Times of Israel Persian blogger starts Hebrew classes

Iranian-born Neda Amin, who fled to Israel after being threatened with deportation from Turkey, signs up for Ulpan Etzion

Neda Amin, the Iranian-born blogger for The Times of Israel’s Persian website who fled to Israel last week after being threatened with deportation from Turkey, is to begin Hebrew classes in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Amin will start studying Hebrew as part of The Jewish Agency for Israel’s flagship Ulpan Etzion program.

“Israel was created to serve as a homeland for a persecuted people,” Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky said in a statement.

“The Jewish Agency, which has welcomed millions of Jews home to Israel, is proud to play a part in easing Neda’s integration into her country of refuge. I spoke to Neda earlier on, welcoming her to Israel and wishing her much success in her studies, and I expressed the hope that she will one day be able to return to a free Iran and contribute to the restoration of the historically close ties between our two nations.”

Amin blogs regularly for The Times of Israel’s Persian site, and has done some freelance work. Living in Turkey until last week, Amin was threatened with imminent deportation and feared she would be sent back to Iran.

After The Times of Israel alerted the Israeli authorities to her plight, government officials immediately responded and paved the way for her safe arrival in Israel on Thursday.