Iranian Jewish Community Voices Support for Retaliation Against Israel and US

Representatives of the Jewish community in Iran publicly expressed support for retaliatory actions against Israel and the United States during an official conference held in Tehran on Wednesday titled "Fulfilling the Promise of Revenge." This response followed the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Hoomion Shamah, the Jewish community's representative in the Iranian parliament, criticized Western countries for double standards, accusing them of silence over attacks on Iranian officials and civilians while accusing Iran of terrorism for years. Shamah linked the call for revenge to religious values, citing the Torah's principle of justice and proportional punishment, "an eye for an eye," emphasizing that punishment is a demand rooted in justice and the rights of peoples.

Joining the call, the Chief Rabbi of the Iranian Jewish community, Hakham Younes Hamami Laleh Zar, quoted a biblical verse from Numbers stating that "blood spilled on the land can only be atoned for by the blood of the one who shed it." He argued that according to Jewish law, bloodshed can only be forgiven by the execution of the murderer. Hamami described Khamenei's assassination as an act of extreme cruelty and preferred the term "blood revenge" over "revenge" to underline the legitimacy of such actions on an international level. He further noted that attempts to harm Iran's leadership have not weakened society but instead strengthened unity and cohesion around the Tehran regime.