Jews have lived in Iran for over 2,500 years, with a population of 100,000 at the community’s height in 1945. During the twentieth century, Iranian Jews experienced rapid upward mobility, migrated within the country and abroad, participated in significant political and social movements, and integrated into several layers of Iranian society. This talk will explore the landscape of Jewish identity in Iran during the 20th century, with a special focus on Jewish-Muslim interactions, political engagement and aspirations, and the intersection of education and integration. As we examine how Iranian Jews navigated between their Iranian and Jewish identities in an era of new nationalisms, we gain insight into what Jewish emancipation and assimilation looked like in a Muslim-majority country.                                                                                          

Dr. Daniella Farah is a 2021-2023 Samuel W. and Goldye Marian Spain Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish Studies at Rice University. She received her PhD in Jewish History from Stanford University in July 2021. Dr. Farah’s scholarship, which lies at the intersection of Jewish history, Middle Eastern history, education history, and transnational studies, examines interreligious encounters, national belonging, and Jewish identity formation in modern Iran and Turkey. As an Iranian-American Jewish woman, her work aims to give voice to Middle Eastern Jews’ experiences. Her article, “‘The school is the link between the Jewish community and the surrounding milieu’: Education and the Jews of Iran from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s,” was published in 2021 in the journal of Middle Eastern Studies. In addition to her research efforts, Dr. Farah is a passionate, award-winning educator with significant teaching experience.

While all Institute events are free and open to the public, we do encourage a suggested donation of $10.

The Salo Baron New Voices in Jewish Studies lecture is supported by the generosity of the Salo W. and Jeannette M. Baron Foundation.

Presented jointly by Fordham University's Jewish Studies program and Columbia University's Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.