In the heart of Tehran: How the Jewish community earned the Iranian regime's respect

Every week, Rabbi Yehuda Gerami leads prayers at the Abrishami Synagogue, which was recently renovated. The impressive complex includes Jewish schools, a kosher restaurant, and a traditional mikvah. If you have wondered where this active and vibrant Jewish complex is located, the answer might surprise you: it is not in Jerusalem or Brooklyn, but sits right in the heart of Tehran, the capital of Iran.

In a rare interview given to the Wall Street Journal, Rabbi Gerami reveals the complex reality of serving as the Chief Rabbi of Iran. The Abrishami Synagogue is just one of about 60 active synagogues across the country, serving a community that Gerami estimates at about 20,000 Jews, although some claim the real number is much lower.

The Jewish community in Iran lives in constant tension. On one hand, it zealously guards its Jewish identity, and on the other, it is forced to maneuver carefully in the face of the strict demands of the Ayatollah regime, while trying to practice its religious faith without being perceived as challenging the government. The intensifying war between Iran, Israel, and the United States only complicates an already delicate situation.

Rabbi Gerami, an Iranian citizen who also holds US citizenship and in the past studied in Jerusalem and Baltimore, often encounters people outside of Iran who are stunned to discover that in a country that refuses to recognize the existence of the State of Israel and has made any contact with it a criminal offense, there are rabbis at all—let alone a devout and active Jewish community.

"Everything the Jewish community needs exists in Iran," Gerami told the Wall Street Journal, emphasizing the effort to allow Jews to continue living their lives according to Halacha.

He admitted that the geopolitical tension has a negative impact and puts pressure on community members, but noted that, interestingly, the Jews of Iran have always lived in peace with their Muslim neighbors. According to him, synagogues across Iran do not even need security, unlike the grim reality in many synagogues in Western countries.

Despite the drop in the number of Jews in the country—from over 100,000 before the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a few thousand today—the remaining community has become more Orthodox, which, according to some sources, has actually earned it a certain degree of respect from the theocratic regime. For Gerami, the question of why Jews remain in Iran stems from a lack of understanding.

"We stay because this is the country where we and our parents were born," he concludes with pride. "We know the culture and are proud of it."