JEWS OF IRAN
The Jews of Iran is Project Mosaics' debut film series that brings our mission, vision, and approach to teaching Jewish history and culture to life. We are collaborating with scholars, poets, memoirists, and artists to tell untold stories of global Jewish diversity, dynamism, vibrancy, and vitality. Connect the pieces of Jewish history in your classroom.
Being Iranian
"Being Iranian" features Lior Sternfeld, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Penn State and author of Between Iran and Zionism: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran. Recognizing that dominant narratives of Iran in the 20th and 21st centuries do not always capture the nuances of Jewish experiences, Lior introduces the upward mobility of Jews prior to the 1979 Revolution while describing the way the community continues to exist and adapt to contemporary circumstances many decades after the Revolution. Thematic Connections: Middle Eastern demographic diversity, nationalism, revolution, integration, minority experiences, social change, modernity, cultural preservation, global citizenship Historical Connections: Modern Middle Eastern history, modern Iranian history,1979 Iranian Revolution Conversation Starters: - What can we learn about a society by studying the experiences of minority communities? What is the value in knowing about the diverse experiences of Jewish people in Iran? - What associations do you have with Iran? How does Lior Sternfeld challenge or affirm these associations? What makes story-telling powerful? What is the power in the stories Lior Sternfeld tells about Jews in Iran? - Why is studying world history relevant for our lives today? What can understanding the history of Jews in Iran accomplish for us today?
The Tehran Children
"The Tehran Children" features Mikhal Dekel, author of In the East: How My Father and a Quarter Million Polish Jews Survived the Holocaust. From the perspective of a refugee's daughter, the film expands the definition of "survivor" by centering the experiences of Polish Jews who found sanctuary in Tehran where they encountered a diverse and cosmopolitan society they didn't know existed. Thematic Connections: Refugee experiences, intergenerational memory, Holocaust memory, resilience and resistance Historical Connections: Holocaust, World War II, antisemitism, modern Middle Eastern history, modern Iranian history Conversation Starters: - What comes to mind when you think of a Holocaust survivor? - Why is Mikhal Dekel working to expand the definition of Holocaust survivor? - Why should historical memories be expanded or reinterpreted? - How does the story of the Tehran Children expand your understanding of the Holocaust? - How does hindsight influence the study of history? - What does the story of the Tehran Children teach us about the limitations of hindsight in historical study? - What does it mean to be resilient? - How were the Tehran Children resilient?
Womanhood in Shiraz
"Womanhood in Shiraz" features Farideh Goldin, author of Wedding Song: Memoir of an Iranian Jewish Woman. Through the lens of a young Jewish girl raised in the city of Shiraz, Iran, the film examines the gender norms and diverse experiences of women in the city, as they navigate communal expectations, seek opportunities for educational advancement, and contemplate the social tensions around them. Thematic Connections: Personal narratives, gender relations, intergenerational relations, childhood, cultural comparison, values, resilience and resistance Historical Connections: Modern Middle Eastern history, modern Iranian history Conversation Starters: - Who are your role models who have helped shape your identity? - What did Farideh’s role models offer her as she was coming of age? - Why may people rebel against social expectations? - What was Farideh rebelling against throughout her youth? - What can we learn about ourselves and others through intercultural friendships? - What did Farideh’s friendship with Muslims in Iran offer her? - What does it mean to be strong and brave? - How did Farideh learn to be a strong and brave Jewish Iranian woman?
Rooted in Tehran
"Rooted in Tehran" features Roya Hakakian, author of Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran. Through the lens of Roya's family, the film introduces Jewish life in Tehran in the Mid-Twentieth Century during a period of increased egalitarianism, opportunity, and optimism prior to Roya's migration to the United States in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Thematic Connections: Immigration, personal narratives, urbanization, intergroup relations, childhood, intergenerational relations, social mobility, integration Historical Connections: Modern Middle Eastern history, modern Iranian history Conversation Starters: - What makes a place home? What made Tehran Roya Hakakian’s home? - What makes for a thriving community? What did Roya Hakakian value about her society in Tehran? - How do societies change across generations? How was Roya Hakakian’s childhood in Iran different from her father’s childhood? - Why is migration challenging, even if desirable? Why does Roya Hakakian have complex feelings about migration?
The Crypto-Jews of Mashhad
"The Crypto-Jews of Mashhad" features Esther Amini, author of Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America. Through the lens of Esther's family, the film introduces the distinctive history of the Jewish community of Mashhad, their communal resilience, solidarity, and modern example of navigating oppression while safeguarding their fragile Jewish identity. Thematic Connections: Middle Eastern demographic diversity, intergroup diversity, personal narratives, cultural preservation, minority experiences, gender relations, resilience and resistance Historical Connections: Jewish diaspora, modern Middle Eastern history, global antisemitism Conversation Starters: - What is problematic about flattening the representations of entire communities? What is problematic about not differentiating between the histories of Jews around the world according to Esther Amini? - What does it look like for persecuted groups to be resilient? How were Mashhadi Jews resilient in Iran? - What are the consequences of having to conceal one’s identity? What did life as crypto-Jews mean for Jews in Mashhad? - How can communal experiences be gendered? How were the experiences of crypto-Jews in Mashhad gendered?
Jewish Above Ground
"Jewish Above Ground" features Esther Amini, author of Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America. The film follows Esther's parents and siblings, shortly after they arrived in New York from Iran, and examines the intra-Jewish tensions and divisions between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews. Thematic Connections: Immigration, otherness, intra-group complexity, personal narratives, social exclusion, belonging and integration Historical Connections: Jewish diaspora, 20th century United States history Conversation Starters: - When have you experienced exclusion and how did it feel? Why was Esther Amini’s family excluded by other Jews at a synagogue in New York? - When have you accepted someone different from yourself and why did you include them? Why was Esther Amini’s family accepted by the second rabbi at another synagogue in New York? - What purpose do communal institutions serve migrant communities? Why would Esther Amini’s family seek out synagogues upon arrival to the United States? - What are the limitations to how people perceive other individuals and groups? How did Esther Amini’s family want to be perceived by other Jews in the United States?
Iran Loomed Large
"Iran Loomed Large" features Esther Amini, author of Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America. As a first generation American, Esther was raised in a home where the language, food, music, and values of Iran surrounded her in ways that connected her to the country of her parents and ancestors. Thematic Connections: Immigration, culture, cultural preservation, cultural comparison, values, gender relations, childhood, heritage Historical Connections: Jewish diaspora, 20th century United States history Conversation Starters: - What are places that are significant to your family identity? What do you think Esther Amini meant when she said “Iran loomed large”? - What music, art, food, and traditions are part of your cultural heritage(s) that give you joy? How do you think Esther Amini and her mother each related to Iranian food, music, and art, in their own ways? - What cultural values have you struggled with and why? Why do you think Esther Amini’s understanding of Iranian values changed over time? - What can we all learn by understanding the ways communities hold onto and preserve different parts of the cultures they brought to the United States? What does cultural preservation mean for the way identity evolves in the United States?
Rebuilding in Tehrangeles
“Rebuilding in Tehrangeles” features Jasmine Lawi, author of Persian Tea. Through the lens of Jasmine’s family, the film introduces an intimate portrait of the communal efforts of Persian Jews in Los Angeles to navigate the dilemmas and opportunities of life in the United States, focusing on the ways people adapt, preserve, and hybridize culture and identity across the generations. Thematic Connections: Refugee experiences, immigration, intergenerational relations, cultural preservation, cultural hybridity, childhood, belonging and integration, personal narrative, resilience, joy Historical Connections: Jewish diaspora, 20th century United States history Conversation Starters: - Why might people make personal sacrifices? - Why did Jasmine’s parents make personal sacrifices? - What are the benefits and challenges to belonging to a community? - What were the benefits and challenges to belonging to the Persian Jewish community for Jasmine? - When have you felt like an outsider? - Why did Jasmine feel like an outsider, even among other Jews in Los Angeles? - How have you navigated conflicting values or cultural expectations? - What competing values did Jasmine have to navigate throughout her childhood?