Iranian Jewish Organization: the Intergration of an
Emigre Group into the American Jewish Community*
David Mladinov
Director,
Hillel, Temple University,
Philadelphia
Used to a stong hierarchical
social structure,
the Iranian students did not know how to
relate to the Jewish communal
workers. Aware that the workers were not the directors
of
their agencies, it was hardfor
the Iranians to treat them as superiors.
At the same time, in
need of their services, it was inadvisable
to treat the workers as inferiors.
Their
approach
wavered from utmost respect to expecting
the workers to perform
menial
tasks.
A s the Iranian J e w s in B o s t o n t h u m p e d
their feet at the m e n t i o n of H a m a n last
P u r i m , it s e e m e d that J e w i s h history had
o n c e a g a i n c o m e full circle. F o r centuries
the n a m e o f H a m a n has b e e n used as
s h o r t h a n d for the current reigning tyrant
a n d the P u r i m ritual has a l l o w e d J e w s to
release their fears and frustrations for
several brief m o m e n t s . T o Iranian J e w s
this year the parallel w a s t o o clear. Since
the story is set in Persia, P u r i m is their
festival. But recent e v e n t s in Iran a n d t h o s e
of the the p a s t , were s o similar that they
t e n d e d to blur the fragile d i s t i n c t i o n that
separates the e x p e r i e n c e s of o n e Jewish
generation from another.
After K h o u m e i n i a s c e n d e d t o p o w e r , the
uncertain fate of the Iranian J e w i s h c o m ­
m u n i t y not o n l y prevented J e w i s h students
f r o m returning t o Iran, but b r o u g h t a
c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r of their c l o s e relatives
to B o s t o n . A n Iranian J e w i s h Organiza­
t i o n , w a s f o r m e d t o deal w i t h the u n i q u e
* Aware that periodical misunderstandings be­
tween the Jewish Agencies and the Iranian group
originate from an inability of either side to translate
the cultural differences of the other, in March 1980,
the Metropolitan Outreach of the Hillel Council of
Greater Boston, of which the author was then direc­
tor, organized a panel discussion to analyze the topic.
The participants were anthropologists Michael Fisher
from Harvard and William Beeman from Brown,
both specialists on Iran, and an Iranian Jewish social
worker, Roohi Refah, who has spent many years in
the United States. Some of the background materials
used in this article are derived from this discussion.
problems confronting this g r o u p of a p p r o x i ­
mately 200. T h e initiative for establishing
a n Iranian J e w i s h O r g a n i z a t i o n , its in­
ternal structure a n d the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of
the o r g a n i z a t i o n , c a m e entirely f r o m the
Iranian J e w i s h students.
In e x i s t e n c e for t w o years, the o r g a n i z a ­
t i o n has b e e n m e e t i n g o n a w e e k l y basis at
B o s t o n University Hillel. T a k i n g i n t o c o n ­
s i d e r a t i o n the specific n e e d s , character,
and b a c k g r o u n d of the g r o u p , M e t r o p o l i ­
tan O u t r e a c h o f the Hillel C o u n c i l o f
Greater B o s t o n helped the g r o u p with
programming. The American Jewish C o n ­
gress p r o v i d e d legal assistance, the J e w i s h
V o c a t i o n a l Service, a n d the J e w i s h F a m i l y
a n d Children Service p r o v i d e d help with
i m m i g r a t i o n , e m p l o y m e n t , and financial
problems.
It has n o t b e e n e a s y to integrate the
Iranians into the A m e r i c a n J e w i s h c o m ­
m u n i t y . In order t o u n d e r s t a n d the g r o u p
better, it is i m p o r t a n t first to e x p l o r e the
structure and history of the Iranian J e w i s h
community.
T w o and a half millenia of uninterrupted
J e w i s h life created a self-enclosed a n d
distinctive J e w i s h culture. T h e c o m m u n i t y
used various J u d e o - P e r s i a n dialects and
created a diverse and prolific J u d e o Persian literature ranging from religious
writings a n d translations of classic J e w i s h
t e x t s t o poetry a n d p h i l o s o p h y . T h e rite o f
the c o m m u n i t y w a s Sephardic with certain
specifically Iranian features.
In the last forty years the Iranian J e w s
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J O U R N A L OF JEWISH C O M M U N A L SERVICE
were t r a n s f o r m e d f o r m a n oppressed p o v ­
erty-stricken c o m m u n i t y i n t o a n affluent
a n d relatively well integrated g r o u p . With
the industrialization o f the c o u n t r y . T h e
restrictions i m p o s e d o n minorities were
r e m o v e d , p r o v i d i n g t h e m with o p p o r t u n i ­
ties for e c o n o m i c a d v a n c e m e n t a n d u p ­
ward m o b i l i t y . E d u c a t e d in A l l i a n c e Israel­
ite Universelle s c h o o l s in a p r e d o m i n a n t l y
illiterate c o u n t r y , the J e w s were in a n
a d v a n t a g e o u s p o s i t i o n t o m e e t the need for
a qualified c a d r e t o i m p l e m e n t the p r o c e s s
of industrialization. A l m o s t overnight
many Jews became prosperous, achieving
prestigious p o s i t i o n s a n d b e c o m i n g a n in­
creasingly integral part o f the s o c i e t y . Yet,
this integration w a s far f r o m total. D e s p i t e
the intensive m o d e r n i z a t i o n drive under
the S h a h , Iran remained largely a traditional
M u s l i m s o c i e t y in w h i c h a n individual
retained very c l o s e links with a n d w a s seen
as a n inseparable part of a religious or
e t h n i c g r o u p . T h o u g h they were in the
forefront of the e c o n o m i c and social changes
in the c o u n t r y , the s y n a g o g u e w a s for the
Jew a focal point for all c o m m u n a l activities,
b e i n g as m u c h a center of s o c i a l life as a
place o f w o r s h i p . M o d e r n i t y had its i m p a c t
a n d there w a s a w i d e range o f religious
practice a m o n g m e m b e r s of the c o m m u n i t y .
Still, the f u n c t i o n i n g s y n a g o g u e s were all
O r t h o d o x , t h o u g h ethnicity served as a
unifying force and p l a y e d a m u c h m o r e
i m p o r t a n t role than religion. C o m m u n a l
b u s i n e s s w a s r o u t i n e l y c o n d u c t e d in the
s y n a g o g u e s o n Friday night. T h e majority
of the c o m m u n i t y did n o t adhere t o strictly
k o s h e r practice, h o w e v e r a l m o s t all J e w s
purchased meat from the c o m m u n i t y kosher
butcher.
Pressure f r o m the larger society pre­
vented Jews from showing any outward
signs o f J e w i s h n e s s : it w a s i m p o s s i b l e to
wear kippot and inadvisable t o display
Jewish symbols. The Muslim calendar
p o s e d a special p r o b l e m to the S h a b b a t
o b s e r v a n c e . In the W e s t e r n w o r l d the t w o
d a y w e e k e n d includes S a t u r d a y , m a k i n g
246
S h a b b a t o b s e r v a n c e easier. In Iran, h o w ­
ever, w h e r e w e e k e n d is o n T h u r s d a y a n d
F r i d a y , it is difficult for J e w s n o t to w o r k
o n S a t u r d a y in order t o celebrate S h a b b a t .
Still, a c c o r d i n g t o Iranians, S h a b b a t had a
special place in their lives a n d w a s cele­
brated within the limits and constraints o f
the s y s t e m . Friday night w a s a f a m i l y t i m e
a n d t h o u g h all s t u d e n t s w e n t t o public
s c h o o l o n S a t u r d a y , l u n c h w a s festive.
Prior to the r e v o l u t i o n , the 80,000
Iranian J e w s , with m a j o r centers in the
cities of Teheran, Shiraz, Isfahan and
H a m a d a n , r e m a i n e d the largest J e w i s h
c o m m m u n i t y in the M u s l i m w o r l d . After
the d o w n f a l l o f the S h a h , f r o m 15,000 to
2 0 , 0 0 0 J e w s left the c o u n t r y for Israel, the
United States a n d W e s t e r n E u r o p e . T h e
Iranian s t u d e n t s w h o were already living in
the United States as s t u d e n t s had c o m e to
this c o u n t r y a s s u m i n g t h e y w o u l d return t o
Iran. A s l o n g as they v i e w e d t h e m s e l v e s as
living in this c o u n t r y o n l y t e m p o r a r i l y , the
Iranian J e w s c o u l d c o p e with t h e necessity
for a d j u s t m e n t to a n e w c u l t u r e b y n o t
h a v i n g t o a d o p t or c o n f r o n t certain v a l u e s
different f r o m their o w n . O n c e the r e v o l u ­
t i o n m a d e their stay p e r m a n e n t , h o w e v e r ,
the buffer w a s r e m o v e d , a n d they were
forced to start the p a i n s t a k i n g p r o c e s s o f
integration on a much more profound
level. T h u s e x p o s e d , the s t u d e n t s b e c a m e
e x t r e m e l y vulnerable.
O n e of the first p r o b l e m s e n c o u n t e r e d by
the Iranians w a s that of creating friend­
ships a m o n g the A m e r i c a n J e w i s h c o m ­
m u n i t y . A very e x t e n s i v e s u p p o r t s y s t e m o f
b o t h friends and family m e m b e r s plays a n
i m p o r t a n t role in Iranian s o c i e t y . W i t h
f a m i l y m e m b e r s a n d c l o s e friends o n e
shares wealth and p e r s o n a l b e l o n g i n g s .
M e m b e r s of the tightly knit families j o i n t l y
participate in d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g . O n e d o e s
not m a k e i n d e p e n d e n t d e c i s i o n s . T h i s is
especially true of w o m e n , for w h o m the
f e m a l e relatives serve as a social n e t w o r k ,
a n d o n w h o s e e m o t i o n a l s u p p o r t they rely
t h r o u g h o u t their lives. F o r that r e a s o n , it
WEINER
w a s painful for Iranian J e w s to accept a
different d e f i n i t i o n o f friendship in this
c o u n t r y . K e e p i n g a certain d i s t a n c e in
order to protect one's privacy d o e s not
exist in Iran, and w a s interpreted as a n
e x p r e s s i o n of insincerity or rejection. T h e
inability t o forge i n t i m a t e friendships, with
a d e e p p e r s o n a l c o m m i t m e n t o f a kind o n e
e x p e c t s in Iran, left t h e s t u d e n t s w i t h
k n o w i n g a lot o f p e o p l e but feeling a l o n e .
T h e y were puzzled a n d s o m e t i m e s hurt t o
find that A m e r i c a n s w h o said t o t h e m
" H o w are y o u ? " didn't really care t o k n o w
the answer.
n o t tried to live in a n d adjust t o a culture
different f r o m their o w n . T h e n o r m s a n d
v a l u e s regulating one's life s u d d e n l y c o l ­
lapse, leaving a n individual totally d i s o r ­
i e n t e d . B e c a u s e of one's inability t o use
l a n g u a g e , a p e r s o n is placed in a child-like
d e p e n d e n c y o n others. H a v i n g often to rely
o n p e o p l e felt t o be o n e ' s social and i n ­
tellectual inferiors c a u s e s n o t o n l y a n g e r ,
but a feeling o f c o m p l e t e i n a d e q u a c y . T h e
c o m p a n y o f c o u n t r y m e n w h o play by the
rules o n e k n o w s a n d w h o have the s a m e set
o f v a l u e s serves as a necessary refuge
during the transitional period.
C o m i n g f r o m affluent families, a n o t h e r
severe b l o w t o the g r o u p w a s their s u d d e n
loss o f social status. F r o m the forefront of
the Iranian society they were placed o n the
b o t t o m o f the social ladder in the United
States. T h e y had b e c o m e p o o r refugees and
were humiliated a b o u t that. C o m p o u n d e d
with worries a b o u t the safety of their
families, and uncertain financial future,
possible loss of stipends for c o n t i n u e d
e d u c a t i o n , a n d severance f r o m their c o u n ­
try, it w a s o n l y natural that to deal with
their a n x i e t i e s they w o u l d turn for support
t o other Iranians. In a d d i t i o n , the Iranian
r e v o l u t i o n placed the J e w s in a very o d d
s i t u a t i o n . A l t h o u g h they shared a c o m m o n
culture, l a n g u a g e , and values with other
Iranians, the p o l a r i z a t i o n that affected the
Iranians in the United States precluded
their seeking support f r o m M u s l i m s . A s the
c o u r s e o f the r e v o l u t i o n d e v e l o p e d , the g a p
b e t w e e n the t w o g r o u p s c o n t i n u e d to in­
crease, leaving the J e w s with specific c o n ­
cerns that were not c o m m o n to the M u s ­
lims. Their M u s l i m c o u n t r y m e n were fre­
quently hostile to t h e m .
D e s p i t e their need for c o m m u n i t y , Irani­
a n s tend t o be p r o u d l y i n d e p e n d e n t . T o be
p l a c e d as a d u l t s in a d e p e n d e n t p o s i t i o n
w a s a very hard b l o w to their e g o s and art
affront t o their sense o f self. In their
relationship with v a r i o u s J e w i s h a g e n c i e s ,
they f o u n d it p r o f o u n d l y humiliating to ask
for the help so clearly n e e d e d . Only the
l o w e s t levels o f Iranian s o c i e t y w o u l d ever
h a v e t o ask for this kind o f h e l p . T h e
Iranian J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y is hierarchical.
E q u a l i t y a m o n g i n d i v i d u a l s is only p o s s i ­
ble in a very c l o s e friendship. T h e relation­
ship t o the p o o r m e m b e r s o f the c o m ­
m u n i t y is o n e o f p a t r o n a g e , in w h i c h the
superior p e r s o n has a n o b l i g a t i o n to p r o ­
vide s u p p o r t and financial aid t o the infer­
ior. T h e tight, clearly defined structure,
with the p o s i t i o n of e a c h individual delin­
e a t e d , serves as a very efficient vehicle in
helping the poor. A l t h o u g h everybody
k n o w s the other person's place in the
s o c i e t y , the actual act of giving is c o n ­
d u c t e d in a discrete w a y to protect the
recipient's dignity. A s a result, to assert
their a u t o n o m y and social status, the Irani­
ans were forceful in their d e m a n d s and
s e l d o m ready to c o m p r o m i s e . W h e n their
requests were not met or were partially
m e t , the g r o u p r e s p o n d e d with i n d i g n a t i o n
a n d disbelief. T h e Iranians' usual e x p l a n a ­
tion of the denial of their requests was the
precarious p o s i t i o n o f their g r o u p and their
lack o f i n f l u e n c e o n t h e h i g h r a n k i n g
Since they had been in this c o u n t r y a
short time in Iranian e n c l a v e s , a n d s u d d e n ­
ly they had t o take care of a n influx o f
parents and y o u n g e r siblings, the students
had r e d o u b l e d difficulty integrating i n t o
the A m e r i c a n s o c i e t y . T h e i m m e n s i t y and
p r o f u n d i t y of i m p a c t o f a culture s h o c k is
o f t e n u n d e r e s t i m a t e d by t h o s e w h o have
247
J O U R N A L O F JEWISH C O M M U N A L SERVICE
leadership o f t h e J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y . Irani­
ans did n o t like t o c o m p a r e t h e m s e l v e s with
the S o v i e t J e w s , w h o m they c o n s i d e r e d
b e g g a r s , but w h e n they did they w o u l d
a l w a y s c o n c l u d e that the S o v i e t J e w s were
afforded a better treatment.
T h e I r a n i a n J e w i s h O r g a n i z a t i o n in
B o s t o n replicated s o m e o f the former social
structures in the n e w s o c i e t y . T h e leader­
ship of the g r o u p w a s g i v e n t o t h e f a m i l i e s
w h o held the l e a d i n g p o s i t i o n s in the m a i n
J e w i s h centers in Iran.
U p o n their arrival in this c o u n t r y the
s t u d e n t s c o u l d not u n d e r s t a n d t h e need for
t h e d e n o m i n a t i o n a l d i v i s i o n within the
A m e r i c a n J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y . T h e y were
p u z z l e d b y the very s t r o n g feelings, or
s o m e t i m e s e v e n a n i m o s i t y that o n e g r o u p
s h o w e d t o w a r d the others. In order t o
e x p l o r e the different a s p e c t s o f A m e r i c a n
J u d a i s m , they frequented v a r i o u s s y n a ­
g o g u e s , b u t the large majority j o i n e d the
S e p h a r d i c c o n g r e g a t i o n o f Y o u n g Israel in
B r o o k l i n e . A l t h o u g h they were familiar
w i t h the services, in c o m p a r i s o n t o the
Iranian m o d e l the s y n a g o g u e w a s very
l i m i t e d in its s c o p e . It w a s not a n Iranian
c o m m u n i t y center. T o replicate the famil­
iar c o m m u n i t y , in a n unrealistic but u n d e r ­
s t a n d a b l e a t t e m p t , o n e of the first a c t i o n s
o f t h e Iranian leadership w a s t o try t o
o b t a i n their o w n b u i l d i n g where they c o u l d
f o r m a n Iranian s y n a g o g u e and center.
Large s u m s of m o n e y required for such a
project m a d e the idea unfeasible.
A d i s p u t e d e v e l o p e d b e t w e e n the leader­
ship a n d the J e w i s h F a m i l y a n d Children's
Service. A c c u s t o m e d t o the idea that in
Iran, c o m m u n i t y elders p e r f o r m the func­
tions that are divided a m o n g v a r i o u s J e w ­
ish a g e n c i e s in this c o u n t r y , the I J O leader­
ship c o u l d not a c c e p t the p r o c e s s by w h i c h
J F C S w o u l d interview the n e e d y s t u d e n t s
a n d distribute aid. T h e y felt that t h e m o n e y
s h o u l d be g i v e n t o t h e I J O b o a r d i n s t e a d .
T h e y k n e w their o w n m e m b e r s a n d thus
c o u l d distribute m o n e y in a m u c h m o r e
e q u i t a b l e w a y . T h e leadership c o u l d not
u n d e r s t a n d the a r g u m e n t s of J F C S w h i c h
stated that the s y s t e m protected t h e c o m ­
plete privacy of e a c h s t u d e n t a n d did n o t
put t h e m in a d e p e n d e n t p o s i t i o n o n the
m e m b e r s of their o w n g r o u p . F o r t h e m
traditional discretion in the act o f g i v i n g
w a s sufficient.
T h e g r o u p d i s p l a y e d a very s t r o n g sense
o f J e w i s h identity. T h e y were especially
interested in Z i o n i s m , w h i c h c o u l d n o t be
o p e n l y t a u g h t in Iran. Reflecting their o w n
c o n c e r n s , they w a n t e d t o learn a b o u t vari­
o u s a s p e c t s o f a n t i - S e m i t i s m f r o m historic
e x p u l s i o n s to H o l o c a u s t . Unlike their
A m e r i c a n c o u n t e r p a r t s , the Iranian stu­
d e n t s w a n t e d t o w a t c h a large n u m b e r of
films o n J e w i s h s u b j e c t s , and were ready t o
listen t o a n y kind o f J e w i s h m u s i c . It is
interesting to n o t e that several m e m b e r s
started w e a r i n g kippot, while p r o m i n e n t
d i s p l a y o f J e w i s h j e w e l r y proliferated with
time. U s e d to a very flexible S h a b b a t
o b s e r v a n c e , the g r o u p had difficulty a c ­
c e p t i n g the m o r e strictly enforced c o m ­
m u n i t y s t a n d a r d s o f the A m e r i c a n J e w i s h
organizations.
248
Used t o a strong hierarchical social struc­
ture, the Iranian s t u d e n t s did n o t k n o w
h o w to relate to the J e w i s h c o m m u n a l
w o r k e r s . A w a r e that the w o r k e r s were n o t
the directors o f their a g e n c i e s , it w a s hard
for the Iranians t o treat t h e m as superiors.
A t the s a m e t i m e , in need o f their services,
it w a s i n a d v i s a b l e t o treat the w o r k e r s as
inferiors. Their a p p r o a c h w a v e r e d f r o m
u t m o s t respect t o e x p e c t i n g the w o r k e r s t o
perform menial tasks. The group advisor
presented a special difficulty, since there
w a s n o e q u i v a l e n t role in their o w n s o c i e t y .
O n l y after a friendship d e v e l o p e d w i t h the
g r o u p did a m o r e i n f o r m a l relationship
e v o l v e b e t w e e n key m e m b e r s o f the g r o u p
a n d the advisor.
T h e e x p e r i e n c e s of the I J O in B o s t o n
m a y be of use t o other g r o u p s c o n s i d e r i n g
establishing similar o r g a n i z a t i o n s for Irani­
a n J e w s in other cities with large c o n c e n ­
tration of Iranian i m m i g r a n t s . J e w i s h a g e n -
WEINER
cies s h o u l d r e c o g n i z e the e x t e n t to w h i c h
the p r o b l e m s of different emigre g r o u p s in
a d j u s t m e n t to the J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y are
not identical.
F a m i l y Cycle
Each family tells its unique tale,
O n the trial and error g r o w t h scale.
M y father of heroic stature he,
Beset by perplexity.
M y m o t h e r engenders being,
A n d g o v e r n s by endless c o n c e i v i n g !
Children p r o m i s e what's eternal,
If parents bear acts infernal!
Missiles d u m p i n g the gantry tree,
Children leap as adults to be free!
from:
Engagement:
Quebecois
Haiku
by
David Weiss
249