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Updated 11/22/09 @ 05:02PM EDT
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Posted in: Naive on Iran
02/23/09 06:40 PM
It's remarkable that a New York Times columnist, whether a regular or a guest columnist, would remark on an issue as important as Iranian Jewry with no more knowledge than the good feeling he got during a visit. The Jewish community in Iran once stood at about 100,000 and has dropped to between 10,000 and 25,000 (depending on estimates) since the fall of the Shah. No small part of the emigration has been caused by world-conspiratorial anti-Semitic remarks by Ayatollah Khomeini--the present regime is simply more repetitive in its anti-Semitism than Khomeini was. The Jews who remain (I know well through many acquaintances) tend to be the ones who are least knowledgeable about foreign languages, least educated, least attached to Israel, least likely to have relatives abroad, and most connected to property or business that is not easily gotten rid off. They stay despite precariousness of daily existence, in which they can be (and some have been) arrested and imprisoned on accusations of treason and with no due process. In many public settings, Jewish womenfeel compelled to wear the chador, the Iranian version of the burka. Generally protected by Islamic law as long as they accept their dhimmi status, Iran's remaining Jews have, in effect, acquiesced to second-class status. Iranian culture requires courtesy to guests, even to guests perceived as enemies. Of course, the courtesy can be genuine, but its outward signs should not be confused with genuine friendship, something that needs years to develop. That a Times writer would be so ignorant of history and so naive about cultures is just astounding. It's such self-deluding ignorance that has made Jews susceptible to anti-semites' bloodshed. G-d help us if these are the such commentators actually influence Jews' beliefs..
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