If you'd like to see some truth about Iran, Rick Steves' visit

[Craig234]

 

[Somerville]

More recent information - June 2025

The Islamic Republic is home to a longstanding Jewish community​

Iran is an Islamic state known for its hostility to Israel. The country is also home to a longstanding Jewish community, with at least a dozen active synagogues in the capital city of Tehran, mikvahs, kosher butchers, a Jewish library, and even a Jewish newspaper.

Estimates range from 9,000 to 20,000 Jews currently living in Iran. According to Sternfeld, the most credible approximation is 15,000, which is the number most Jews living in Iran cite. More than half of the Jewish population lives in Tehran, with the second most in the city of Shiraz.

Jews in Iran enjoy a sizable number of Jewish cultural and religious institutions and can practice their religion freely, Sternfeld said.

Jews even have required governmental representation. The Iranian Parliament, or the Majles, has a reserved seat for a Jewish member enshrined in the constitution, alongside reserved seats for other religious minorities: two seats for Armenians, one for Zoroastrians, and one for Assyrians. The current Jewish representative is Homayoun Sameh, who was elected in 2020.

Still, as with other lawmakers, there are limits on how freely the Jewish representative can critique the government.

“Practicing religion is not a problem. Iranian Jews have a harder time practicing other civil rights that are more connected to the political situation than religious freedoms."

The FORWARD is a Jewish non-profit media outlet that tries to provide balanced commentary. In the linked article, Iranian Jews are quoted in attacks on Israel's acts in Gaza.

 

[ataraxia]

The country has a rich cultural and historical legacy, and its people are very friendly and hospitable- when one is interacting with them on a personal level. It’s their current government that sucks.

But then again, that’s true of the United Sttates today too. And Israel.