Rav Yehudah Grami, the Chief Rabbi of Teheran, said there was “complete freedom of religion” in Iran in an interview on Sunday.
In the interview, which was carried out in Hebrew with Al-Monitor and broadcast on Channel 12 News in Israel, Rav Grami spoke about many aspects of Jewish life in Iran.
“I estimate that there are between 20,000 and 25,000 Jews in the country. Most of them live in Tehran, Shiraz, Esfahan and Kermanshah, though there are other, small communities too,” Rav Grami said.
“We have total freedom of religion,” claimed Rav Grami. ” All the shuls are open, and Torah classes take place there. We have all sorts of educational institutions too, including elementary and middle schools.”
Rav Grami also spoke about the coronavirus crisis, which seems to have barely affected the Jewish community in hard-hit Iran, in part, thanks to his swift action by closing all shuls in March.
“I immediately understood where this was heading, so I ordered that all the shuls be closed and that people daven privately, without a minyan. At the same time, on Purim, I authorized just this once to have the Megillah read via livestream, and I forbade people from fasting on Taanis Esther. I continued giving my classes through Instagram and Skype. I am convinced that we came out of it [the coronavirus crisis] relatively unscathed because of all the precautions we took.”
Rav Grami said that there is little problem with anti-Semitism in Iran. “Our Muslim neighbors have a lot of respect for us as Jews living in Iran,” he said. “Unlike in Europe, for example, we do not have guards outside our shuls and schools, and our personal safety is excellent. Of course, we sometimes encounter people who are anti-Semitic, but that happens everywhere. Most of the population respects us and lives in peace with us. What is important is that in Iran there is no such concept as organized attacks on Jews.”
What about Iran’s quite volatile relationship with Israel? “We are always emphasizing that we do not like getting involved in all the disputes, wars and politics between the two countries,” Rav Grami asserted. “It is a debate between politicians and has nothing to do with religion.”
“People tend to get confused, but there is a big difference between Zionism and Judaism. Judaism is a religion that is 3,300 years old, while Zionism is a national and political movement that is just 100 years old. As a country, the State of Israel has nothing to do with religion in general and Judaism in particular. This is not a war between religions. All the Jews here emphasize that. The worst thing that could happen would be to give the impression that this is a war of religion.”
Rav Grami also spoke about his much-publicized condolence call to the family of Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
“What the Western world does not fully understand is that Soleimani is an Iranian national hero,” Rav Grami said. “He is really admired in our country. He showed great bravery in the Iran-Iraq War. Then, in the war in Syria, it was Soleimani who defeated the Islamic State, and this was very important to the people of Iran. Our visit, as representatives of all the religions, was to respect his memory after everything he did on behalf of Iran.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
And anyone who has ever been hold hostage does a very convincing job reading the card that says “They are treating us very well.”
Please don’t post this “lie liar” fellow on your wonderful YWN. I really would be way more comfortable never having to see his picture nor ever hear of him ever again, as would most of us.
Sounds like it’s time to leave NY, NJ and move to Iran where we could practice religion freely.
Off course we all understand that being that Iran is a bloody vicious terrorist islamic dictatorship the poor rabbi has no choice but to utter these words,but what i fail to comprehend why would Yeshiva World embarrass this poor rabbi and broadcast this all over the world when knowing full well he did this under duress and had no choice in the matter
He doesn’t sound like much of a Zionist but he has a point. Historically Muslim countries have been much more tolerant of Jews than Christian countries. My father lived in Morocco with his parents for five years as a child refugee during the Shoah and he spoke favorably about the Muslims for the rest of his life. Religiously speaking, Judaism has much more in common with Islam than with Christianity – some even hold that Islam is not Avodah Zarah and that entry into a mosque is permitted.
Problem is that this could always change. Arabs ejected Jews from Arab countries after 1948 even if they had been living there for many years. Plus, this Rabbi needs to understand that the vast majority of the world’s Jews don’t live in Iran and therefore need a state of Israel.
Is this credible?
Traditionally, a Chief Rabbi of an Oriental country would be wearing a robe and turban, like Rabbi Yosef of Israel and the Ben Ish Chai. I wonder why he and other Jewish leaders appear on Iranian television in Jewish Western style hats. Is it to associate with their Neturei Karta friends? Or is it the Iranian equivalent of the Yellow Badge?
Is anyone else bothered by the Chief Rabbi or Iran dressing like the Rav of any shul on the spectrum of right wing Orthodoxy? Why is Sephardic mesorah being blotted out like a female face in a frum publication?
We heard this before during the Cold War from official Soviet “rabbis”.
Of course, this message was approved by President Rouhanni ym”s before it was broadcast.
Historically Muslim countries have been much more tolerant of Jews than Christian countries.
That is simply not true.
We heard this before during the Cold War from official Soviet “rabbis”..
Not only from “rabbis” but even from rabbonim, such as R Moshe Rosen z”l. Everyone understood why he was saying these things, and that saying them served the greater cause of allowing him to accomplish his great deeds for the sake of Hashem.