Monument Honoring Jewish Martyrs Unveiled
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran has unveiled a monument to honor Jewish-Iranian soldiers who fell during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
In a ceremony here, a senior Iranian parliament member praised the Iranian Jewish community’s ties to the state and its "obedience” to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the late Imam Khomeini before him.
A public ceremony marked the memorial’s opening, with speeches that took place at a dais flanked by the Iranian flag and a menorah. Banners showed the images of fallen soldiers, hailed as "martyrs” in Farsi and Hebrew inscriptions.
"The explicit stances of the Jewish community in supporting the Islamic Republic’s establishment and their obedience to the Supreme Leader of the (Islamic) Revolution demonstrate the bonds that originate from the teachings of divine religions,” the Tasnim news agency quoted Deputy Parliament Speaker Muhammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard as saying.
According to the news agency, he also praised "the clear stances adopted by the Jewish lawmakers in condemnation of the American excessive demands (during nuclear negotiations), the Israeli atrocities and the violent and inhumane behavior of (Israeli prime minister] Benjamin Netanyahu”.
Iran, a home for Jews for more than 3,000 years, has the Middle East’s largest Jewish population outside of Occupied Palestine, an estimated 20,000.
The continued population of Iranian Jews in the country points to Iran’s diverse traditions and the government’s own respect for the country’s rich history. The Old Testament Book of Esther is based in ancient Persia and is the foundation for the Jewish festival of Purim.
Last year, Rouhani was accompanied by Iran’s sole Jewish parliamentarian on a trip to the United States. A Twitter account associated with him also offered wishes for the Jewish new year.
In a ceremony here, a senior Iranian parliament member praised the Iranian Jewish community’s ties to the state and its "obedience” to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the late Imam Khomeini before him.
A public ceremony marked the memorial’s opening, with speeches that took place at a dais flanked by the Iranian flag and a menorah. Banners showed the images of fallen soldiers, hailed as "martyrs” in Farsi and Hebrew inscriptions.
"The explicit stances of the Jewish community in supporting the Islamic Republic’s establishment and their obedience to the Supreme Leader of the (Islamic) Revolution demonstrate the bonds that originate from the teachings of divine religions,” the Tasnim news agency quoted Deputy Parliament Speaker Muhammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard as saying.
According to the news agency, he also praised "the clear stances adopted by the Jewish lawmakers in condemnation of the American excessive demands (during nuclear negotiations), the Israeli atrocities and the violent and inhumane behavior of (Israeli prime minister] Benjamin Netanyahu”.
Iran, a home for Jews for more than 3,000 years, has the Middle East’s largest Jewish population outside of Occupied Palestine, an estimated 20,000.
The continued population of Iranian Jews in the country points to Iran’s diverse traditions and the government’s own respect for the country’s rich history. The Old Testament Book of Esther is based in ancient Persia and is the foundation for the Jewish festival of Purim.
Last year, Rouhani was accompanied by Iran’s sole Jewish parliamentarian on a trip to the United States. A Twitter account associated with him also offered wishes for the Jewish new year.