Jewish issues Human rights in Iran

jews have lived in iran 3,000 years , iran host largest jewish community in middle east outside of israel. estimated 25,000 jews remain in country, although approximately 75% of iran s jewish population has emigrated during , since islamic revolution of 1979 , iran-iraq war in days after islamic revolution in 1979, several jews executed on charges of zionism , relations israel. jews in iran have constitutional rights equal other iranians, although may not hold government jobs or become army officers. have freedom follow religion, not granted freedom proselytize. despite small numbers, jews allotted 1 representative in parliament.

iran s official government-controlled media published protocols of elders of zion in 1994 , 1999. jewish children still attend jewish schools hebrew , religious studies taught, jewish principals have been replaced muslim ones, curricula government-supervised, , jewish sabbath no longer recognized. according jewish journalist roger cohen:

perhaps have bias toward facts on words, reality of iranian civility toward jews tells more iran – sophistication , culture – inflammatory rhetoric. may because m jew , have seldom been treated such consistent warmth in iran.

cohen s depiction of jewish life in iran sparked criticism columnists , activists such jeffrey goldberg of atlantic monthly , rafael medoff, director of david s. wyman institute holocaust studies. in jerusalem post op-ed, medoff criticized cohen being misled existence of synagogues , further argued iranian jews captives of regime, , whatever calibrated not trouble. american jewish committee criticized cohen s articles. dr. eran lerman, director of group s middle east directory, argued cohen’s need argue away unpleasant reality gives rise systematic denial . cohen responded on 2 march, defending observations , further elaborating iran’s islamic republic no third reich redux. nor totalitarian state. stated life more difficult them [the jews] muslims, suggest [jews] inhabit totalitarian hell self-serving nonsense.

privately, many jews complain foreign reporters of discrimination, of of social or bureaucratic nature. islamic government appoints officials run jewish schools, of these being muslims , requires schools must open on saturdays, jewish sabbath. (this has apparently been changed of february 4, 2015.) criticism of policy downfall of last remaining newspaper of iranian jewish community closed in 1991 after criticized government control of jewish schools. instead of expelling jews en masse in libya, iraq, egypt, , yemen, iranians have adopted policy of keeping jews in iran.