From the mid-1990s to the present there has been more uniformity in the figures, with most government sources since then estimating roughly 25,000 Jews remaining in Iran. These less recent official figures are considered bloated, and the Jewish community may not amount to more than 10,000.
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.
Jews have their minority rights protected in Iran, though there is official discrimination. In order to prevent circumvention of emigration restrictions, the Iranian government prevents Jewish families from traveling abroad contemporaneously.
Israel has the largest Jewish population, with over 7 million people, followed by the United States, which has the second-largest community, with approximately 6 million Jews, making these the two countries where the vast majority of the world's Jewish population lives. France and Canada also have significant Jewish populations, with tens of thousands or more, but Israel and the U.S. are the clear leaders.
The Netherlands is a tolerant and inclusive country, and this is reflected in its attitude towards its Jewish population, with Jews feeling safe and welcome here.
Judaism is experiencing a complex demographic shift: the global Jewish population is slowly growing (reaching around 15.7 million recently) but remains smaller than pre-Holocaust numbers, with growth primarily driven by high birth rates in Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) communities in Israel and the U.S.. While Israel's Jewish population is expanding rapidly, many secular and non-Orthodox Jews in the diaspora are seeing declines, leading to significant internal cultural and political changes, with Israel projected to become the world's largest Jewish center.
Since then, the regime has used the Jewish community as a diplomatic shield for its antisemitic policies. Iran's Jews have been coerced into attending pro-regime rallies and forced to condemn Israeli strikes against the regime's terrorist proxies and the Islamic Republic's military and nuclear sites.
“It's all recognized religious minorities.” Iranian Jews are allowed to travel abroad, though technically not to Israel — Iranian passports bear the message that “the holder of this passport is not entitled to travel to occupied Palestine.” Many visit Israel anyway via third countries such as Turkey.
“Jews can buy homes anywhere in the world, in France, in Turkey and even in Iran,” said Shlomo Levinger a spokesman for some 20 Jewish families who want to move into the buildings. “Just in Judea and Samaria there is a racist edict that prevents Jews from purchasing a home,” he said.
The Jews were first expelled from England, then from France and other West European countries. However, the most famous example was that of Spain, from where the Jews were expelled in 1492. This led to the decline of the original Sephardic culture, that had flourished in the Iberian Peninsula for several centuries.
Most are either too poor to leave or believe they would be less financially secure if they left the country. Today, there are 100 synagogues in Iran, 31 are in Tehran, 20 of which are active.
The term Mizrahi is almost exclusively applied to descendants of Jewish communities from North Africa, Central Asia, West Asia, and parts of the North Caucasus. This includes Iraqi Jews, Iranian Jews, Bukharian Jews, Kurdish Jews, Afghan Jews, Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews, and the small community of Bahraini Jews.
The Persians resisted any Jewish efforts to restore the monarchy, but allowed them a high degree of autonomy under the High Priest, whose power was partially checked by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Court, and the Popular Assemblies. During this period, Judaism's Written Law took its final form.
Yes, there are two ways. The non-Muslim partner can convert to Islam and marry under Sharia law, or the couple can choose a civil marriage in Abu Dhabi, which, like a civil marriage in Iran, accommodates interfaith couples.
Iranian Jews stand proudly alongside their Muslim brothers in the Iranian Army—a living testament to the inclusive spirit and unity of the great Iranian nation.
Israel has the largest Jewish population, with over 7 million people, followed by the United States, which has the second-largest community, with approximately 6 million Jews, making these the two countries where the vast majority of the world's Jewish population lives. France and Canada also have significant Jewish populations, with tens of thousands or more, but Israel and the U.S. are the clear leaders.
“We are Iranian, but we're also Zionist.” Many Iranian Jews say their steadfast support for Israel is embedded in deep cultural and religious ties to Judaism that date back centuries. Historians trace Iran's Jewish population to nearly 3,000 years ago, making Judaism one of the oldest minority religions in the country.
The growing number of Israelis leaving the country for extended periods is also compounded by a shrinking number of Israelis living abroad returning to Israel. From January 2022 to August 2024, roughly 125,000 more people left the country than arrived, according to the survey.
Judaism came first, with its origins tracing back to Abraham (c. 2nd millennium BCE) and Moses (c. 1200 BCE), establishing the first monotheistic faith, while Islam emerged much later, in the 7th century CE, with the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia, building on the same Abrahamic tradition but as a distinct religion. Muslims view Adam as the first Muslim, but historically, Judaism was practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia for centuries before Islam's founding.
Human kingdoms, according to Daniel, will end with the fourth kingdom, crushed by a "stone…cut out by no human hand," symbolizing that the destruction of the kingdom and the ensuing order are supernatural events. The Son of Man, however, will institute a fifth, entirely righteous, just, and eternal kingdom.
