Hanukkah is one of the jolliest times of year for Jews the world over. A time when members of the Jewish faith of all shades and hues gather with loved ones to feast and rejoice, and Iran's small but lively Jewish community is no different.
The Islamic Republic's Jewish population numbers some 9,200 people, most of whom are concentrated in Tehran. And they light a Hanukkah candle every night in each of the twenty synagogues concentrated in the heart of the Iranian capital.
In heartwarming documentation that reached Ynet, congregants at one of Tehran's synagogues, young and old, can be seen dancing in the decorated hall and lighting candles as they celebrate the Festival of Light.
Aside from Tehran's vast network of synagogues, the Iranian capital is also home to four mikvahs (ritual bathhouses), a Jewish cemetery, a kosher slaughterhouse and a bakery that adheres to kosher rules for Passover. There are 60 synagogues scattered throughout the country overall.
Iran was once home to a bustling Jewish community, tracing their roots in the country back to biblical times. At the time of the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there were approximately 140,000–150,000 Jews living in Iran.
Over the course of 20th century, close to 95% of Iran’s Jews have migrated abroad, mostly to Israel and United States. The 1979 Islamic Revolution served as a major catalyst for Jewish emigration out of the country.
In recent months, Iran has been rocked by a wave of anti-government protests since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained by the country's vice police for wearing her head covering improperly in public and died in custody.
The unrest has prompted a fierce and bloody crackdown by Iranian authorities, with hundreds of protesters killed by the regime's security forces. Scores of protesters were also sentenced to death or handed lengthy prison sentences.
"Enemies of the system create insecurity by targeting the unity of the people,” the Tehran Jewish Committee said in a communication on its website.