Iranian chief rabbi reads the Book of Esther at the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther
Yehuda Gerami dances with students, reads megillah scroll at site believed by local community to be in ancient city of Shushan
Footage emerged Thursday of Iran’s Chief Rabbi Yehuda Gerami reading from the Book of Esther and dancing with students at the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther in the city of Hamadan for the holiday of Purim.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, Rabbi Gerami and his students danced outside the tomb complex on Thursday before the afternoon Mincha prayer on the eve of the Purim holiday. The rabbi later read the Book of Esther from the megillah scroll in accordance with the Purim custom.
According to a tradition dating back to at least the 1100s, Mordechai and Esther were buried in a mausoleum in Hamadan, believed to be the ancient city of Shushan mentioned in the Book of Esther. The tradition is not generally believed outside the Iranian community.
Some 8,500 Jews live in Iran, primarily in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz. Prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were some 100,000 Jews in the country.
In what appear to be precautionary measures to protect its members, prominent figures in the Jewish community of Iran intermittently issue anti-Israel statements that match the regime’s agenda.
After a number of members of the Tehran Jewish community were detained amid nationwide protests in 2022, the Tehran Central Jewish Committee issued a letter in which it said it was standing by the Iranian regime amid its deadly crackdown on demonstrations.
פורים בקהילה היהודית באיראן: רב הקהילה, יהודה גראמי, התפלל ערבית וקרא מגילה בקבר מרדכי ואסתר בעיר המדאן. הרב רקד עם תלמידיו – שחלקם לומדים לדיינות ורבנות, מחוץ למתחם הקברים@kaisos1987 pic.twitter.com/BXO2mURCPV
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 13, 2025
In 2021, Gerami said that he condemned the US killing of top Iranian Quds Force terror chief Qassem Soleimani in 2020 amid fears Jews could be physically attacked by some Muslim neighbors.
Iran is openly sworn to Israel’s destruction and financially supports regional terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas that are also committed to this aim.
The Times of Israel Community.