Iranian Cleric Visits Damaged Synagogue, Denounces Israel and Zionism

Ayatollah Rashad, head of Tehran’s Council of Religious Fields, visited the synagogue that was damaged during Operation Lion’s Roar and met with leaders of Iran’s Jewish community. During the meeting, he attacked Israel and portrayed Iran as a defender of religious minorities.

Ayatollah Rashad, head of Tehran’s Council of Religious Fields, visited the synagogue in Tehran that was damaged during Operation Lion’s Roar and met with leaders of Iran’s Jewish community. The visit served as a platform for attacking Israel while presenting the Islamic Republic as a defender of religious minorities.

The meeting was attended by Hakam Yunus Hamami, one of Iran’s rabbis, Humayun Samekh, the Jewish representative in the Iranian parliament, and the vice president of the Association of Jews in Iran. The ayatollah drew a distinction between Judaism and Zionism: “Judaism is a divine religion, Zionism is a political and imperialist movement, the two should not be confused.”

He added that the damage to the synagogue exposed “the anti-human nature of the Zionist current,” and that the Jewish community in Iran stood alongside the Iranian people throughout the war. Jewish community representative Hamami stressed the historical ties of Iran’s Jews to the country: “The Jewish community in Iran has always seen itself as part of the Iranian people.”

Another representative at the meeting said that “the Zionist regime destroys mosques, but the Islamic Republic builds synagogues.” At the end of the meeting, the participants visited the synagogue to assess the extent of the damage and discuss its restoration.