Relevant Articles
Articles, essays, and research from scholars, journalists, and community members, chosen by JIMENA to deepen your understanding of Jewish life in Iran.
Articles
Ruby Sees Red: An Interview with Ruby Namdar
Novelist Ruby Namdar on his Mashhadi roots and American Jewish life after October 7.
The Iranian Revolution Still Haunts Its Jewish Survivors, Elham Gheytanchi
Memories of a Jewish school in Tehran after the 1979 revolution.
On Being Persian, Gina B. Nahai
Gina B. Nahai on the word Persian, and the legacy of Cyrus the Great.
How Iranian Jewish Women Started a Writers' Revolution, Benjamin Ivry
The Iranian Jewish women whose memoirs and novels tell their community's story.
To Be an Iranian Jewish Bride, Saba Soomekh
Henna, sweets, and blessings: Iranian Jewish wedding traditions across three generations.
The Refugee's Internal Exile, Roya Hakakian
Roya Hakakian on exile, memory, and a grandfather's grave in Tehran.
The Persian Singer, Rebecca Sassouni
Rebecca Sassouni, daughter of Iranian Jewish immigrants in Queens, reflects on how singer Maureen Nehedar showed her she could be Persian, Jewish, American, and feminist all at once.
Galeet Dardashti on the Revival of Piyyutim
Singer and scholar Galeet Dardashti, granddaughter of the renowned Persian classical singer Younes Dardashti, talks about performance, anthropology, and the revival of sacred Jewish poetry from the Middle East.
Israeli Madonna Charms the United Nations (Tablet)
Iranian-born Israeli pop star Rita sang in Hebrew, English, and Persian at a 2013 concert at the United Nations General Assembly Hall.
Viewing Antisemitism Through the Lens of My Mizrahi Experience (Distinctions)
Dr. Sharon S. Nazarian, who left Tehran as a child in 1978, explains how the prejudice Jews faced in the Middle East and the Iranian regime’s propaganda shape antisemitism today.
How Iran Kept Its Jews, Roya Hakakian
Roya Hakakian tells the story of six Iranian Jews who secretly met Ayatollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution, a meeting that may have kept the community safe, though not equal.
Recognized, Yet Suspected: Iranian Jews and the Paradox of Citizenship
Erfan Fard examines how Iran’s constitution recognizes Jews as a religious minority while keeping them from full equality as citizens under the Islamic Republic.
