About Jewish Ppl (Iranian Jewish)

[hamoun]

thanks

[Rasputin]

Iran is home to the largest number of Jews in the Middle East, outside Israel.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_5360000/newsid_5369400/bb_wm_5369420.stm

[Rasputin]

نخست*وزير اسرائيل از يهوديان روسيه خواست چمدان*هاي خود را ببندند و به اسرائيل سفر كنند.

به گزارش فارس به نقل از خبرگزاري فرانسه، ايهود اولمرت در ديدار با رهبران اقليت يهود در مسكو و بازديد از يك كنيسه و مركز مارينا روچچا در اين شهر به آنان گفت چمدان*هاي خود را ببنديد و به اسرائيل بياييد تا با هم زندگي كنيم.
بزرگترين گروه از يهوديان جهان در روسيه زندگي مي*كنند.
اولمرت همچنين خطاب به آنان گفت در اسرائيل مشكلاتي است و گاهي جنگ روي مي*دهد و كار خطرناك مي*شود اما ما شما را در حل همه اين مشكلات ياري مي*كنيم.

وي در ادامه از ولاديمير پوتين رئيس*جمهور روسيه كه روز چهارشنبه با وي ديدار داشت، به خاطر موضع مثبتش در قبال اقليت يهود اين كشور قدرداني كرد.

[Rasputin]

Documentary: "My Life as an American Persian Jew" by Melody Khadavi

http://www.potatogrande.com/mylife/mylife.html

Is very intresting .

[mike435]

Documentary: "My Life as an American Persian Jew" by Melody Khadavi

http://www.potatogrande.com/mylife/mylife.html

Is very intresting .

couldnt relate more

[mike435]

forgot to say, thanks redwine

[Rasputin]

Nessah president blazing trail for Iranian women

Dr. Morgan Hakimi has a variety of roles -- psychologist, Jewish activist, wife and full-time mother. But it's her position as president of the Nessah Educational and Cultural Center in Beverly Hills that has captured the attention of the L.A. Persian Jewish community.

In this Persian Orthodox culture, where leadership is traditionally dominated by men, opposition followed Hakimi after she was first elected president in 2004. However, Hakimi's recent reelection has inspired her to step up her challenge to other women to get involved.

"I have always felt that Nessah could be an incredible bridge for more women to participate in our community, for younger American Jews of Iranian descent to connect with her heritage and for American Jews to become more familiar with us," she said.

Skepticism from critics has died down since her initiatives have led to a substantial increase in membership within the last two years. People are packing Nessah's two sanctuaries during Shabbat services, and crowds of previously disenfranchised women -- both younger Persian Jews and non-Persian Jews -- are participating in greater numbers in center programming Hakimi developed.

She credits outreach to and inclusion of the larger Jewish community for the synagogue's growth. Hakimi has turned to a more American model of running a synagogue -- setting up a membership system, establishing support groups for single parents and adding more events for its younger congregants.

"My greatest asset is having a diverse staff of Iranians, Americans, Hispanics and African Americans that are not afraid to work together," Hakimi said. "We purposefully chose a new executive director in Michael Sklarewitz and new program director in Robin Federman, who are American, in order to better serve our community and bring us closer to the greater American Jewish community."

Nessah's Rabbi David Shofet praised Hakimi's outreach efforts to younger Iranian Jews and said he has noticed more women at the center since she took office.

"In my eyes, women are more important because they are the mothers of the next generation," he said. "If they are committed to Judaism and are affiliated, they can hand it on to the next generation. Otherwise there will not be a continuity of Judaism."

After Hakimi's election two years ago, participation of women in religious services became a lightning-rod issue on both sides of the mechitza in the Orthodox congregation. Traditionalists sought to keep women out, and more liberated women demanded greater involvement. Hakimi has approached such situations with diplomacy in mind, talking with both sides to find acceptable common ground.

"I am not here to create a revolution. I'm here to bring awareness and understanding about a lot of issues in our community, including those involving women," Hakimi said. "I was raised in an egalitarian family, so I'm not bitter toward men, and I don't have an attitude of fighting when I approach the rabbis or men. That's why they are welcoming of my suggestions to include everyone in our programs."

Hakimi's election as president set a precedent at Nessah, which she continues to build on slowly. Eight women now sit on the center's board of directors, with more women serving in committee and staff positions. At the congregational level, young women are now welcome to celebrate a bat mitzvah by giving a d'var Torah during the daytime Shabbat service.

Nahid Pirnazar, a member of the Los Angeles-based Iranian Jewish Women's Organization, said that Nessah could stand to have greater inclusion of women in religious services.

"But Dr. Hakimi has certainly helped [us] take a lot of positive steps toward greater participation of women," she said.

Pirnazar, a UCLA professor of Judeo-Persian history, said Hakimi is the first from her generation to achieve a leadership role in the local Iranian Jewish community, and that she shares good company with Jewish women in Iran who took leadership positions in the early 20th century.

Hakimi is also encouraging young women to develop their own programs at Nessah and to make their voices heard. "Dr. Hakimi has been an incredible mentor in my life in demonstrating to me the unique qualities women in leadership can bring," said Rona Ram, a 22-year-old Nessah volunteer. "What we, as young females, have noticed is the overriding respect and appreciation the entire congregation gives her as she speaks."

Hakimi said that when issues of change come up, she anticipates resistance. But she says her aim is to slowly press for greater involvement of women in community activities.

"The Iranian Jewish woman has a quiet strength that is only now coming to the surface. I'm here to say they can have it all, but it will take time _ it will not happen overnight, and they must show a desire and commitment to taking part in leadership roles," Hakimi said.

[mike435]

very nice

thanks redwine
their are times were i am jewish myself and cant fined this stuff you guys post on tapesh regarding persian jews


thank you

[Rasputin]

Publications Showing the Jews to be Khazars and Not Israelites

Compiled by: Willie Martin

"It is highly probable that the bulk of the Jew's ancestors 'never' lived in Palestine 'at all,' which witnesses the power of historical assertion over fact."

In addition, under the heading of "A brief History of the Terms for Jew" in the 1980 Jewish Almanac is the following: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew."

The World Book omits any reference to the Jews, but under the word Semite it states: "Semite...Semites are those who speak Semitic languages. In this sense the ancient Hebrews, Assyrians, Phoenicians, and Cartaginians were Semites. The Arabs and some Ethiopians are modern Semitic-speaking people. Modern Jews are often called Semites, but this name properly applies only to those who use the Hebrew Language. The Jews were once a sub-type of the Mediterranean race, but they have mixed with other peoples until the name 'Jew' has lost all racial meaning."

There are hundreds of books {most of which are Jewish Encyclopedias and history books} available for study, which prove that over 90% of the Jews of the world are not a Semitic people, but few people other than historians ever bother to read them. Following are just a few:

The History of The Jewish Khazars, by D.M. Dunlop, pp. 4-15: "...Our first question here is, When did the Khazars and the Khazar name appear? There has been considerable discussion as to the relation of the Khazars to the Huns on the one hand and to the West Turks on the other. The prevalent opinion has for some time been that the Khazars emerged from the West Turkish empire. Early references to the Khazars appear about the time when the West Turks cease to be mentioned. Thus they are reported to have joined forces with the Greek Emperor Heraclius against the Persians in A.D. 627 and to have materially assisted him in the siege of Tiflis. it is a question whether the Khazars were at this time under West Turk supremacy. The chronicler Theophanes {died circa A.D. 818} who tells the story introduces them as 'the Turks from the east whom they call Khazars.'... A similar discussion on the merits of the different races is reported from the days before Muhammad, in which the speakers are the Arab Nu'man ibn-al-Mudhir of al-Hirah and Khusraw Anushirwan. The Persian gives his opinion that the Greeks, Indians, and Chinese are superior to the Arabs and so also, in spite of their low material standards of life, the Turks and the Khazars, who at least possess an organization under their kings. Here again the Khazars are juxtaposed with the great nations of the east. It is consonant with this that tales were told of how ambassadors from the Chinese, the Turks, and the Khazars were constantly at Khusraw's gate, and even that he kept three thrones of gold in his palace, which were never removed and on which none sat, reserved for the kings of Byzantium, China and the Khazars."

http://assemblyoftrueisrael.com/TruthPage/JewsareKhazars.htm

[Rasputin]

در مورد تاريخ ورود کليميان به ايران و به ويژه به اصفهان نظرهای مختلفی ابراز شده اشت. عده*ای عقيده دارند که وقتی بخت*النصر پس از جنگ*های طولانی بين دولت آشور و قوم يهود به استقلال اين قوم خاتمه داد و عده*ای از يهوديان را به اسارت به بابل برد، گروهی از آنان به سرزمين ايران روی آوردند.

بعضی معتقدند که وقتی کوروش (۵۳۸ قبل از ميلاد) بابل را فتح کرد و به اسارت قوم يهود پايان داد، دسته*ای از آنها به اورشليم بازگشتند و گروهی که در بابل به کارهای تجاری پرداخته و ثروتی اندوخته بودند در همان سرزمين ماندند و بقيه به ايران آمدند و در مناطقی چون شوش، اهواز، پاسارگاد، حوالی تخت جمشيد، اصفهان و همدان مستقر گرديدند. اما عده*ای هم ورود يهوديان به ايران و به ويژه به همدان و اصفهان را به اوايل قرن چهارم ميلادی، مقارن با سلطنت يزدگرد اول ساسانی، نسبت می*دهند.

نقطه*ای که يهوديان پس از ورود به اصفهان در آنجا اقامت کردند "يهوديه" يا "داراليهود" ناميده شده و اين نام تا قرن پنجم هجری معروف بوده است ولی پس از آن به "جوباره" يا "جويباره" تغيير يافته است.

جويباره در شمال شرقی اصفهان فعلی واقع شده است. اين محله سابقا به طور کلی يهودی نشين بوده ولی امروزه به دليل ارزان بودن نقاط مسکونی آن مسلمانان نيز به آنجا راه يافته*اند که البته اغلبشان روستائيانی هستند که به شهر روی آورده*اند.

يهوديان اصفهان در زمان*های مختلف گاهگاه مورد بی*مهری قرار گرفته*اند، به طوری که در انتخاب شغل، عبادتگاه، محل سکونت، روش خانه سازی و حتی پوشش خود آزادی نداشته*اند. زمانی آنها مجبور بودند که علامتی به لباس خود وصل می*کردند تا شناخته شوند و کلاه و جوراب مخصوص بپوشند. اما امروزه وضع کاملا تغيير کرده، آنها در هر جايی که مايل باشند می*توانند مسکن خريداری کنند، با مسلمان*ها معاشرت دارند، فرزندان خود را می*توانند در مدارس مسلمانان ثبت نام کنند و در انتخاب شغل آزادند.

يکی از ويژگی*های جالب کليميان اصفهان اين است که اکثرا زبان عبری را فراموش کرده*اند و به زبان مخصوصی که به "گويش کليميان اصفهان" معروف است به صحبت می*پردازند و اين امر دليل بارزی بر پذيرفتن فرهنگ ايرانی توسط آنهاست.

گويشی که در حال حاضر اکثر کليميان ايران به آن صحبت می*کنند جزو گويش*های مرکزی ايران محسوب می*شود و در دسته*ی زبان*های ايرانی شمال غربی قرار دارد. اين گويش امروزه در شهرهای اصفهان، همدان، کاشان، يزد، بروجرد و چند شهر ديگر ايران و نيز در خارج از ايران در نقاطی چون قفقاز، سمرقند و بخارا رايج است ولی در هيچ يک از اين نقاط کاملا يکسان نيست. گفته شده است که گويش فعلی کليميان اصفهان گويش سابق مردم اصفهان بوده که کليميان آن را بين خود حفظ کرده*اند. اگر اين نظر را بپذيريم می*توان آن را در مورد ساير انواع گويش کليمی در ايران و يا خارج از ايران نيز تعميم داد و به اين نتيجه رسيد که کليميان در هر نقطه از ايران که ساکن شده*اند، حافظ زبان آن ناحيه گرديده*اند.

جمعيت کليميان اصفهان روز به روز کاهش يافته و علت آن مهاجرت آنها به تهران يا کشورهای خارج بوده است. طبق آماری که به دست آمده، جمعيت آنها در سال ۱۳۲۰ هفت هزار نفر بوده است ولی اين رقم در سال ۱۳۳۵ به ۳۴۰۰ نفر، در سال ۱۳۴۵ به ۲۵۰۷ و در سال ۱۳۵۰ به ۲۳۰۰ نفر کاهش يافته است. (آمار جمعيت آنها در سال*های اخير به دست نيامده است

پيربکران شهر کوچکی در مرکز ايران (سی کلومتری غرب اصفهان) است. مقدس*ترين عبادت*گاه يهوديان در اين شهر است. پرفسور هرتسل باستان شناس سرشناس آلمانی در يادداشت*های خود در کتابی به نام تاريخ باستان شناسی ايران می*گويد "در منطقه*ی فلاورجان اصفهان اثر ديگری از ملکه سوسن همسر يزدگرد سوم يافتم که به اسم پيربکران خوانده می*شود. "سارا (سَرَح) بت آشر" (يعنی سارا دختر آشر) نوه*ی حضرت يعقوب است. کسی که برای نخستين بار خبر زنده بودن حضرت يوسف را به يعقوب می*دهد، و يعقوب نيز به پاس اين خبر خوش او را به داشتن عمر جاودان دعا می*کند. سارا در محلی که اکنون به سارا خاتون معروف است، غيب می*شود و عمر جاودانه پيدا می*کند.

بنابر روايتی، سارا بت آشر روزی گوسفندان پدرش را در مراتع جودا می*چراند که يکی از بره*ها به درون غاری رفت. سارا به دنبال او وارد غار شد. به نظرش غار بسيار طولانی آمد ولی او تا انتها به دنبال آن بره رفت و وارد غار ديگری شد که با اصفهان امروزی فاصله*ی چندانی ندارد.
گفته می*شود يک بار هم سارا به صورت آهو ظاهر شده تا يهوديان را از آزار و اذيت شاه عباس دوم صفوی نجات دهد. روزی که شاه عباس در ميدان اصلی اصفهان مسابقه*ی چوگان تماشا می*کرد، ناگهان آهوی زيبايی ديد و برای گرفتن آن شتافت. آهو فرار کرد وشاه عباس تا لنجان دنبال او رفت و به چله خانه رسيد. به محض ورود به محوطه، درب سنگی پشت سر او بسته و زندانی شد. آهو به سارا بت آشر تبديل شد وبه شاه عباس گفت: اگر از يهوديان ايران حمايت نکند و هزار کيلومتر از لنجان را به آن*ها ندهد، در همان خواهد مرد. شاه عباس شرط سارا را قبول کرد و آزاد شد.

يهوديان از دير هنگام از آغاز ماه عبری الول (Eloul) به آنجا رفته و تا چهل روز (يعنی تا ۱۰ ماه عبری تيشری، روز يوم کيپور) در آنجا می*مانند و دعای توبه می*خوانند. (در زبان عبری به دعاهای مربوط به توبه، سليحوت [Selihoot] گفته می*شود.) بر روی در سنگی ورودی چله خانه، اشعار داوود نبی که در ستايش پروردگار به زبان عبری سروده شده است، ديده می*شود.
قرن*هاست که يهوديان و مسلمانان در يک زمان و در چله خانه به دعا و نيايش مشغول می*شوند، شمع روشن می*کنند و عرض احتياج می*کنند.

به هنگام سال نو يهوديان (روش هشانا) کليميان ايرانی از سراسر ايران به اين محل می*آيند و در اتاق*های اين محل اطراق می*کنند. (و شهر پيربکران به يک اورشليم کوچک تبديل می*شود.)

در کف اين محل سفره*ای چيده شده از سنگ تراش خورده به صورت مجسمه خوراکی*ها قرار داشته که در ساليان اخير به سرقت رفته است. در گذشته علمای يهودی دور اين سفره می*نشستند و به خواندن تورات مشغول بوده*اند. در کف گوشه*ای از اين محل تخته سنگی است که جای پای اسبی ديده می*شود و اعتقاد بر اين است که حضرت الياس پيامبر از اين محل به آسمان عروج کرده است.

ملا يعقوب ماری با علمای زمان خودش بحث برتر بودن دين را داشتند؛ و به اين خاطر دست به يک شرط بندی می*زنند. و آن هم اين بوده که هر کسی توانست با دعا مسير جريان آب را تغيير دهد، دين آن برتر است. ملا يعقوب با دعا و نيايش از خداوند می*خواهد که به صورت معجزه وار مسير آب را تغيير دهد و اين اتفاق نيز می*افتد. وقتی اين معجزه روی می*دهد، ديگران کينه*ی ملا يعقوب را به دل می*گيرند و هنگامی که ملا يعقوب فوت می*کند، اجازه دفع جسد ايشان را نمی*دهند و حتی می*خواستند که به جسدش آسيب برسانند.

اما ماری دور جسد آن می*چرخيده و از جسد ايشان محافظت می*کرده. به همين دليل نام آن را ملا يعقوب ماری گذاشتند. هم اکنون مقبره ايشان در داخل شهر اصفهان است و يکی ديگر از زيارت*گاه*های يهوديان به شمار می*رود.

[BehnazNaNaz]

tnx 4 info

[Rasputin]

The invisible Iranians

A spontaneous discussion that transpired in the aftermath of a panel discussion on changing Iranian identities struck a chord of seeming cultural contention. It was a discussion on Iranian Jewry and the tendency for Iranians to question the national allegiances of Iranian Jews. "Iranian or Jewish?", they ask.

The discourse developed at the recent seminar organized by the Society for Iranian Studies in Bethesda, Maryland, with the sponsorship of the American Institute of Iranian Studies. The last panelist's topic of presentation was "Ethnicity and religion: Maintaining Iranian Jewish Identity." She ended her discussion by paraphrasing what she said was the collective sentiment of Iranian Jews on the issue of not being accepted by Muslim Iranians: "We were there before Islam," she declared. As she sat down applause rose from the audience. Apparantly there were quite a few Jewish members of the Iranian community in the audience.

"Jews have been in Iran for 2,700 years. That's ninety generations ago! Why do you still not accept us as Iranians?", demanded one vociferous member of the audience standing in the back of the crowded room. "Our parents had two names, one Persian and one Jewish," recalled another member of the audience, and added, "In our generation, we only have one name... a Persian one." Some audience members concurred as she continued. "Sometimes in America, Jewish people ask me what my Hebrew name is and I say I don't have one. They're surprised. We've done everything," she proclaimed. "It's you, the Muslims, who don't accept us."

One young woman, a poet, who had driven all the way from Connecticut to attend the seminar in Maryland said, "I want you to know this is becoming very therapeutic." As she drew laughter from the crowd, she went on to forcefully make her point. "We speak Farsi better than we speak Hebrew, we listen to Persian music, we rejoice at Noruz, which is not the Jewish celebration of the New Year but a Persian one, but still we're accused of having mixed allegiances." She added that her volition to drive from Connecticut to Maryland for a cultural conference on Iran should demonstrate her allegiances.

Seeking to make some peace, one bearded gentleman with a congenial tone stood up to share a childhood memory with us. He recalled that as a Muslim child born to Muslim parents, he was sent to a Jewish school in Tehran. When the Jewish children had Torah lessons , he recalled, the Muslim kids would be sent out for recess, and their Jewish mates were all jealous. "One day," he recalled with a smile, "I came home and said to my mother, 'Mom it's a holiday tomorrow, we don't have school.' My mother thought a little and said, 'what Holiday?' I said 'Mom, It's Purim tomorrow!'" Again the release of laughter came from the crowd. "So the relationship between Jews and Muslims was congenial," he concluded.

"Why shouldn't it have been congenial?" rebutted another member of the audience. Their was no reason why it shouldn't have been because "the Jews are such masters at being minorities" that they "made an effort to keep their Jewry in the background," in order to fit into Persian society. She speculated that perhaps there was some "resentment" from the Iranian Jewish community that they were forced to act this way in order to attain the acceptance from Muslims, that to this day, alludes them.

Leah Baer, the independent scholar that presented the paper concurred.

As the cycle of tension to comic relief began to rebound again, one audience member standing in the back of the now packed room proclaimed, "We're the invisible. We're invisible from Iranian history, Iranian literature, Iranian culture and Iranian society; yet we have made every effort, to assimilate. Isn't it time to look at us?" "Politics," said a faint voice from the distance. Heads began nodding in affirmative unison.

"There's no democratic conception of Iranian identity," claimed one audience member attempting to diffuse the deadlock. The Iranian identity, he explained, is not defined as one set of rules. It is a definition of allegiance, circumstance and proclamation. "We don't accept Iranians as just Iranians, we judge them by their accents, their beliefs, their language skills, and yes even their religion," he charged. "This is why the question of allegiance arises as related to Iranians." Afsaneh Najmabadi of Barnard College, a speaker herself, offered her alternate viewpoint. This is a "troubling" question, she said, that no other minority demands an answer to. "It indicates a prejudice," she said. That response drew the ire of one audience member who walked up to the podium to voice her disappointment that the issue had just been termed as an example of "prejudice" by a "scholar."

The tension was rising again until one woman got up to share her own story. "Years ago in Tehran", she began, when she and her brother were children, they had gone to a gathering where Jews were on one side and Muslims on another. Her brother, she said, had particularly Muslim features. As he went to cross over to the Jewish side from the entrance, a doorman stopped him. "I'm Jewish," he told the doorman. "No you're not," said the doorman ushering him over to the Muslim crowd. Finally he pleaded, "Agha beh Ghora'an-e-Majid, Jouhoudam!" ("I swear to the Qoran, I'm Jewish!")

Cries of laughter arose from the crowd. In the end it was clear that the Jewish community has an Achilles Heel on the issue of "inclusion." Muslim Iranians in the crowd, for their part, seemed genuinely interested in the issue and were even receptive to suggestions on how to break the historic habit of alienating their Jewish compatriots.

The panel had now gone half an hour over its time allotment for that room. So on an ending note one audience member asked the chair of the panel, Houri Berberian, an Armenian, "Now that this has become a vetting session of minority qualms, tell us Madame Chair, what are your thoughts as an Armenian Iranian...?

Laughter again, and luckily for Madame Chair, who turned immediately red, adjournment.

[NightOwl]

LOL redwine..... in this way... after occupation of palestine the next must be Iran, ha?... LOL.. Although it is already occupied by same ***** but different *******... lool

[Rasputin]

Dear friend,the writter is tring talk about the problems which have the jewish ppl in Iran ! is not about politic. i never mix politic with religion :=) .

[NightOwl]

I do agree with you, but the reality of the today's religion and politics says they are mixed up. Do you think shi'ee separation from Sonni was a pure religios or pure political problem? Do you think the problems of Iraq today is pure religios or pure politics...

One can try to separate them, but in the end one will be forced to mix them, in order to get a complete picture of situation.

Peace