IMAGE: Emergency personnel work at the site in Petach Tikva, Israel, March 31, 2026 where damage was caused following Iranian missile strikes. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Key Points

• Iran is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, with thousands of Jews still residing there.
• Many Iranian Jews consider themselves loyal Iranians and do not necessarily support the State of Israel, distinguishing between Judaism and Zionism.
• Reports suggest that the Iranian government protects the Jewish community, allowing them to maintain schools, synagogues, and even a Jewish hospital.
• Religion and nationality are not always synonymous, as demonstrated by the presence and integration of Jews within Iranian society.

What? There are Jews in Iran?!

That was my immediate reaction.

No thinking, just surprise.

This happened over tea with a group from the Irani community in Mumbai.

I had reached there by chance with a friend and suddenly found myself sitting at a table where everyone was speaking in Persian.

For a few minutes I simply listened, completely lost.

Sensing that, they switched to Hindi.

That helped.

But by then my curiosity had already taken over.

These Irani families have been in India for generations, yet many still have relatives in Iran and travel back regularly.

So when they spoke, it came from experience, not theory.

And then someone said it very casually.

"There are Jews living in Iran."

I could not connect that with what I thought I knew.

So I asked the obvious question. If that is true, why don't these Jews move to Israel?

Are they safe in Iran?

The answer came promptly from almost everyone, "Yes. Jews are very much safe in Iran. They are our brothers."

One of the elders replied instantly: "There is a difference between a Jew and a Zionist."

He explained that Jews who stayed back in Iran consider themselves loyal Iranians. They do not support a Zionist State like Israel.

'Jewish by religion BUT not necessarily supporters of Israel as a State,' I told myself, trying to look neutral in these war times.

(Zionism is a political movement and ideology that emerged in late 19th-century Europe, advocating for the establishment, and later support, of a Jewish State (Israel) in Palestine, the ancestral Jewish homeland. Founded by Theodor Herzl, it aimed to secure a safe haven for Jews against rising anti-Semitism and to foster Jewish self-determination.)

According to him the Iran issue is political and not religious.

They told me to check it out myself.

So when I reached home, I did.

And this is where things became interesting.

The Historical Presence of Jews in Iran

Iran is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, going back more than 2,500 years.

Even today, reports from the Jerusalem Post suggest that around 8,300 Jews still live in Iran, out of a population of more than 81 million.

Most of them are based in Tehran, with smaller communities in Shiraz and Isfahan.

Before 1979, the numbers were far higher. International reporting has placed the Jewish population in Iran at somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 before the revolution.

After the creation of Israel in 1948 and especially after the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution, many Jews left Iran.

Today, around 200,000 to 250,000 Jews of Iranian origin are estimated to be living in Israel, with many others settled in the United States.

So the community became smaller inside Iran, but larger outside.

Current Status and Daily Life

I also came across a report by Middle East Eye quoting Rabbi Elhanan who contradicted the Jerusalem Post report of 8,300 Jews living in Iran.

The rabbi said that thousands of Jews are still living in Iran and that they continue their daily life with schools and institutions, including a Jewish hospital.

Another report in ynetnews.com stated that Iran is currently home to the largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside of Israel.

Most live in Tehran (6,000 to 7,000), with smaller communities in Shiraz (about 2,000), Isfahan (1,500), and Kermanshah.

The community operates around 100 synagogues, including 31 in Tehran, though only about 20 are used regularly.

There are currently five Jewish schools operating under strict government supervision, compared to 20 before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, says this report (external link).

However a report in Middle East Eye quoting Rabbi Elhanan contradicted the Jerusalem Post and stated, 'There are 35,000 Jewish people in Iran. The government of Iran is protecting them and not throwing them in concentration camp. They have a golden life even in the midst of war.

'Iran has no problem with Jews but with the occupation (of Palestine land by Israel). But the mainstream media and the Zionist media want to brush everyone with anti-semitism and then they can say, 'oh! These are Nazis and anti-semitic whereas the fact is that it has nothing to do with anti-semitic', Rabbi Elhanan told Middle East Eye.

'Why media didn't bring out this point? That Jewish people are living in Iran now under the missiles. They have today their schools and high schools. There is a Jewish hospital in Iran funded by the government of Iran. Why people are so blind? Why they don't think?' asked Rabbi Elhanan.

According to him, Iran's issue is with Israel's policies, not with Jews as a people.

That sounded very similar to what I had heard at the table in Mumbai.

Politics and Perceptions

The conversation that day around the table also moved to global politics.

They spoke about Steve Witkoff and his role in tensions involving Iran, along with names like Jared Kushner and Donald Trump.

Both Witkoff and Kushner -- Trump's son-in-law -- were Zionists, I was informed.

According to them, hardline positions especially by Witkoff and demands during negotiations made the situation worse and pushed things toward conflict.

Then the discussion took another turn.

They claimed that global media narratives are influenced by powerful figures, mentioning people like Mark Zuckerberg who are Zionists at heart and saying that large parts of the media and even Hollywood are controlled by Jewish interests.

One of them even brought up Mel Gibson, saying he was pushed out of mainstream Hollywood because he spoke against Zionism.

'Zionists always show alternate truth which suits them to the world. Be it via media or be it the social media which they control,' I was informed.

These were strong views, and clearly their own understanding of how the world works.

Understanding the Nuances

But the simplest way to understand what they were trying to say came to me later.

It is actually not very different from India.

Just like Muslims live in India but are not automatically linked to every Muslim country in the world, Jews living in Iran are not automatically linked to Israel.

Religion and nationality are not always the same.

A lesson well learnt at a tea table in Mumbai with Iranis.