A short history of the Jews of Mashhad

A short history of the Jews of Mashhad

Jewish Presence in Iran

First entrance

The book “History of Jews of Mashhad” states that when Babylon, which is present-day Iraq, fell to Cyrus the Great, the Jews who had been taken as captives were freed and spread throughout Iran.

Qazvin

When Shah Ismail Safavid chose Qazvin as his capital, a group of Jews migrated to that city as well and became a trusted community.

Mashhad

The Jews of Qazvin had garnered such respect and trust that, in 1747, when Nader Shah Afshar conquered India and brought back war treasures, his court members advised him to relocate 40 Jewish families from the reliable Qazvin Jewish community to Mashhad to safeguard his treasures. These families settled in Eidgah, an area where Zoroastrians also lived.

A map of the old Jewish neighborhood in Mashhad. Click for a larger image.

A house in the Eidgah neighborhood with a brick entrance featuring a brickwork design of the Star of David.

A house in the Eidgah neighborhood with a brick entrance featuring a brickwork design of the Star of David.

Interior view of the changing area of the Agha Mohammad Taghi Levi Bathhouse, which was formerly reserved for Jewish families. The architectural style of the building belongs to the Qajar era.

A shop in the Eidgah neighborhood, featuring a Star of David motif.

An abandoned house in the Eidgah neighborhood, remnants of Mashhad’s architectural past.

The yard of an old house in the Eidgah neighborhood.

A house in Eidgah, the old Jewish neighborhood of Mashhad

A surviving painting in a demolished house in the Eidgah neighborhood of Mashhad.

Javid Alley in the old Jewish neighborhood in Mashhad, Eidgah. Summer 2012.

The Khatam al-Anbiya Religious Foundation (i.e. Hay’at) in the Eidgah neighborhood, Summer 2012.

A group of Khorasani Jews.

.The image of the Star of David from the Anusim of Mashhad in the early 19th century

Anusim

The Allahdadi Tragedy

In Hebrew, Anusim means “to be coerced into accepting”. A terrifying tragedy known as the Allahdadi Tragedy has been documented on the back of a siddur, which is kept in the Ben Zvi Museum. The pogrom occurred in 1839. An account of this incident is mentioned in the works of Dr. Joseph Wolff, Professor Walter Fischel, Raphael Patai, Ephraim Nimrod, Isaac Ben Sevi, and Dr. Habib Levi. Thirty-six innocent Jews lost their lives, and some of the Jewish houses, synagogues, and religious books were set on fire by rioters.

Approximately 400 Jews were compelled to conceal their faith, leading to a challenging life. Despite this, they continued to adhere to the Jewish creed in secret within their homes, observing kosher, tefillah (prayer), and religious rulings.

Faith and trade in hiding

For a century, the Jews of Mashhad endured a sorrowful existence similar to the Marranos of Spain and Portugal, who outwardly converted to Christianity but remained Jewish at heart. While the Marranos gradually drifted away from Judaism, the Anusim of Mashhad never abandoned their faith. They continued to pray, wear tzitzit and tefillin, and even established underground synagogues. They purchased meat from public butcheries but abstained from consuming it, performing shechita (kosher slaughter) in secret and lighting Shabbat candles under baskets. On Shabbat and moadim (Jewish holidays), they refrained from selling any goods in their shops, citing various excuses. Despite these clandestine practices, the Jews of Mashhad were highly respected as trustworthy merchants by the Muslim residents of the city.

Intermarriage

The primary factor that united the Jewish community was the common fear of intermarriage. Muslim families occasionally proposed to their daughters, who they thought were Muslims like themselves. To prevent such unions, the community elders devised a strategy: they betrothed newborns to their cousins at birth. This practice, known as “esm sarzad,” effectively prevented their children from marrying non-Jews. Girls were typically married off at the age of nine.

Self-sufficiency of the Jews of Mashhad

The fear of assimilation likely contributed to the community’s strong sense of unity, kinship, and isolationist tendencies. This trait persisted even after they migrated to Tehran or the United States. The Jewish community of Mashhad became self-sufficient, relying exclusively on the guidance and support of their own leaders and members for all social matters.

Prior to their migration to Tehran in search of greater freedoms, the Mashhadi community had eleven synagogues, beth midrash (Torah study halls), and Hebrew school classes. Many of these synagogues were named after prominent philanthropic families from the community. Religious leaders and rabbis, such as Mullah Murad Agha-Lar and Mullah Yosef Deylamani, voluntarily performed all charitable acts, brit milah (circumcisions), shechita (religious slaughter), engagements, and marriages.

A second attack

In the aftermath of World War II, in 1946, a tragic incident once again befell the Jewish Quarter of Mashhad. A mob of rioters and fanatics attacked the community, reminiscent of the Second Passover incident. This event led to the Jews of Mashhad losing hope and a wave of migration to Tehran ensued. Gradually, the Mashhad community lost more than 2,000 members to immigration to Tehran, London, Hamburg, Milan, and the Holy Land.

Mashhadis in the Holy Land

A group of Mashhadi Jews migrated to the Holy Land in 1948. Today, around 20,000 descendants and relatives live there. They have established a central council organization, several synagogues, a respectable nursing home, and various social gatherings.

Mashhadis in Tehran

From 1946 to 1980, the Mashhadi Jews resided in Tehran. They established eight synagogues, a mikveh, Talmud Torah classes, and a beit kvarot (Jewish cemetery) in the city. In 1963, under the leadership of Mr. Abdolrahim Etesami, the community adopted a constitution and held elections for the first time. Additionally, the Khorasani Association was established in Tehran.

The Mashhadi community in Tehran was fortunate to have dedicated elders and philanthropists, including families such as Levi, Nabavian, Yosefzadeh, Abdollahzadeh, Rafinia, Hakimian, Morteza-Of, Zar, Hariri Tolou, Kordovani, Kashanian in Milan, and Mirza Aghajan Nasimi in Hamburg.

The first synagogue of the Mashhadi community in Tehran was the Aziz Khan Synagogue, which also included a mikveh. Subsequently, synagogues were established by the Abdollahzadeh, Levi, Rafinia, and Nosrat families. The Khorasani Association also built a complex of synagogues on Zartosht Street, which served as a venue for weddings and gatherings. Images of many of these synagogues can be found on 7DORIM.com.

Thanks to Islamic compassion, all these places remain operational in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Jewish community in Tehran has a representative in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and they are free to conduct their religious ceremonies and activities.

Mashhadis in New York

In 1979, following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, some members of the Mashhadi community immigrated to New York City, drawn by their children who had previously moved there for education. They established a large community in New York, initially settling in the Queens borough and later in the Long Island town of Great Neck.

Currently, the Mashhadi community in New York comprises approximately 7,000 individuals and has four cultural centers and synagogues. Each of these complexes was donated by one of the prominent families of the community with the support of its members.

1. Mashadi Jewish Center and She’are Tova Synagogue in Queens:

• Capacity: 1000 individuals
• Facilities:
  • Talmud Torah classes for minors
  • Tefillah (daily prayer service) led entirely by young people
  • Library
  • Wedding hall
  • Youth gymnasium
• Established by the family of the late Yosef Beni Levi

2. Mashadi Jewish Center and She’are Shalom Synagogue in Long Island:

• Capacity: 2000 individuals
• Facilities:
  • Talmud Torah classes
  • Multiple separate synagogues for children and young people
  • Library
  • Wedding and celebration hall
  • Large gymnasium for youth
  • Senior citizens’ gathering hall
• Established by the late Mehdi Hariri Tolou

3. She’are Rahmim Synagogue Complex in Long Island:

• Capacity: 600 individuals
• Facilities:
  • Various D’var Torah (Torah study) classes
  • Multiple minyans (daily prayer services) for yeshiva youth
• Established by Mr. Fathollah Hemmatian
• The mikveh (ritual bath), named “Mikveh Moshe”, was established by Mr. Mashallah (Nehemiah) Soleimani

4. Mashadi Jewish Center at 130 Steamboat Road, Long Island