Jewish Life In Iran Today
The video with this posting portrays the life of Jews in Iran today. Along with Christians and Zoroastrians, their life in Iran is limited by pervasive discrimination and a curtailment of personal liberty even beyond that of the Muslim majority. But Because these groups are "people of the book" they enjoy limited freedom of religion and communal life.
One interesting part of this video was an interview with Maurice Motamed, the lone Jewish representative in the Iranian Majlis or Parliament. He was able to describe the life of the Jewish community and comment on its future prospects. The describes a community that has become more religious and socially vibrant. One of the most interesting parts of the video was a visit to his father's antique shop. The elderly shopkeeper proudly poured vodka for his guests which though forbidden to Muslims is permitted to its Jewish minority.
It is difficult to speculate what aspects of Jewish life did not make it on camera. The show trial of thirteen Jews in Shiraz on charges of spying for Israel was mentioned in passing during the video segment. It is well known the difficulties even of Muslims under Iran's judicial system. Iran's minorities probably have the additional problem of in many cases having family in Israel and America, which are routinely vilified as "the Little Satan and the Great Satan", respectively.
It was heartening to see the surprisingly good condition of Iran's remaining 25,000 Jews, who constitute about 25% of the prerevolutionary Jewish population. Expecting people to speak candidly in front of a live camera is not however a very likely prospect. Accounts of those who left a prosperous life to leave Iran illegally as well as off camera interviews have to be taken into account in forming a picture of Jewish life in Iran. This documentary is an important part of the picture of Iranian Jewish life . But it is not the whole picture. It is difficult to tale the pulse of a country so large and diverse as Iran, even if it is an open society. The fear and instability in that country make taking its pulse far more difficult. This video does a good job of taking some, but not all of its vital signs.
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