Friday the Thirteenth in Tehran
Worry mixed with admiration
Last night, Sondra and I attended the opening night performance of ‘Kafka’ at the 59E59 Theater. It was a one man show and if you have any interest in Franz Kafka, and are familiar with his life and some of his work, I would certainly recommend it. It started at 7:15 PM and ran 90 minutes, no intermission. After the performance, as I used the taxi app on my mobile to pay for the trip, I saw the news alert — Israel was attacking Iran. I was not surprised but of course, given that I have Kenny, Zaloo and my new granddaughter Gefen, in a top (third) floor of an apartment within a block radius of the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, I naturally couldn’t wait to get home, turn on cable news, warm up my computer and try to discover what’s going on. (I was able to communicate with Kenny via WhatsApp, and was able to view the video he took of the deep roomy basement community bomb shelter across the street where he, Zaloo and Gefen could ride out whatever is coming. That was reassuring.)
I guess you could say that I am sort of a combination news junkie and ‘masochist’. After looking at the ‘Jerusalem Post’ and ‘Times of Israel’, and other (more or less) quasi-trusted media — (I do not *fully* trust any of them) — to get the story in its essentials; I turned on what I prefer to watch to get further developments — the routinely anti-Israel slanted BBC and virulently anti-Zionist, (antisemitic?) outlets like ‘Al Jazeera’ and ‘PressTV’. I was up almost until 1 AM doing that.
I have never hidden the fact that I believe Netanyahu to be this century’s brightest and most effective national leader, rivaling Winston Churchill. The events of the past 24 hours only reinforces that belief.
Today, what I notice about Tehran’s ‘PressTV’ and Qatar’s ‘Al Jazeera’ is less the proclamations of impending Iranian retaliation, (which I take at full value and do not discount); but more the masses marching in the streets, holding up placards of recently martyred military leaders, (so I know I am seeing today’s march), shaking their fists in unison, shouting ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ — (or the ‘Zionist entity’, if their ideology prevents utterance of the unholy ‘Name’.) My concern is that the Iranian authorities, given that they need time to reorganize the military’s disrupted ‘command and control’ structure to launch a retaliation, can only rile up the street at this point in their fury. The street in Moslem countries is easily riled and given the shock of Israel’s attack, and seeing images of smoking apartment buildings, I worry that the street will at some point turn and take it out on Tehran’s Jews, of which, there are a substantial number. I am certain that the governing religious authorities in Iran are savvy enough to want to prevent that from occurring, as the optics would be terribly damaging. I am just afraid that the desire for revenge in a raging mob will be too strong to curb or otherwise control.
No one has mentioned the Jews of Tehran in almost 12 hours of watching cable news and Internet news sources. I wonder, is my worry about the Jews of Tehran out of place? I formulated the following question to Grok:
Currently as I view Al Jazeera and PressTV, I see crowds of marching people in Tehran holding posters of recently eliminated Iranian leaders, so it's clearly from today. What is the status of the Jewish community? Are they safe and protected if the crowds decide to punish the Jews in their midst with a pogrom?
Grok duly answered:
The current situation in Tehran, as reported by sources like Al Jazeera and Reuters, indicates significant unrest following Israeli strikes on June 13, 2025, which killed several high-ranking Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. These events have sparked widespread fear and anger among the general population, with reports of people rushing to exchange money or leave the country amid concerns of further escalation. However, there is no specific mention in the provided sources of crowds targeting the Jewish community or engaging in pogrom-like activities as of today.
Regarding the status of the Jewish community in Tehran, recent posts on X and some older reports provide limited but relevant context. Iran's Jewish community, estimated to be the largest in the Middle East outside Israel, has historically been described as living in relative safety under the Islamic Republic, with access to synagogues and cultural institutions. For example, a post on X from June 8, 2025, claims that Jews in Iran feel "welcome and respected," and another from April 18, 2025, notes the presence of safe synagogues in Tehran alongside other religious sites. The Tehran Jewish Committee has also reportedly stated that Iranian Jews live in "full safety" despite international sanctions and scrutiny.
However, these claims come with caveats. Some X posts, such as one from June 2, 2025, allege that Jews in Iran face pressure to publicly express anti-Zionist sentiments as a condition of their safety, suggesting a complex dynamic where their security may depend on aligning with the regime’s rhetoric. Another post from June 13, 2025, notes that the Jewish population in Iran is small and not entirely free, indicating potential vulnerabilities.
Given the heightened tensions in Tehran today, with crowds mourning eliminated leaders and the city reeling from Israeli strikes, there is no direct evidence in the provided sources of immediate threats or pogroms targeting Jews. However, the volatile atmosphere—described as one of fear, anger, and potential retaliation—could pose risks to minorities, including Jews, if nationalist fervor or scapegoating were to escalate. The Iranian government has historically protected its Jewish community to project an image of religious tolerance, but in times of crisis, such protections could be tested, especially if public sentiment turns hostile.
In summary, while there are no reports of pogroms or direct attacks on Tehran’s Jewish community as of June 13, 2025, the current unrest and anti-Israel sentiment could create an uncertain environment. The community’s safety likely depends on the government’s ability to maintain order and its continued policy of distinguishing between Jews and the state of Israel. Without more specific, real-time data, it’s challenging to assess the immediate risk, but the situation warrants caution. If you’re seeking further details, I can search for additional real-time information or analyze specific sources you provide.
At the end of this chatbot exercise, I feel my concerns are justified and given everything that seems to be occurring in the world, I will agree with Grok that ‘the situation warrants caution’.
Perhaps there was some connection with the play I saw last night. Although I can’t remember any lines in full, there was a brief moment last night when the actor playing Kafka proclaimed (something) like the following: (Apologies to all if I garbled it.)
‘Because I write about alienation, people tell me that I am writing about what it means to be Jewish or a Zionist in Prague. [Actor shouting.] What I write about has nothing to do with being Jewish! And then they point out to me that *me saying* “what I write about has nothing to do with being Jewish”… is so typically Jewish.’
I’ll pray for the Jews of Jerusalem and those of Tehran. I’ll hope that at the end of this, the Lord opens up a better world for all.