In unprecedented move, Tehran Jewish community calls to avoid synagogues amid unrest

Apparently for the first time, Iran’s leading Jewish body says synagogues must close daily at 5 p.m., citing need to protect life as protests rage over woman’s death.

The small Jewish community in Tehran on September 22 issued an apparently unprecedented letter warning members to avoid synagogues, amid deadly protests rocking Iran following the death of a young woman held for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code, The Times of Israel reports.

In a letter whose authenticity was confirmed by The Times of Israel, the Tehran Jewish Committee warned against visiting synagogues, citing a need to protect life amid the “current circumstances,” without elaborating.

The committee, which is Iran’s leading Jewish organization, said all synagogues should also close daily at 5 p.m.

The letter was signed by Homayoun Sameyah Najaf Abadi, who heads the committee and serves as a representative of the Jewish community in Iran’s parliament.

A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that some of the widespread demonstrations have taken place near synagogues and that a pair of worshipers were caught up in the protests, while two Jewish youths were also arrested but have since been released.

Fearing clashes, the committee decided to curtail synagogue services for now, according to the source.

The letter appeared to mark the first time that synagogues in Iran were told to close their doors amid major civil unrest, with concerns that such a call could draw increased scrutiny or worse to the country’s Jewish community.

The letter came days before the start of the Jewish High Holidays, beginning with Rosh Hashanah on Sunday evening.

Prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were some 100,000 Jews in Iran; by 2016, according to an Iranian census, that number had fallen to below 10,000.

The Jewish community in Iran has previously taken other precautionary measures to protect members, with the country’s chief rabbi saying last year that he condemned the US killing of top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020 over fears Jews could be physically attacked by some Muslim neighbors.

Rabbi Yehuda Gerami insisted at the time that talk of “revenge” was coming from Iranian citizens and not the government, while claiming Iran was the only country in the world where synagogues do not require security.

The Islamic Republic is openly sworn to bring about Israel’s destruction and financially supports terrorist groups, like Hezbollah and Hamas, committed to this aim.