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Molla (Mulla) Yaghoob (Jacub) Synagogue, Isfahan, Iran

Description

Isfahan
Isfahan was once a center of Jewish culture and learning, now only contains the physical remnants of its past Jewish glory. Founded on the small village of Jay, also known as as Shahristān, the city grew to be called the Dar-Al-Yahud, or the “House of the Jews” in Farsi (2). Scholars have many different theories on how the Jews arrived to live in Isfahan. Some think they came over during the reign of King Cyrus, the first emperor of the Persian Empire, due to his religious tolerance (3). Others think that the Jews came after the destruction of the first temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.E (4). Nevertheless the Jews of Isfahan have been living there for thousands of years. One of the first recorded persecutions of Isfahani Jews occurred in 472 when half the Jewish population was killed due to the accusation that the Jew had flayed two Zoroastrian fire-priests (5).

Around 642 the Arab conquest reached Isfahan. The new Arab regime provoked the emergence of Jewish “messiahs,” influenced by the newly introduced religion of Shiite Islam. The movement gained so many followers, both Muslim and Jewish, that it had to be suppressed by the new caliphate. Around 1240 the Mongols took over Isfahan. The Jews faced no specific persecution under their reign. Jewish life in Isfahan reached its Golden Age under the Safavid Dynasty in the late 16th and early 17th century. Isfahan had become the new capital of the empire and thus had been completely rebuilt. The Jews became known for their artisanship producing beautiful carpets, silk, leather, and flax to also being barbers, tailors, butchers, and millers (6). Jews often held positions that Muslims would never, like working as wine-makers, jewelry businessman, and musicians.

Around the 1580’s the Jewish population reached to be about eight to ten thousand people. The Jewish quarter was even known as the Jubarreh, or the “Jews' city”. However after the ascension of Shah ‘Abbas II the Jews of Isfahan faced a lot of persecution. Most communities were forced to convert to Islam. Furthermore those who refused to convert would have most of their inheritance taken away as the inheritance laws at the time allowed for those who converted to Shia Islam to inherit the property of non-Muslim family members. Some communities did not convert and were thus forced to wear a special badge to show that they were Jewish (7). The maltreatment of the Jew’s weakened their community ties and influence throughout the region. By 1889 there were only around four hundred Jewish families left in Isfahan and most were very poor. The Alliance Israelite Universelle established a school in Isfahan in 1901. By 1968 the school expanded to provide a high and elementary school education to Jewish students (8).

By the middle of the 20th century around 80% of the Jewish population in Isfahan lived on the verge of poverty.The establishment of the state of Israel and the following Iranian Revolution created a flood of immigration to Israel. Out of the eighteen functioning synagogues, now only one is used. Out of the 10,000 Jews in the 1940s there are only 1,500 Jews left in Isfahan, the third largest Jewish community in Iran (9). The head of the Jewish community is Sion Mahgrefteh.The main synagogue, right in Palestine Square, holds prayers every day for more than a hundred worshippers. The Jewish presence is still widely felt in the city. There even is a shopping mall called the “Jewish Passage” due to most of the businesses owned by Jews (10).
The Jews of the Isfahan have their own dialect called Isfahani, a part of the Median dialect present in the central part of Iran. However because Isfahan is the third largest city in Iran there is a mesh of other dialects spoken in Isfahan (11).

Iran
The country of Iran includes a long history of Jewish communities which are defined by their adaptability, multiculturalism, and unique culture. The history of Iranian-Jews began about 2,700 years ago in 586 B.C.E. when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem and the majority of Judea’s Jewish population was exiled to Babylonia (modern day Iran and Iraq) (12, 13). Iran’s ancient Jewish communities existed throughout the Medieval, Safavid, and Qajar eras, though little information is available about this time period. What information that does exist has come from the Cairo Geniza records and suggests that the Iranian Jewish communities of ancient times were likely quite large. Throughout these centuries, the status of Iranian Jews oscillated as the community was often highly respected, but sometimes pressured into conversion. However, during the nineteenth century, Iran’s Jews faced the worst conditions they had yet seen—marked by marginalization, isolation, and economic decline. Many Jewish communities were destroyed during these years, and Iranian Jews were subject to new laws which regulated their freedoms and rights to inheritance. Ultimately, these new tensions resulted in the conversion of many Iranian Jews to Islam.

Yet, the twentieth century marked a great improvement in the status of Iranian Jews, as well as the growth of new pressures following the founding of the state of Israel. Under the Pahlavi monarchs Reza Shah and Muhammad Reza Shah, Jewish life in Iran improved immensely. The shahs’ focus on Westernization and creating ties with the United States and Israel resulted in new stability for the Iranian Jews. In fact, under Reza Shah, Jews were allowed to move out of the Jewish quarters of their cities and were granted improved social and economic statuses. Similarly, Iranian Jews saw monumental improvements during the White Revolution and “Golden Era” of Muhammad Reza Shah’s regime (14). During these years, Iranian Jews were guaranteed equal political, cultural, and religious rights as Muslim citizens, and the Iranian Jewish community numbered upwards of 100,000 (15).

However, the regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the leaders who have succeeded him have been marked by increased anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-Western sentiments. Khomeini’s regime was highly anti-Semitic, and Khomeini himself clearly stated that he believed Jews had infected Islamic society. Although members of the Jewish community were able to persuade Khomeini that Judaism was not the same as Zionism, many Iranian Jews began to flee the country during these years (16). Indeed, over 30,000 Jews emigrated to the United States (largely to communities in Beverly Hills, California and Great Neck, New York), 20,000 to Israel, and at least 10,000 to Europe. Though Iran has worked to guarantee the rights and representation of religious minorities, the number of Jews living in Iran has shrunk to under 10,000. Nonetheless, Iranian Jews—both abroad and at home—feel a strong connection to both their homeland and their home-religion. Many Jews within Iran report feeling conflicted between the politics of Iran and Israel, as evidenced by the number of Iranian Jews who still participate in protesting Israel on “Qods Day” and who themselves have fought in many wars on behalf of Iran. Indeed, Iranian Jewish communities are marked by their multifaceted and unique culture of community and religion (17).

Isfahan, Iran

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