Their names often pay tribute to Iranian culture and their accented
speech still sings the unique music of the language, even after
decades. They stay on top of Iranian news, culture, sports and trivia,
and stay in touch with friends and family living in a country whose
distance from Israel is measured in more than geography. The Israeli
community of Iranian Jews numbers about 170,000 -- including the first
generation of Israeli-born -- and is deeply proud of its roots.
On Tuesday, around 150 members of the community demonstrated in the
Israeli city of Holon, home to the country's largest concentration of
Iranian Jews. They expressed solidarity with the people of Iran,
chanted slogans against the ayatollahs' regime and in favor of Reza
Pahlavi, crown prince of Iran at the time of the revolution and today
living in exile.
The show of support was organized by Kamal Penhasi, the Iranian-born editor of Shahyad,
the only Persian-language magazine published in Israel. "We speak from
the throats of the entire Iranian people, whose voices are being
silenced by the censorship of the regime that is killing people on the
streets …we are part of the Iranian people and want to tell them we are
with them. Enough of this regime; the Iranian people deserve their
freedom," he said at the demonstration.
Penhasi left Iran shortly after the Islamic Revolution. "I saw what
happened in 1979; today's events remind me of that revolution," he
said. "This is the great spark in the direction of the big revolution."
Penhasi says the regime likes to show that it is strong, but in reality
it is crumbling from within. "The people of Iran want their freedom and
have taken to the streets to prove it." The young generation in Iran
knows exactly what's happening in the outside world, they view Israel
as a second paradise on Earth after the U.S. in terms of freedom, he
says. Acknowledging that "30 years of brainwashing" have damaged
Iranians' sympathy to Israel, Penhasi still believes it's there.
Penhasi has been publishing Shahyad for 19 years. Each month, 2,000
copies of the magazine are printed and it is read by many others online
in Israel and elsewhere, including Iran. Besides news and culture, the
website serves Penhasi for outreach, for preserving the connection with
Iran, keeping an open channel for information and dialogue and
documenting the Jewish community's history. Once, he undertook a
project to document all the streets in Israel that have Persian- or
Iranian-related names and posted them on the website. Iranians were
astonished that the Zionist state has so many sites recognizing Iran.
And some repay him in kind, sending him information and pictures
from Jewish sites such as cemeteries, including exclusive pictures from
the tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan. For years, he has collects
documentation on the Jews of Iran, with hopes of one day establishing a
heritage center. If only the many organizations of Iranian Jews in
Israel were better organized and budgeted, this would be possible, he
says sighing, envious of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center.
Many still have family among the 15,000-17,000 Jews still living in
Iran. It's not always simple and not always safe but there is contact.
These days, Penhasi is more plugged in than ever -- but not only with
Jews. Phone, e-mails, chats -- he has a constant stream of real-time
news, some of it exclusive that he shares with the local press.
The name of his publication is no coincidence. Shahyad is the great
tower of Tehran, built as a tribute to Persian history and the nation's
kings, before being popularly renamed Azadi (freedom) after the
revolution. Penhasi and his publication favor Reza Pahlavi, whom he
still refers to as the crown prince. He maintains close connections
with the opposition. Penhasi knows that even if the regime were to
topple, the era of the shah wouldn't return as it was. If a monarchy is
revived, he envisions it more like Spain's version. Iran is complex, he
says. It's not one of those places where you have a military coup and
people wake up in the morning with little fundamental change. There are
many ethnic groups in Iran that seek independence, and only a member of
the royal family could keep Iran from crumbling after a revolution, he
says.
A few months ago, the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat held a stormy council meeting on a proposal to change its flag,
which was designed 56 years ago and bears an uncomfortable resemblance
to the flag adopted by Iran after the revolution. Tuesday's
demonstrators in Israel boldly and proudly waved the Iranian flag --
the pre-revolution version. "Proud to be Persian," reads a banner on
the website.
-- Batsheva Sobelman, in Jerusalem
Photos:Iranian Jews demonstrate in Holon, Israel. Credit: Kamal Penhasi and Shahyad