[Jerusalem Post] Rafael Medoff - New York Times columnist Roger Cohen believes the 25,000 Jews remaining in Iran are living happily and securely under the most repressive and anti-Semitic regime in the world. The State Department's most recent annual report on international religious freedom paints a picture of Jewish life in Iran that is at odds with Cohen's description. The report says Iran's Jews live in "a threatening atmosphere" and suffer "officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, education and housing." Government pressure resulted in the shutdown of the Jewish community's newspaper, and "officially sanctioned anti-Semitic propaganda" permeates "official statements, media outlets, publications and books." Three-quarters of Iran's Jews have emigrated in the 30 years since the Khomeini revolution. The writer is director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies.
2009-02-26 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive