Iran Arrest Local Jews in Revenge Spree

Yanki Farber

Authorities in Iran have been holding ten Jewish citizens in prison since the end of the recent war. Following the war, at least 35 Jewish Iranians, mostly residents of Tehran and Shiraz, were detained for questioning about their alleged connections to relatives in Israel. While most were later released, ten remain imprisoned.

Sources close to the Iranian Jewish community report that over a thousand people across the country have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel — among them, many Jews. The alleged reason for these arrests includes past phone calls or visits to family members in Israel, or simply maintaining contact with them.

Global Jewish organizations and activists are currently working to secure the release of those detained.

In conversations with members of the Iranian-American Jewish community, one person told the B’Chadrei Charedim news outlet:

“The prisoners are being held under harsh conditions, completely cut off from their families, and are not allowed to communicate with them. We urge the Jewish people: please pray for them. Read Psalms. Mention them in your prayers. Only through divine mercy will they return home.”

Despite the difficult circumstances, Jewish life in Iran continues in limited ways. Just yesterday, a Jewish family in Tehran celebrated the bris (circumcision) of their newborn son, with Iran’s Chief Rabbi Yehuda Gerami officiating. The baby was named Aharon ben Yitzchak.