Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In a country often seen as hostile to Jews, Iran’s Jewish community remains one of the oldest in the Middle East. Nearly 10,000 Jews continue to practice their faith, operating synagogues, kosher restaurants, and schools, even under the watchful eye of the regime.
Rooted in ancient Persia and shaped by Queen Esther’s legacy, their story is one of resilience, maintaining traditions that have withstood exile, persecution, and revolution.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:48 How Jews came to Iran
01:08 The Purim story of Queen Esther
02:47 Cyrus the Great and Jewish prosperity
03:37 Jewish life under Muslim rule in Persia
06:00 The Golden Age of Jewish life in Iran
10:29 The rise of Ruhollah Khomeini
13:28 The 1979 Islamic Revolution and Jewish flight
15:24 The Jewish community that remained in Iran
17:35 Iranian exiles in Israel
18:07 Iranian exiles in the USA
19:41 Resilience of the Persian Jewish community
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Recommended video—Who Was the Last Jew in Afghanistan? | Unpacked
youtube.com/watch?v=c5fDritZrpk&list=PL-DNOnmKkUabBNl0Aee06VGSKbeJkrI6F&index=19
We have merch! – http://shop.Unpacked.media/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=video-description&utm_campaign=merch
Let’s connect:
Website — https://www.Unpacked.media
Instagram — /unpackedmedia
Twitter — /unpackedmedia
TikTok — /unpackedmedia
Facebook — /unpackedmedia
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Image and footage credits:
Channel 14 (Israel)
TBN IL
Global News
ABC News
Channel 4 News
BBC News
PBS
DW
Harav Gerami
Fox Faith
Gener8cion Entertainment
Walt Disney Studios
Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Warner Bros pictures
Paramount Pictures
Intermediate Films
20th century fox
Columbia pictures
British Pathe
Al Jazeera
journeyman.tv
Daniel rosehill
CBS News
Tristar pictures
Ambling entertainment
Rio Radio Pictures
Mercury productions
AJ+
NBC News
DC News Now
KING 5 Seattle
WSJ
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Executive Producer:
— Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
— Shmuel Katz
-----------
Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires, www.livrariasafra.com.br, @safralivraria
About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion.
Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between.
About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.
#iran #usa #israel
In a country often seen as hostile to Jews, Iran’s Jewish community remains one of the oldest in the Middle East. Nearly 10,000 Jews continue to practice their faith, operating synagogues, kosher restaurants, and schools, even under the watchful eye of the regime.
Rooted in ancient Persia and shaped by Queen Esther’s legacy, their story is one of resilience, maintaining traditions that have withstood exile, persecution, and revolution.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:48 How Jews came to Iran
01:08 The Purim story of Queen Esther
02:47 Cyrus the Great and Jewish prosperity
03:37 Jewish life under Muslim rule in Persia
06:00 The Golden Age of Jewish life in Iran
10:29 The rise of Ruhollah Khomeini
13:28 The 1979 Islamic Revolution and Jewish flight
15:24 The Jewish community that remained in Iran
17:35 Iranian exiles in Israel
18:07 Iranian exiles in the USA
19:41 Resilience of the Persian Jewish community
Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads!
youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1
Recommended video—Who Was the Last Jew in Afghanistan? | Unpacked
youtube.com/watch?v=c5fDritZrpk&list=PL-DNOnmKkUabBNl0Aee06VGSKbeJkrI6F&index=19
We have merch! – http://shop.Unpacked.media/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=video-description&utm_campaign=merch
Let’s connect:
Website — https://www.Unpacked.media
Instagram — /unpackedmedia
Twitter — /unpackedmedia
TikTok — /unpackedmedia
Facebook — /unpackedmedia
-----------
Image and footage credits:
Channel 14 (Israel)
TBN IL
Global News
ABC News
Channel 4 News
BBC News
PBS
DW
Harav Gerami
Fox Faith
Gener8cion Entertainment
Walt Disney Studios
Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Warner Bros pictures
Paramount Pictures
Intermediate Films
20th century fox
Columbia pictures
British Pathe
Al Jazeera
journeyman.tv
Daniel rosehill
CBS News
Tristar pictures
Ambling entertainment
Rio Radio Pictures
Mercury productions
AJ+
NBC News
DC News Now
KING 5 Seattle
WSJ
-----------
Executive Producer:
— Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
— Shmuel Katz
-----------
Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires, www.livrariasafra.com.br, @safralivraria
About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion.
Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between.
About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.
#iran #usa #israel
