures in the Iranian press. Tensions rose considerably in 2000
    when 10 Iranian Jews were convicted of spying for Israel and sentenced
    to from four to 13 years imprisonment. An appeals court later reduced
    their sentences under international pressure and eventually freed them.

    Iran's Persian ancestors, meanwhile, figure prominently in Jewish
    lore and tradition.

    Hebrew canons and the Old Testament recount the story of Persia's
    King Cyrus allowing Jews to return to Jerusalem from Babylon and
    rebuild the temple nearly 2,600 years ago.

    Iran also is the site of one of Judaism's most important sites:
    the shrine of Esther and Mordechai in the western city of Hamedan.

    The Book of Esther tells the story of how she was raised by her
    relative, the royal adviser Mordechai, and became a Persian queen. She
    saved her fellow Jews from slaughter by persuading King Xerxes to
    call off a plan to attack the community on a date that was to be
    decided by lot, or "pur." The change of heart is marked each year by
    the festival of Purim.
    ___

    EDITOR'S NOTE: The AP's Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran contributed to
    this report.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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