Iranian Jews in Israel: Between Persian Cultural Identity and Israeli Nationalism

(Hardback)

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Since the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948, more than 40,000 Iranian Jews have moved to Israel, with the last big wave arriving after the Iranian Revolution of 1978/79. As the governments of these two states continue to display animosity towards each other, an examination of the Jews of Iran who now live in Israel provides important insights into the nature of the relationship between these two key countries in the Middle East. Alessandra Cecolin combines a historical approach to the patterns of Iranian Jewish emigration to Israel with a political analysis of Iranian-Israeli relations, exploring how the political and diplomatic interactions between the two have shaped the processes of emigration and integration of Iranian Jewry in Israel. In this book she explores how this community is often caught between a Persian cultural identity and Israeli nationality, and draws out the implications this has both for the community in Israel and for the wider region.

Reviews

"Alessandra Cecolin succeeds admirably in bringing to life the fate of Iranian Jews who had lived in Iran for centuries relatively free of persecution. Then in two waves of immigration, (1948-55 and in the years following the advent of the Ayatollah Khomeini) they went to the West (if they were middle class) or to Israel (if they were poor). Those who went to Israel, cut off from their distinctive Iranian-Jewish roots, had to assimilate, with varying degrees of success, into an Israeli society then dominated by Ashkenazi Jews. Paradoxically it was at times easier for these Iranian Jews to integrate in the West than in Erez Israel. The author, in a balanced and judicious way, traces this history with an intelligent mix of archival work and oral history. A remarkable achievement." - Donald Sassoon, Emeritus Professor, Queen Mary, University of London; "The difficulties which Jews from the Shah's Iran experienced in immigrating to Israel during the 1950s have been lost in the mists of time - partly due to the ongoing hostility between Teheran and Tel Aviv since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Alessandra Cecolin's account of the many challenges which Iranian Jews faced is a remarkable document for those who regard Iran as a far-away country, almost outside of Jewish history and only given prominence in recent times due to the Ayatollahs' pronouncements and policies. This is an important first book." - Colin Shindler, Emeritus Professor, SOAS, University of London

Author Bio

Alessandra Cecolin is a Visiting Tutor at the Department of History, Goldsmiths, University of London. She holds a PhD from the Department of Languages and Culture of the Near and Middle East, SOAS, University of London.