Between Iran and Zion This page intentionally left blank Between Iran and Zion Jewish Histories of Twentieth- Century Iran Lior B. Sternfeld Stanford University Press Stanford, California Stanford University Press Stanford, California ©2019 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Ju nior University. All rights reserved. This book has been published with financial support from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Iran Heritage Foundation. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Stanford University Press. Printed in the United States of Amer i ca on acid- free, archival- quality paper Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Sternfeld, Lior B., 1979– author. Title: Between Iran and Zion : Jewish histories of twentieth- century Iran / Lior B. Sternfeld. Description: Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018007818 (print) | LCCN 2018011170 (ebook) | ISBN 9781503607170 (epub) | ISBN 9781503606142 | ISBN 9781503606142 (cloth : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Jews—I ran—I dentity—H istory—20th c entury. | Jews— Iran— Politics and government—20th c entury. | Religious minorities— Iran— History—20th  century. | Social integration— Iran— History—20th  century. | Nationalism—I ran—H istory—20th c entury. | Iran—P olitics and government—1941–1979. Classification: LCC DS135.I65 (ebook) | LCC DS135.I65 S74 2019 (print) | DDC 305.892/40550904—d c23 LC rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2018007818 Typeset by Westchester Publishing Ser vices in 11/13.5 and AGaramond Pro Dedicated with love and admiration to my parents, Zahava and Itzhak Sternfeld, and to my wife, Sharon, and d aughters, Shira, Yaara, and Daniela This page intentionally left blank Naturally it caused an uproar at the Seder when Father asked Uncle Ardi to read the Ha- Lachma. Every one burst into laughter, even before he began. He obeyed and read, but not without a touch of subversion, a bit of mischief: “ ‘This is the bread of affliction’— some affliction!— ‘that our fore- fathers ate in the land of Egypt. This year we are slaves.’ May this slavery never end! ‘This year here and next year at home in Israel.’ Pardon me for not packing!” . . . T he f amily dreamed of the land of milk and honey but wanted to wake up in Tehran. . . . After reciting the Ha- Lachma, U ncle Ardi asked, “So, Hakakian, are your bags packed or is the flight to Jerusalem postponed for another year?” Father smiled and waved him away, assuming his question had been meant in jest. But Uncle Ardi, without the slightest hint at humor, pressed on: “ Really, Hakakian, why say it? Why not leave it at ‘Love thy neighbor like thyself!’ and call off the rest?” —R oya Hakakian, Journey from the Land of No This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface xi Acknowle dgments xv Note on Transliteration xvii Introduction 1 1 Shifting Demographics: The Arrival of Ashkenazi and Iraqi Jews 15 2 The Ira nian Po liti cal Sphere: Shaping a National Identity 40 3 Ira nian Jews and Israel: From Indigenous to State-S ponsored Zionism 63 4 Unintended Consequences: The Lead- Up to the Iran ian Revolution 92 Conclusion 122 Postscript: Toward a New Historiography 125 Notes 131 Bibliography 165 Index 179