Republic of Hate - Podcast Six - Dirty Jews and Forced Conversions

         Hello and welcome to Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism, in which we explore Iran’s hatred of Israel, Jews, and the West. These are essays by Dr. Mark Silinsky, president of Kensington Security Consulting, which brings education to the field of national security. And now to podcast six, which moves to the 16th century to look at Jewish-Iranian relations and the forced conversion of the Jews of Mashad in the mid-19th century.          The plight of the Jews worsened further in 1501 with the rise of the Safavid dynasty. The new regime established the Shia sect as the dominant faith in Iran. Shia clergy declared all non-Shia, including Sunni Muslims, to be ritually unclean. The Safavid rulers imposed a broader range of humiliating and dehumanizing restrictions on Jews: they could not leave their houses on rainy days, build homes with walls taller than those of their Muslim neighbors, paint their houses white, buy property from Muslims, or sell food to them.              In public, to set themselves apart from Muslims, Jewish men had to wear unusually large turbans, and women were required to attach bells to their clothing along with the yellow patch. Many Jews were forced to convert to Islam. As with Spanish Jews of the late fifteenth century, many Persian Jews became nominally Islamic but secretly practiced Judaism. This continued until 1661, when they were allowed to practice Judaism openly.        In 1588, under the Safavid Shah Abbas I, restrictive ordinances against Jews were enacted, known as the "Jam Abbasi Laws," which severely limited Jewish property rights and the professions Jews could pursue. Sometimes, restrained anti-Jewish outbursts occurred in the often-deadly Yud Bazi, or Jew Game, involving spontaneous, unprovoked attacks on Jews.             Najes Jews; Dirty Jews - Jews as Dhimmi         Tailors, moneylenders, glass polishers, money-changers, engravers, salt and ammoniac producers, fortune-tellers, midwives, prostitutes, and small business owners. These occupations were common among Iranian Jews in the late nineteenth century. Just like in other parts of the Islamic and European worlds, Jews earned income as peddlers, brokers, shopkeepers, and small entrepreneurs dealing in spices, drugs, antiques, jewelry, cloth, and luxury goods. They also worked as millers, tailors, weavers, and dyers. Jews held a monopoly on wine and alcohol production. Additionally, Jews served as entertainers, including dancing boys, acrobats, flutists, and singers—roles considered beneath the dignity of Muslims. Jewish minstrels were quite popular. Although most were confined to lower-status jobs, some Jews achieved prosperity. In Hamadan and Tehran, some Jews worked as physicians.          These were jobs considered unworthy of Muslims. This image of the dishonest Jew was embedded in the dominant culture. Hafiz, Iran's greatest poet, wrote about Jews, "In the morning, I asked the old wine seller about . . . drinking of wine. He said, "It must be kept secret even though you are trustworthy. Keep your mouth shut, keep it secret, and drink." This is the image of the Jew as corruptor.        The Qajar dynasty began in 1789. Under Nasr ad-Din Shah, a notable Qajar ruler who reigned from 1848 to 96, he occasionally voiced intentions to improve the lives of Jews and Christians. However, few of these promises were fulfilled. Sometimes, he displayed progressiveness toward European diplomatic delegations and advised provincial governors and officials to protect Jews from mob violence and extortion. Iran was weaker than the European powers expanding their empires in Asia and Africa. To boost its image in Western eyes, Iran tried to demonstrate strength. The brief Anglo-Iranian war of 1856–57 revealed the military weaknesses of the Qajars. The Forced Conversion of the Jews of Mashad – The Allahdadi Event of 1839 “Outwardly we are all Muslims; in our hearts we’re Jews.” A Mashadi Jew      The most infamous act of forced conversion in the nineteenth century took place in Mashad. Nadir Shah looted Iran’s jewels and established a small community of about 40 Jewish craftsmen in Mashhad to manage and expand his treasure. Believing their business skills and international ties would boost the region's economy, he allowed Jews to settle in Mashhad. In this holy Muslim city, Jews had previously been forbidden entry. Opportunity attracted both Jewish and Muslim jewelers and traders, who thrived there for roughly a hundred years. The 1839 conversion in Mashhad changed the city forever. For years, Jewish prosperity drew envy from Muslim neighbors. Tensions erupted violently on March 27, 1839. The trigger is still debated, but most accounts tell of a Jewish woman accused of unspecified inappropriate behavior. Some say she had a dog slaughtered on a doctor's prescription for a skin ailment on a holy day for Shi'a Islam. The entire Jewish community was falsely accused of mocking Islam. A mob quickly began beating and killing Jewish neighbors. By the time the violence subsided, nearly 40 Jews had been killed, most homes looted, children abducted, and the synagogue set on fire. This was followed by forced conversions.       This secretive practice persisted through generations. In public, Mashadis would perform midday Muslim prayers, but they prayed in Hebrew at home. They lit their Shabbos candles with windows shielded from neighbors. Rachel Betsalely remembered the secret lives of her parents and grandparents in Iran. Her family bought halal meat but fed it to pets, while they ate kosher meat smuggled into their homes by fellow Jews in disguise. This underground life fostered a unique Mashhadi identity.         Others left Iran. Some Mashhadi families pretending to be Muslim were allowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. However, these families continued traveling to Jerusalem, where they revealed their Judaism and started new lives in religious freedom. Haji Adonya HaCohen built the first Mashhadi Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem, followed by Haji Yehezkel's synagogue in 1905. After another blood libel charge in 1946, the now openly Jewish families of Mashhad began a decade-long journey to Israel. Many Jewish women still wore their Mashhadi clothes, the chador, until they emigrated.        Esther Amini, who emigrated to the United States, recalls her Mashadi childhood during the 1950s and 60s. She sensed a lasting household anxiety among Mashadi Jews that never fully left. “They are still insular and carry a sense of secrecy." They were also poor. According to her biography, Amini remembered, "Jewish women were kept illiterate and married off as prepubescent girls.” The need for Jewish Iranians to hide their identity extends well beyond Mashad. A top Iranian chess referee fled Iran after being filmed without a hijab (when?). She requested asylum in the UK and explained, "All my life was about showing a fake image of myself to society because they wanted me to be an image of a religious Muslim woman, which I wasn't. If they knew that I had a Jewish background, I would never be general secretary of the Iranian chess federation."        This concludes this episode of Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism. We look forward to reading your comments. Dr. Silinsky’s latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Israel, Hamas, and the World, will be available for purchase in summer 2026. Nothing in this podcast or any of Dr. Silinsky’s other podcasts reflects the official position of the United States Department of War, the United States Intelligence Community, or any other U.S. government agency. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening, and goodbye until our next podcast.