Pictured Above: An Iranian Jew prays at a synagogue in Shiraz in December 1999. Credit: U.S. State Department.

(JNS) A synagogue in the Iranian city of Shiraz was reportedly attacked by vandals on Dec. 24.

According to Yeshiva World News, the Hadash Synagogue in Shiraz’s Maleh neighborhood was vandalized, with two Torah scrolls found torn to pieces and siddurim discovered in the bathroom.

Israel’s Channel 10, which spoke to a member of the Shiraz Jewish community, said the damage was documented by journalists and three local Jews. 

“The rioters tore a prayer book and Torah scrolls, blew up lamps and broke the glass windows,” said the Jewish community member, who was not named in the report.

Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said they are “deeply concerned by the reports of the vandalism of the Hadash Synagogue…We call upon the authorities in Shiraz and the central government in Tehran to take all necessary steps to protect the community and bring the perpetrators to swift justice.”

Iran was once home to a large Jewish community. But many Iranian Jews fled the country following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Today, estimates place the size of the community at around 8,500, with most Iranian Jews living in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.

Sephardic News

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