March 1, 2007 | 2:11 pm

New Website Honoring Jewish Cemetery In Tehran

Posted by Karmel Melamed

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By Karmel Melamed
03/02/07

Nearly four years ago, Shahram Farzan, an Iranian Jew living Los Angeles traveled to Tehran to have a hand-carved marble tombstone placed on his father’s grave at the Jewish cemetery, which has been called “beheshtieh” by the city’s Jewry for more than half a century. (The word beheshtieh is Persian for “heavenly place.”)

After Farzan had photographed his father’s new tombstone, he was inspired to create a Web site—Beheshtieh.com—to share what he had seen. For the next two months, Farzan painstakingly cleaned and photographed nearly 80 percent of the graves at the 20-acre cemetery, so that the exiled Iranian Jewish community in Southern California could view their loved ones’ gravesites online.

“After the revolution, many people lost their ties to Iran and to the cemetery because it was not a priority,” said Farzan, 52. “I thought by taking these photographs of the graves, their relatives living in Beverly Hills would maybe see this and realize that the world is not just about money and power”.

For the past three years, Farzan, who owns a Los Angeles demolition business, spent his own funds as well as his spare time translating, cataloging, and posting more than 10,000 photographs in preparation for the Web site’s launch last June. Each photo is accompanied by English translations listed beneath.

Many of the tombstones are made from white marble and have elaborate hand-carved designs, including Stars of David, menorahs, and inscriptions in both Persian and Hebrew. Others are just mounds of earth without a proper headstone or identifying marker. And many of the tombstones have been damaged due to poor weather and lack of up-keep, Farzan said.

“On the grounds of the cemetery, I saw a lot of used drug needles, roaming dogs, trash dumped everywhere, a greenhouse with shattered windows, and some homeless people loitering there,” said Farzan.

Despite the cemetery’s worn condition, Farzan spoke only praise for the remaining Jews of Iran who, he said, have not abandoned the site, and he was appreciative that the Iranian government has not allowed developers to build on the site, as has happened in some non-Jewish cemeteries in the country.

“I think the Iranian government has been very respectful for keeping the cemetery and not demolishing it,” said Farzan. “Historically, from the time of Abraham, we are cousins with Muslims and must foster better relations with them”.

Not all the Jews buried in Tehran’s Jewish cemetery are of Iranian heritage. The cemetery is also home to more than 60 European Jews who escaped Nazi Europe for Iran in the early 1940’s and died there, Farzan said.

The Jewish community in Iran has never had a mortuary business. Traditionally, Jewish volunteers donated funds and also physically helped with preparations for burial of the dead; volunteers included some of the most affluent businessmen in the community.

Woodland Hills resident Yusef Hendizadeh, 80, who volunteered from the 1940s until the 1970s at the cemetery, is one of the original caretakers of Tehran’s Jewish cemetery. 

“I was a very successful businessman in the fabrics business, they (community leaders) came to me and gave me the responsibility of helping the community with their burial needs,” Hendizadeh said in his native Persian tongue. “At that time, there was a difficult road to travel to the cemetery, so we had to carry the bodies by a horse drawn carriage; later the community helped pay for a car”.

According to Dr. Habib Levy’s “Comprehensive History of the Jews of Iran” (Mazda Publishers, 1999), the site for Tehran’s Jewish cemetery was also used as a temporary refugee camp housing thousands of Iranian and Iraqi Jews waiting to immigrate to Israel. Many had fled their homes and come to Tehran out of fear of being killed after Israel declared its independence.

Perhaps one of the best known Jewish burial grounds in Iran is the traditional site of the tombs of Esther and Mordechai, located in the city of Hamadan. Although Iranian Jews have long believed the tombs belong to Esther and Mordechai, historians and archeologists note a lack of solid evidence.

“The great archeologist Ernst Hertzfeld, in his book, suspected that Esther and Mordechai were buried there, but later indicated that he believed Shushandokht, a Jewish woman who was the wife of Yazgerd I, an Iranian king, is buried there,” said Amnon Netzer, professor of Middle Eastern and Iranian studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Netzer also said the tomb of the Jewish biblical prophet Daniel is located in the southern Iranian city of Susa and is visited by both Jews and Muslims alike.

Local Iranian Jewish leaders said Farzan’s photos of Jewish gravesites also serves a far greater importance in preserving historical records of the Iran’s Jewry dating back more than 2,500 years.

“Some of these sites are older than the Talmud, some are as old as Queen Esther,” said Sam Kermanian, Secretary General of the L.A.-based Iranian American Jewish Federation. “In the absence of any other guaranteed alternatives, photographs may be the best option for preserving at least the memories of these sites”.

Farzan said he would like to return to Iran and photograph the graves at various other Jewish cemeteries in the cities of Esfahan, Kermanshah, Kashan, Rezaeh, Shiraz, Sanandj and Yazd.

Kermanian said local Iranian Jews are looking to help Farzan expand his efforts in photographing and making records of various significant Jewish burial sites throughout Iran.

Representatives from the Jewish Central Committee of Tehran, who control the cemetery, indicated in a written statement that there are plans to transform a chapel on the grounds of the cemetery into a small museum honoring those who had helped establish the cemetery in 1933.

Farzan said he is seeking online donations from those using the site. The funds will be used to for maintenance and new landscaping renovations for Tehran’s Jewish cemetery as well as to build a small memorial to Tehran’s Jewish cemetery at Groman Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, said Farzan.

“We must pay our respects to the past generations lying in that cemetery that sacrificed by enduring hardship while holding onto their Judaism which we still have today,” said Farzan.

This article was originally published by the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=17290

February 15, 2007 | 12:31 am

Splintered Persian Jewish Groups Merge

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
06/25/04

Long troubled by infighting, the Los Angeles Iranian Jewish community is working toward less conflict as three prominent Iranian Jewish organizations recently merged with the hope of speaking with one voice.

The Iranian-American Jewish Association (SIAMAK), Eretz Cultural Center and the Neria Yomtoubian Foundation came together under the banner of the Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center on Feb. 21 in Tarzana.

The merger of the three groups signifies a desire within the Iranian Jewish community for greater participation in the larger Jewish community and a desire to attract Jewish youth to its cause. After more than two decades in the Southland, Persian Jews are organizing to present a united front for their community.

“This is actually a historical event. I do not remember anything like this happening before, and I truly believe that this is a bridge to the future of our community,” said Manizheh Yomtoubian, founder of the Neria Yomtoubian Foundation.

SIAMAK co-founder Dariush Fakheri said he first approached Yomtoubian and Ruben Dokhanian, co-founder and president of Eretz Cultural Center, after he realized the true growth potential of the three separate organizations. The three leaders said that while they have encountered a variety of challenges from logistics to reorganizing their volunteer base in the merge, their primary desire has been to generate more interest in the Tarzana center.

“We have numerous volunteers who give their time, money and effort for the betterment of the community,” said Fakheri. “But we need new members who want to come along with us as we go through this transformation.”

Fakheri said it’s taken a long time for Iranian Jewish organizations to unite because the community has been trying to adapt since its arrival in Southern California nearly 25 years ago.

“You have to look at our situation from so many angles. We are the survivors of a revolution,” Fakheri said. “Our main goal was to survive, so we did whatever we had to do to reach that goal. Now our situation is way different than even a decade ago so we can do more by putting our resources together.”

Lisa Daftari, an editorial intern for SIAMAK’s monthly magazine, The Iranian Jewish Chronicle (“Chashm Andaaz”), said Yomtoubian is the ideal 21st century Jewish activist since she has preserved the memory of her late husband, Neria, by engaging in various activities that encourage young Jews to embrace their Jewish identities.

“Through the creation of Eretz-SIAMAK Center, Manizheh is now determined and able to fulfill both her dreams and Neria’s,” Daftari said. “Her commitment and optimism regarding this project is genuine and unmistakable”.

Yomtoubian has also been very active over the years in an effort to feed nearly 100 Iranian Jewish families living in poverty in Los Angeles by gathering food for them on a weekly basis, Daftari said.

Fakheri said that in the last decade, Yomtoubian has collaborated with SIAMAK — the oldest Iranian Jewish group in Los Angeles — to subsidize food, medical and educational expenses for these needy Iranian Jewish families.

Most notably in 2000, SIAMAK and the Council of Iranian-American Jews were at the forefront of bringing to the world’s attention the plight of 13 Iranian Jews who were arrested by Iran’s fundamentalist Islamic regime on false charges of treason and were in danger of being executed, Fakheri said.

SIAMAK has also had an international presence, donating $20,000 last year to the Jewish community in Argentina, sending medical aid to earthquake victims in India and Iran, as well as providing humanitarian support to Muslim refugees in war-torn Bosnia during the recent Balkan wars.

Several Iranian Jews living in Los Angeles said they were surprised at the bold move by the three Iranian Jewish groups merging, especially since in-fighting is commonplace among many Iranian Jewish groups.

Fakheri and Yomtoubian said that despite differences of opinion among the diverse local Iranian Jewish groups, the new Eretz-SIAMAK organization will continue to reach out to all Jews in order to be more proactive in community and Israel causes. The group will host a variety of Jewish-oriented programs, including adult and youth Hebrew classes, marriage workshops, yoga classes, singles Shabbatons and cooking classes.

Fakheri said he was particularly looking forwarding to collaborating with as many other local American Jewish groups as possible.

“I would like to see a greater intermingling of Iranian-born Jews and other Jewish communities in the U.S.,” Fakheri said. “We can collaborate more with one another and contribute a lot to each other because of our common Jewish bonds.”

For more information about Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center, visit: http://eretzsiamak.org

This article was originally published by the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=12461

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February 15, 2007 | 12:26 am

Eretz-SIAMAK Center Supports Struggling Iranian Jews

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
07/16/04

After only a few months in Los Angeles, Shirley N., a 30-year-old Jewish immigrant from Iran, almost returned to her homeland because of financial difficulties.

“I was down, I was broke, I didn’t have anyone here, and I was also worried about my family in Iran,” Shirley said. “I would have probably gone back to Iran if it weren’t for all the miraculous help of these ladies and SIAMAK.”

“These ladies” Shirely refers to are Manigh Youabian and Manizheh Yomtoubian, co-director for the Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center’s charity outreach.

With a substantial number of affluent and financially successful Persian Jews living in Southern California, it might be hard to believe there are some who live below the poverty line. Yet Youabian and Manizheh and their volunteers encounter this all-too-sad reality every day.

“We help them because no one else does, and we offer them what they cannot receive from welfare; or some don’t have any documents in this country but are hungry,” said Youabian, who has been volunteering for the past 14 years. Co-director Yomtoubian has volunteered for the last 14 months, and together they help provide food, home furnishings, clothing, transportation, financial assistance and even temporary housing to approximately 100 Persian Jewish families living in poverty in Los Angeles.

The organization provided Shirley with food, clothing, rent money and even a used car to get around, and it also recently granted her a full college scholarship because of her high grades.

“If I wanted to say what they’ve have done for me, it’s beyond words,” said Shirley, who is now a student at Santa Monica College and works part-time at Starbucks. “They’ve helped me financially and emotionally. I don’t have anyone here; they’ve basically been my family.”

Originally working with the Iranian American Jewish Association of Southern California (SIAMAK) — one of the oldest Iranian Jewish organizations in the city, which in February merged with the Eretz Cultural Center in Tarzana — the group has taken up the monumental task of providing support to Iranian Jews just barely getting by in Los Angeles. With their primary goal to feed hungry Jews locally, the new Eretz-SIAMAK organization (http://www.siamak.org/) subsidizes food expenses for needy families by giving them $50 to $100 worth of coupons per month — depending on their income — help from other organizations and assistance from people in their households, Yomtoubian said.

Food coupons are used by many struggling families at Glatt Mart and F&Y Kosher Market in West Los Angeles and at Q-Market in Van Nuys, all kosher markets that have entered into contracts with Eretz-SIAMAK to assist those in need. On a daily basis, the organization is bombarded with desperate phone calls for help from locals who have discovered by word of mouth or by the organization’s monthly magazine, Iranian Jewish Chronicle (Chashm Andaaz), of the group’s charitable efforts, said Lili Kahen, a volunteer of nine-years.

“People call me at the office here or even at home asking for help because they’ve lost their job and beg us for one more bag of rice or gallon of oil,” Kahen said.

Youabian, who often makes personal deliveries to some of the families’ homes, said the organization not only helps local Persian Jews in need but also new Iranian Jewish immigrants struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles.

“A lot of [Persian Jews] who come here from Iran or Israel have absolutely nothing — no clothes, no furniture — and we give them those basic things they need to get by,” Youabian said.

For many recipients, it’s more than just financial support from the organization: it’s the emotional bonds forged.

Elisa P., a 14-year-old resident of the San Fernando Valley, said that Yomtoubian “is so amazing – not only did she help me get a lawyer for my green card and gave me food coupons, but she’s been like a mother figure to me.” She said she shares a special relationship with Yomtoubian, who has become a second mother to her after her own mother died in Israel five years ago and her father has been in a coma in an Israeli hospital.

“She really cares about me, let’s me into her life, gives me confidence in myself, and that makes me feel special that there’s someone who cares,” said Elisa, who currently lives with her 75-year-old grandfather.

The two women’s charitable work has also motivated younger Jews to volunteer their time locally.

“After I found out that there are Jews in L.A. who don’t have food for Shabbat dinner, I was heartbroken,” said Eman Esmailzadeh, a 21-year-old Brentwood resident. “It was very simple for me to give back to the community and this was the best way possible.” He and six other college and high school Jewish students have volunteered to deliver food parcels to families in need of food on Shabbat throughout the city.

Dariush Fakheri, co-founder of Eretz-SIAMAK, said besides helping poor Iranian Jews locally, his organization has, on numerous occasions, come to the aid of non-Jews by handing out food parcels to the homeless downtown and even donating medicine to Bosnian Muslims during the recent Balkans War.

Having cooperated with the Hope Foundation, Torat Hayim, the Iranian Jewish Federation and SOVA, Yomtoubian said Eretz-SIAMAK would like to collaborate with other local Jewish groups who are aiding poor Jewish families.

Volunteers said their greatest challenge has been overcoming the lack of resources to help everyone who has approached them for help.

“The most difficult part is when we have to put a limit on the help we can offer because we just don’t have the money every time to help everyone,” Youabian said.

For more information about Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center, visit: http://eretzsiamak.org

This article was originally published by the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=12555

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February 12, 2007 | 1:41 am

Years After Persian Jew Disappears, His Mother Refuses To Give Up Hope

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
December 23, 2004

Elena Tehrani turns away at the mention of her son, tears flowing down her tired face. Even 10 years after the fact, the story of Babak Tehrani’s imprisonment in Iran is painful to tell.

On June 8, 1994, Babak, then 17, and his friend Shaheen Nikkhoo, then 20, left Tehran on a secret journey to freedom. Leaving Iran was illegal and risky for the pair, both of whom were at the age of military conscription.

The two Jewish youths planned to cross into Pakistan, then head to Austria and finally to the United States. They and the man who was smuggling them out Atta Mohammed Rigi, arrived in the southeastern city of Zahedan, near Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan.

Eyewitnesses there saw the two Jews being arrested by non-uniformed secret police, Tehrani said.

“I’ll never forget that day,” said Tehrani, who has begun to speak about her son’s disappearance on U.S.-based Persian-language TV and radio stations.

“I was in Austria, waiting for Babak to call me. Instead, the smugglers’ relatives called and said that Babak, Shaheen and the smugglers had been arrested and they would help get them released,” she said.

Days turned to weeks, though, and the smugglers gave no word on Babak’s condition or whereabouts. Frantic, Tehrani — who by then had immigrated to Southern California — turned for help to two Los Angeles-based Iranian Jewish groups.

The Iranian-American Jewish Federation and the Council of Iranian American Jewish Organizations have been at the forefront of trying to secure the release of the two youths, as well as 10 other Iranian Jews imprisoned in the 1990s while trying to flee Iran through Pakistan.

Pakistani officials in New York did not return calls requesting comment on the cases.

“This is a very complicated issue,” said Sam Kermanian, former chairman of the federation. “These people were arrested for the purpose of putting a stop to illegal Jewish migration out of Iran. It was done basically to create fear among Jews in Iran.”

Kermanian said that in the past 10 years the federation, in cooperation with the families of the Iranian Jewish prisoners, has tried to resolve their plight through diplomatic channels in the United States and abroad and via political, human rights and other private contacts.

Frank Nikbakht, public affairs director for the council, said his organization has been collaborating for the past four years with Tehrani and the other families but had taken a more vocal public approach to the situation.

“Sometimes you have to you use diplomacy,” Nikbakht said. “But for this case, because the Iranian government has been lying to the prisoners’ families for so many years and promising to release them, we believe the time has long passed for silent diplomacy, and we have to use all sorts of public pressure on the Iranian government.”

In 2000, with the assistance of various American Jewish groups, the council was successful in publicizing the case of 13 Iranian Jews from Shiraz imprisoned in 1999 on charges of spying for Israel.

The international exposure put pressure on the Iranian regime and the “Iran 13” were eventually released.

The federation also played a role, quietly working for the prisoners’ release through diplomatic channels.

“Back in 2000 we wanted to bring out this case of these prisoners, along with the case of the Shiraz prisoners, but many American Jewish organizations strongly disapproved of this approach, so we couldn’t go ahead with it,” Nikbakht said. “We thought that once we had the attention of the world we should have linked these two issues and solved them together.”

In Israel, meanwhile, political activist Yehuda Kassif has led a one-man mission of public advocacy by lobbying Israeli officials on behalf of the prisoners’ families for the past seven years.

“I worked for so many years voluntarily because no one else seemed to care, except for the nearest families of course,” said Kassif, who is managing director of the Israel Precious Stones and Diamonds Exchange.

Kassif said he has met with Israeli officials including President Moshe Katsav, Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon and members of the Knesset, pressuring them about these cases.

He also said he single-handedly has tried to keep the story alive in the Israeli media through television interviews, circulation of posters with the prisoners’ photos and distribution of bottles of wine bearing their images.

Despite his meetings, Kassif said he has had little success getting Israeli officials to take significant action on behalf of the Iranian Jewish prisoners.

While grateful for the support she has received from various Jewish groups, Tehrani said her son’s case has been forgotten over the years by the general public. After so much time, the Iranian government now denies having custody of her son, she said.

“When my sister went to the Information Ministry in Tehran recently and asked about Babak, they denied even having him and claimed he was stolen by smugglers in the border area. It’s just ridiculous!” Tehrani said. “I know it’s not true because I’ve had many credible witnesses come forward who have proof and seen my son in Iranian prisons.”

The most recent eyewitness verifying Babak’s whereabouts is an Iranian Jewish man in Los Angeles, who asked that his name be withheld out of concerns for his own safety.

In a sworn affidavit given to the Tehrani family, the man indicated that he had seen Babak Tehrani in 1996 in the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran while the man was trying to sell nearby land to prison officials.

“As I was walking, a jail cell with a window caught my eye. I went forward and I saw several youths who were sitting on the floor,” he said in the affidavit. “The poor kids, including one whom I knew particularly since he was my daughter’s classmate and whose name was Babak.”

Evin is among the maximum security prisons the Iranian government uses to hold and torture political dissidents, student protesters, journalists and others that the regime believes poses a threat to its power, Nikbakht said.

Tehrani said her son’s imprisonment for the past decade has been extremely uncommon and suggests foul play. Iranian laws require only a fine or a maximum two-month prison sentence for leaving the country illegally.

“The Iranian government is holding my son but they don’t want to admit it, because it would be embarrassing to them to have held a boy on no charges for the last 10 years,” she said.

She also said she recently has become more vocal about her son’s case. Tehrani appeared on KRSI, a Los Angeles-based Persian-language radio station broadcasting to Iran, to ask Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to release her son.

She also has pleaded for her son’s release on Persian-language television programs beamed from the United States into Iran.

“At this point, I really don’t care about the politics of it all because my son has nothing to do with it — he’s just an innocent person caught in between this mess,” Tehrani said. “I’m even ready to go on the air and publicly apologize to the Iranian government if that’s what it takes for them to release him.”

Over the past 10 years, the families of these dozen Jewish prisoners have formed an L.A.-based group called the Families of Iranian Jewish Prisoners to keep the issue in the public eye, and to continue to collect data about their imprisoned relatives.

Iranian Jewish leaders in Southern California said they will continue to cautiously pursue the case, recognizing the risk that their activity could potentially pose to the approximately 20,000 Jews still living in Iran.

Tehrani and other family members of the prisoners contacted for this story said that despite the passage of time, they have not given up hope that they will see their loved ones again.

“Hope is all I have had these past 10 years — the hope that someone will come forward and finally help bring Babak back to me,” Tehrani said. “Maybe then I will have a normal life again knowing he’s safe in my arms.”

This article was originally published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency International Wire News Service:
http://jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=14874&intcategoryid=5

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February 12, 2007 | 1:31 am

Mother of Kidnapped Iranian Jew Speaks Out

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
12/22/06

“Why is the world so silent—why are Jews so silent about the plight of Jews being held captive in Iran?” Elana Tehrani, an Iranian-born Jewish woman now living in Los Angeles asked a crowd during a speech at the Nessah Cultural Center in Beverly Hills.

Tehrani believes her son is being held captive in Iran, and after 12 years of trying to quietly work through channels, she and 11 other families—who also believe their loved ones are in the same situation—have filed suit against Iran’s former president, Mohammad Khatami, in U.S. Federal Court. They are asking that the U.S. courts hold Khatami responsible for the kidnapping, imprisonment and disappearance of loved ones between 1994 and 1997.

“As a citizen of the United States,” Tehrani said at a rally in New York, “I ask that President Bush and those in Congress help me retrieve my son from the hands of the Islamic Republic!”

Tehrani began speaking out on Sept. 20 before a crowd of more than 30,000 people who were gathered outside the United Nations in New York for a rally organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presence at the United Nations. With her were Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, U.S. senators, national Jewish leaders and Israeli officials.

“I was hoping that from this rally ... the world would become more aware of this issue,” she told The Journal in an interview from her West Los Angeles home. “But I don’t know why there was no media coverage of it anywhere, and no one said another word about it since.”

She believes her son, Babak, was kidnapped and imprisoned by Iranian secret police while trying to flee Iran in 1994.

“We have been trying for the last 12 years to get our sons back, but since we have not heard anything about their status after all these years, we were forced to take this action against Mr. Khatami,” Tehrani said. “We want to tell the world that with every day that passes by, we will pursue this issue more and more, until the Islamic Republic of Iran gives us answers”.

A homemaker who also works with her husband in their downtown L.A. shoe store, Tehrani said doctors have told her she has developed glaucoma as a result of excessive crying. She said she has developed a closer bond with her two other sons, who also live in Los Angeles, and an inner strength from praying three times a day.

“I refuse to give up on Babak and give up hope that he’s still alive,” Tehrani said. “We have witnesses that have seen him, and I will not stop looking for my child until he is back in my arms.”

Tehrani said her worst nightmare became a reality on June 8, 1994, when Babak, then 17, and his 20-year-old friend, Shaheen Nikkhoo, attempted to secretly leave Tehran. Because they were the age of military conscription, leaving the country was illegal. The two boys, both Jewish, arrived with their smuggler, Atta Mohammed Rigi, in the southeastern city of Zahedan, near the Pakistani border. Witnesses saw them being arrested there by non-uniformed Iranian secret police, Tehrani said.

Leaders from the Iranian American Jewish Federation (IAJF), a Los Angeles umbrella group of Iranian Jewish organizations, have made quiet diplomatic efforts for the last 12 years to help secure the release of Babak Tehrani and the other imprisoned Jews. Six years ago some activists in the Iranian Jewish community, among them George Haroonian and Frank Nikbakht, became so unhappy with the IAJF’s lack of progress, that they began to pursue a more vocal public approach in attempting to secure the release of the prisoners.

IAJF leaders have long advocated minimizing criticism of Tehran’s regime out of fear of retributions against the approximately 20,000 Jews still living in Iran. Despite internal differences of opinion, the various factions within the local Iranian Jewish community recently banded together in support of victims’ families’ lawsuit.

“Our entire community is united in demanding the immediate release of these individuals and will support any legal and moral course of action that their families may choose to pursue,” the group said in a statement released by the IAJF.

In 2000, with the assistance of various American Jewish groups, the Iranian Jewish community spread news of the case of 13 Iranian Jews from the city of Shiraz who had been imprisoned in 1999 on fabricated charges of spying for Israel. Ultimately the international exposure put pressure on the Iranian regime, prevented the execution of the “Shiraz 13,” and they were eventually released.

Babak Tehrani was last seen in 1996, according to Fereidoon Peyman, an Iranian Jew who was the Tehranis’ neighbor in Iran and who now lives in Los Angeles. In a sworn affidavit given to the Tehrani family, Peyman said that in 1996 he visited Tehran’s infamous Evin prison while attempting to sell land nearby to prison officials. While there, he stated, he saw Babak.

“As I was walking, a jail cell with a window caught my eye, I went forward and I saw several youths who were sitting on the floor,” Peyman stated in his affidavit. “The poor kids, including one whom I knew particularly since he was my daughter’s classmate and whose name was Babak.”

Evin prison is a maximum-security prison allegedly used by the Iranian government to house and torture political dissidents, student protesters, journalists and anyone else believed to pose a threat to the Iranian regime, Nikbakht said.

Experts familiar with Iran’s fundamentalist Islamic laws say such a long imprisonment of Babak Tehrani and the other 11 Jews is highly unusual for an attempted escape from the country and could be politically motivated. According to Chapter 11, Article 34 of Iran’s official Criminal Laws and Regulations, punishment for illegal exit from the country is either a fine or a prison term ranging from two months to a maximum of two years.

Babak’s father, Joseph Tehrani, said he was particularly disappointed with the lack of support and assistance from the Israeli government for the plight of his son and the other imprisoned Iranian Jews.

“Right now, the government of Israel and the prime minister have announced their willingness to release those imprisoned Palestinians who have Israeli blood on their hands in exchange for the release of three of their soldiers. But why isn’t the Israeli government willing to do the same for the 12 Jews held captive in Iran?” Joseph Tehrani said. “Is my son and the others not Jews as well for which Israel is responsible to protect?”

According to a 2004 report prepared by Nikbakht, the Jewish community lives in constant fear for its security amid threats from terrorist Islamic factions in Iran. Since 1979, at least 14 Jews were murdered or assassinated by the regime’s agents, at least two Jews died while in custody and 11 Jews have been officially executed by the regime.

Representatives at the Iranian Mission to the United Nations did not return calls for comment.

This article was originally published by the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=16989

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February 12, 2007 | 1:13 am

EXCLUSIVE: Israeli Consul General Ehud Danoch Shares Thoughts on Iranian American Jewry

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
September 2006

After being appointed in October 2004 as Consul General of Israel for the Southwestern region of the United States, Ehud Danoch has brought a fresh new approach to working in this vital foreign post and energized both Jews and non-Jews alike to get excited about Israel again. Still in his 30’s, Danoch who is an attorney by trade, is by far no novice when it comes to politics. Prior to his current position, he served as a Senior Advisor to Israel’s Minister of Finance as well as Chief of Staff to former Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Silvan Shalom. In addition to helping forge Israel’s national budget, Danoch was also involved in various policy decisions including Israel’s “Security Fence” and plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. In addition to speaking Hebrew, Danoch is also fluent in English and Spanish. He serves as a reservist in Israel’s Defense Forces at the rank of Captain.

Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Danoch about his background, the current situation in Israel, his efforts in the Consulate, as well as the Consulate’s outreaching to our community through a new program designed to encourage young Iranian Jews who have never been to Israel, to travel to their homeland.

Following the near one month war in Israel against Hezbollah, the cities in Northern Israel suffered tremendous damager. How secure is Israel today following the ceasefire and how capable will Hezbollah be in striking Israel again in the future?

There is no doubt that the situation of Israel today when it comes to security that it’s better than it was on July 12th when the war started in Lebanon. We have to understand that the Hezbollah was spread all over Southern Lebanon. They controlled the area, they had their posts, training camps, missiles, weaponary, and terrorists all over the place. Today after the war we managed to hit very hard their capabilities, we destroyed 80-percent of their long and medium range missiles, we destroyed many of their posts, training camps—and we hit them very very hard. Not to mention, over 20 different operations that took place, two were published and the rest I believe will be published in the future. But with all of this, the ceasefire that took place under U.N. Resolution 1701 brought in the international force that is spread all over Southern Lebanon and the forces that are going to come in the future, together with the army of Lebanon will make sure that the Hezbollah will not operate from Southern Lebanon. Together with this there is an embargo on Syria and Iran from delivering ammunition, weapons and missiles to the Hezbollah. We hope that the international community will bring for the implementation of Resolution 1559 that calls for the disarming of Hezbollah, Resolution 1701 that calls for an embargo on weapons to Hezbollah, and very important for the unconditional release the Israeli kidnapped soldiers that are being held as hostages in Lebanon. We cautiously have to wait and see the developments, and hopefully see the implementation of the resolution.

What was your reaction to the outpouring of support and financial contributions of the Iranian Jewish community to Israel during the recent war with Hezbollah?

Personally, I very much appreciate the warmth, the support, the dedication, the friendship of the Iranian Jewish community here in Los Angeles. We haven’t seen this only in words but actually in actions. When the Iranian Jewish community did several events to express support and solidarity with the State of Israel, to raise money for the people of Israel during the war. There was a beautiful and very successful event at the Iranian Federation synagogue where I brought the Goldwassers—Karnit Goldwasser, who is the wife of Ehud Goldwasser (kidnapped Israeli soldier) to that event which was very emotional. I must tell you that I spoke to her many times after and she said that she will never forget the warmth, the welcoming, the friendship, and the positive energizing that she received from the beautiful Iranian community here.

You have an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) and have worked as an attorney, what initially motivated you to enter into the world of politics?

I used to work in a private law firm in Israel that handled business law, litigation, liquidations and I got an offer to become the Senior Advisor to the Finance Minister. In Israel the Finance Ministry is different than in the United States, it’s the one that provides the budgets for all the 24 ministries. So working in the Finance Ministry is actually working in the heart of public service in Israel. There are many issues that even if you are a lawyer or a C.P.A. that when it comes to the governmental system in Israel, it’s hard to know exactly how the system operates. When you’re working in the Finance Ministry you are taking part in the national budget, you learn about each ministry and you understand how every ministry operates. That was a whole different experience from working as a lawyer. I said to myself I want to be there when such important decisions are being made and this is why I joined the foreign ministry. After the elections, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom offered me the position to be his Chief of Staff and I was wondering whether to go to the public sector or staying in public service. On the one hand it was my desire to learn more about public service in Israel, but the foremost reason was to contribute to the State of Israel. It was a very unique experience to go all over the world and meet with heads of State—to learn and to see how the international community treats Israel when it comes to foreign policy.

You have been at this post for a year and a half, what have been the most challenging aspects of the job and how have things changed since you came onboard?

There are many issues that we deal with. We deal with media and public relation, we deal with the university campuses, we meet with politicians and to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the politicians-Congressmen, Senators, Mayor, Governors, Consul members. We deal with economic issues and try to encourage economic investment in Israel, we also deal with the entertainment industry. We have a very large jurisdiction to cover that includes; Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Hawaii, and California. One of the issues was to push and to expose Israel as much as we can to the community. When I’m talking about the community, I’m not just talking about only the Jewish community, I’m talking about the citizens of the United States that live in our jurisdiction. In our jurisdiction, if you take the states all together, we had to reach nearly 50 million people. So what we did was to outreach of course to the media. For example, we went to the Los Angeles Times, Univision, Telemundo, and La Opinion to sit down with them and explain the current issues in Israel. I think that we are now seeing that people are more receptive, people are going to Israel—we see delegations of politicians going to Israel, members of the entertainment industry that we did not see in the past four years, are now going to Israel. Actors like Sharon Stone, Will Smith, Uma Thurman and the head of the studios are going to Israel. People are coming from many regions because they hear that Israel is a very dynamic, vibrant, democratic country. Some people come because of religion and all their lives they’ve heard about the Holyland, so it’s an amazing experience for them.

This past May you spoke at the Magbit Foundation Gala in Beverly Hills about the local Iranian Jewish community being among the ones who have come to admire. Can you please elaborate on why you have such admiration for our community?

The Iranian Jewish community is a unique and special community. They are very warm, open, and very welcoming. When I mentioned what I said it was because I know what their families went through, I know what the parents and the grandparents went through. I myself have learned about Iranian history—not only Iranian Jewish history which is very cultural and traditional, I have also learned about the political history of Iran. If you follow the political issues that took place in Iran, you understand that it was not easy for the Jewish people there. There was a time that there were great political relations but after the revolution many of their families left for Europe, Israel, and the United States. When you take a community that is so strongly rooted and very traditional, it’s beautiful to see Shabbat dinners with Persian families. But they are the ones that understand it very well because in 1979 the majority of them came to Israel, now imagine god forbid if there was no State of Israel there. This specific community because they suffered a lot understands very well the importance of the State of Israel and I admire this.

What else can the Iranian Jewish community specifically do at this time to support Israel in other ways?

Something that concerns me is that their children are getting wonderful educations and the parents are investing a lot in them, but I was surprised to see many of the students have not been to Israel. Many people between the age of 25 to 35 in the Iranian Jewish community have never been to Israel. You have to ask yourself what will happen in the future? O.K., they are wealthy and they have businesses, but are they going to continue their traditions? Someone who hasn’t been to Israel doesn’t understand what it’s like. You can see movies, DVD’s and pictures but you have to be there in order to feel the atmosphere, the energy, in order to feel the protection, in order to understand that this is your country. This is the only country in the world that when you land and stand on your two feet in the airport, you are an Israeli if you are Jewish automatically. I am planning and I would like the help of the Iranian Jewish community here for a new project. I would like to arrange a trip for those young students from the Iranian Jewish community that have never been to Israel-maybe 30 students and we’ll do it every year. They will be between 25 and 35 who have never been to Israel. The Jewish Agency would like to work together with me, so they will take part in this as well and of course I would like the cooperation of the parents to work together on this issue. By being in Israel, they will understand that people are driving beautiful cars, there are nightclubs, shopping malls…people are going out at eleven o’clock at night and returning at 6 a.m.! I am not asking for anything else from them, this is for the community and it will strengthen their Jewish identity.

In November 2005, nearly 2000 Iranians of various faiths gathered for a pro-Israel demonstration in Westwood after Iran’s President called for Israel to be “wiped off the map”. Were you surprised by the turnout and support from many Iranian Muslims and other non-Jewish Iranians?

No, I was not surprised because the non-Jewish Iranian community here is different. Some of them have close relations with the Jewish community. They chose to live in a democratic country here and many of them are American citizens, so I think it’s easier for them to identify with a democratic country like Israel rather than a totalitarian country like Iran.

You recently spoke at the L.A. Sports Arena to a crowd of nearly 23,000 Pentecostal Christian Zionists. What type of outreach does the consulate do toward non-Jewish communities or groups in the area you cover?

First of all we should ask ourselves, why should we outreach? We don’t live in closed communities and we shouldn’t live in closed communities. Especially today when things are global—economies, investments, when it comes to public diplomacy political support it is important to reach many communities. For example, we have a very close relationship with the Latino community here in Los Angeles. I of course speak Spanish to them and we have planned mutual events. It is important for us to show them or expose Israel to them because some of them may have read about Israel but they don’t really know everything about Israel. If they do hear about Israel it’s through the media and the media most of the time deals with the Arab-Israeli conflict. We both know that Israel is much more than a conflict, so we encourage them to come to Israel. The Christian community is also very significant and an important community here and around the world. They send many delegations to Israel during the year, they are great supporters of the State of Israel, and whoever supports Israel, I support him. We have also started outreaching to the Korean community and African American community.

Turning to issues of Israel, we still see Palestinian terrorist firing rockets into Israel from Gaza. How has unilateral withdrawal from Gaza has helped or harmed Israel?

According to the security forces, the outcome of the disengagement was for the benefit of the security of the State of Israel. They [Palestinians] launched Kassam missiles before the disengagement and we still see hundreds of Kassam rockets launched at Israel today. Since Israelis are no longer there, as soon as they launch Kassam rockets it’s a declaration of war against the State of Israel. And now you cannot talk to terrorists, so Israel will respond to the attacks to defend itself.

Issues of Iran and the Iranian President’s calls for Israel to be “wiped off the map” have been on the minds of many Jews, particularly Iranian Jews here in Southern California. To what extent has Israel taken into consideration the potential reprisals Iran’s regime may take on the near 25,000 Jews still living in Iran in the event of a strike led by Israel or U.S.?

Israel will do everything in its power to protect every Jew that is living in the Diaspora. But with it, if you ask me, it’s very simple to come and to say “leave Iran”- but yes, leave Iran. Why are those Jewish people still living there? It’s a bit difficult. I know from people here that they are very concerned about some of their family living in Iran.

Your family is of Yemenite descent and we also see many Iranian Jews in prominent position in Israeli government. How have the lives and opportunities for Sephardim in Israel changed since its establishment?

There is no question of Sephardim and Ashkenazim in Israel. It was an issue 50 years ago but there isn’t an issue today and the proof that it isn’t an issue is that fifty percent of the cabinet today [in the Israeli government] are Sephardim and also in the former cabinet. We have a President, Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief of the Army, who are all Sephardim as well.

If I may say so, you are still a young man. What are your plans after your tenure as Consul General is over? Will we be seeing you in the Knesset?

We have time. We’ll see what the future holds and of course I will try to continue to do my best to help and make a difference for the State of Israel and for the people of Israel.

This interview was originally published by the Iranian Jewish Chronicle Magazine:
http://ijchronicle.com/article.php?idcat=19&idart=86

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February 12, 2007 | 1:09 am

Persian Shul Adopts Membership System

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
08/27/04

For many Jews, the High Holidays and membership drives go together like apples and honey. But for communities newer to America, the thought of paying an annual fee to “belong” to a house of worship is a foreign concept.

For centuries, Persian Jews have traditionally raised funds for religious activities by auctioning off or bidding on aliyot, the bringing out of the Torah and other rituals during Shabbat and holiday services. But after 25 years in Los Angeles, Persian Jews are beginning to embrace the concept of membership.

At the forefront of this push has been the Nessah Cultural Center in Beverly Hills, which became the first Persian synagogue in California to offer a membership program last year.

“The torch at Nessah has been passed to a new generation of younger people on our board of directors who decided that we needed membership in order to create a sense of belonging in the community,” said Dr. Morgan Hakimi, Nessah’s newly elected president.

Isaac Eshaghan, chairman of Nessah’s membership committee, said Nessah’s approximate 1,400 members have primarily been drawn to join Nessah because of the synagogue’s English and Persian services.

“Last year, three weeks before Rosh Hashana, we were sold out because we offered membership according to the number of seats we had,” Eshaghan said. “Our membership is in an affordable range and on average costs less than $1,000 per family.”

According to Nessah membership records, membership dues for married couples between the ages of 18 and 30 are $500, with $650 for couples 31 to 64 and $500 for couples over 65. Likewise, singles 18 to 30 are $150, singles 31 to 64 pay $350 and singles over 65 pay $250. Children under 7 are free, while it is $50 for children 8 to 11 and $125 for children 13 to 17 years old.

Nessah’s membership program is gaining acceptance due to the community’s familiarity with membership requirements at local Ashkenazi synagogues such as Stephen S. Wise and Sinai Temple, Eshaghan said.

“Joint membership with American temples is common with our members because their children go to day schools at these temples and membership is required there,” he said.

Nessah’s leadership will gradually phase out the traditional auction method of fund raising in the coming years.

“Everybody [on the board of directors] was in favor of not announcing the large sums of money donated during services because it takes a lot of time and is annoying to people who hear the shouting when they’ve come to temple to pray,” said David Pourbaba, chairman of Nessah’s ritual committee.

Rather than bidding on them during temple services, Pourbaba said Nessah congregants have agreed to call in their donations beforehand in order to receive aliyot and participation in other rituals.

“We’ve gotten some resistance from the older generation,” said Pourbaba, who added that the change has impacted the synagogue’s income, “but in the long run this is the best direction to go.”

Hakimi, who earlier this month became the first female president of any Persian synagogue in the United States, said additional funds available from membership dues collected have enabled Nessah to offer new programs and workshops to its members.

“Nessah is proud to welcome all groups from different levels of religiosity and income,” she said. “We will be offering support groups, a new teen center, book club, self-help classes, yoga classes and a business networking group.”

Just as Nessah has drawn a large following of Persian Jews, so has Sinai Temple with nearly 700 to 800 Persian Jewish families among its members, said Sinai’s Rabbi David Wolpe.

“As a rabbi, I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to come to the temple at a time when Iranian Jews have settled in our community because it enriches Sinai Temple beyond belief,” Wolpe said.

Michael Nazarian, Sinai’s vice president of membership, said Iranian Jews have flocked to Sinai because of the synagogue’s school and the warm reception they’ve received from Sinai’s leadership over the years.

Sinai Temple has also developed the ATID program to draw in teenagers and young adults with lectures, workshops and other events. Also, the temple is courting Jews between the ages of 23 and 35 by offering them memberships for as low as $180.

“The atmosphere we have at Sinai is very friendly between Ashkenazim and Iranians,” said Nazarian, who is also on Sinai’s executive board of directors. “We have a number of Iranians on our board of directors, in our committees, and of course our past president Jimmy Delshad was also Iranian.”

However, Wolpe and Persian members of Sinai Temple acknowledged that some Persians have not renewed their memberships with the synagogue after their children complete the b’nai mitzvah program.

“It is a problem in general with synagogue membership with many Jews across the country. What we try to do is educate them that there are benefits to keeping their connection with the temple,” Wolpe said.

For more information on the Nessah Educational & Cultural Center visit:
http://www.nessah.org/

This article was originally published by the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=12723

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February 12, 2007 | 12:38 am

For Iranian Jews, Purim Is the Real Thing

Posted by Karmel Melamed

By Karmel Melamed
03/25/05

Historians may question whether events in the Book of Esther, which are celebrated at Purim, happened as described in the traditional tale. But to Persian Jews, the holiday resonates deeply.

Part of it is that the story unfolds in ancient Persia—now modern Iran—so the events commemorated have a local connection.

“Even though Purim is for all Jews around the world, we as Jews living in Iran feel particularly closer to Purim,” said Parviz Yeshaya, national chairman of the Jewish Council in Iran. “Especially since the tombs of Esther and Mordechai are here in Iran.”

Iran’s Islamic regime does not discourage the celebrating of Jewish holidays, including Purim, Yeshaya said. Still, the tone of the holiday is quite different than in other countries. The Jewish community in Iran has embraced the long-standing religious aspects of Purim rather than the light-hearted festivities that characterize American observance.

“The most important part of celebrating Purim in Iran starts with the fast, which is 24 hours, and the reading of the megillah in synagogues during the fast,” Yeshaya said. “We give gifts here, but not as many, and we don’t have carnivals like the Ashkenazim. But children in their Jewish school conduct their own plays of the Purim story.”

Within Iran, the traditional site of the tombs of Esther and Mordechai has become somewhat of a tourist attraction. They are located in the city of Hamadan, and they’ve recently been renovated and maintained by Iran’s Jewish community.

“Near the tomb there is a synagogue, but unfortunately due to the large migration of Jews out of Hamadan, there are problems with taking care of the synagogue,” Yeshaya said. “But we are working on resolving this.”

Although Persian Jews have long believed the tomb contains the burial sites of Esther and Mordechai, historians and archeologists note a lack of solid evidence.

“The great archeologist Ernst Hertzfeld, in his book, suspected that Esther and Mordechai were buried there, but later indicated that he believed Shushandokht, a Jewish woman who was the wife of Yazgerd I, an Iranian king, is buried there,” said Amnon Netzer, professor of Middle Eastern and Iranian studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

That’s not his only point of doubt.

“The tombs of Esther and Mordechai had not been mentioned in any Jewish sources,” Netzer added. “The first Jewish person who mentioned the existence of the tombs there was Rabbi Binyamin of Toodelah in 1167 [C.E.]. I wonder how come there are absolutely no mentions of these tombs in the Talmud or post-Talmud literature?”

Netzer did, however, have an explanation of the more subdued, religious nature of the holiday’s observance. Jews in Iran have always been cautious in their celebrations of Purim, he said, because the Book of Esther contains unflattering depictions of non-Jewish Persians and also includes the tale of a slaughter of non-Jews.

“If you read the book itself you will see that it says the Iranian Jews were permitted actually to massacre a lot of Iranians on a certain day and King Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes, is pictured as a stupid king,” Netzer said. “So these factors actually made Iranian Jews extremely careful not to have high-profile celebrations for Purim.”

Decades ago, he noted, Iran had close ties with Nazi Germany, and some of Iran’s more nationalistic papers labeled Purim as anti-Iranian.

But the celebration of Purim has endured. And, ironically, its importance has even been enhanced by a non-Jewish holiday. Purim typically coincides with the festivities of No Ruz, the secular Persian New Year.

“Purim gets more focus in Iran from Jews,” said Nahid Pirnazar, an instructor of Iranian studies and Judeo-Persian literature at UCLA. “It’s like Chanukah in the United States, which coincides with Christmas,” she said. “A lot of the traditions of No Ruz are reflected in Purim, like the idea of exchanging gifts.”

Purim fasts are broken at the conclusion of megillah readings, she added. Jews traditionally eat special Purim cookies as well as halva, a dry or wet dessert made of flour or rice, sugar, oil and saffron.

And although some historians have their doubts regarding the Book of Esther, the experience of Jews in Iran embodies a consonance with events described in the tale. Over the centuries, Pirnazar said, Jews have narrowly escaped forced mass conversions to Islam by participating in communitywide days of prayer and fasting — similar to the fast carried out by Queen Esther in the Purim story.

One such Purim-like episode is identified in Vera Basch Moreen’s book, “Iranian Jewry’s Hour of Peril and Heroism” (American Academy for Jewish Research, 1987). In 1629, the Jews in the city of Isfahan were forced to convert to Islam with the succession of King Safi I of the Safavid Dynasty. Later, these Jews were permitted to return to Judaism after two Jewish leaders successfully interceded with the Iranian monarch — a scenario that parallels the Purim story.

As an often-oppressed minority, Iranian Jews have their own modern-day hardships to confront. And the Book of Esther, with its tale of triumph over hardship and evil, still conveys a message of hope.

This article was originally published by the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=13848

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