A Jewish Synagogue in Tehran Collapses Due to Age and Excavation

One of the synagogues of the Jewish community in Tehran, located on Shariati Street, collapsed on Friday morning, January 25, due to internal excavation and the building's old age. According to IRNA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, at the time of the incident, 16 Jewish worshippers were inside the synagogue for morning prayers and 'quickly made their way to the yard' as the building began to shake. The report states that no one was injured. IRNA mentions that the synagogue building was damaged, and two parked cars in the area were also affected. Kohen Sedagh, the Vice President of the Iranian Jewish Association, told IRNA that improper repairs in the restaurant section of the 60-year-old synagogue caused the incident. Meanwhile, one of the Jewish worshippers at the scene told IRNA that the synagogue building had been cracked for a long time, and he had warned about the consequences of this deterioration and internal excavation. According to the spokesperson for the Tehran Fire Department and Safety Services, part of the ceiling and walls of the second floor of the building were destroyed, and all exits were blocked; however, with the help of firefighters, a way was opened, and attendees were evacuated. The Islamic Republic news agency quoted one of the attendees expressing concern that such an incident on a Saturday could have resulted in serious casualties. According to this Jewish witness, about 250 Jews gather at this synagogue on Saturdays for their weekly prayers. Kohen Sedagh also reported that after the Friday morning incident, several copies of the Torah and valuable books from the collapsed building were safely retrieved. Properties belonging to Iranian Jews, including synagogues, are part of endowments donated by Jewish families to the Iranian Jewish community. Ali Yunusi, the Iranian Vice President for Minority Affairs, recently visited one of their synagogues alongside leaders of the Jewish community in Iran. A new foundation stone for a memorial to the Jewish martyrs of the Iran-Iraq War was also unveiled recently with the presence of official representatives of the Islamic Republic. It is estimated that the number of remaining Jews in Iran is less than ten thousand, and they have one representative in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Of the 90,000 Iranian Jews before the Iranian Revolution, nearly all have moved to the United States, with some, mostly those who could not afford to go to the U.S., residing in Israel. The history of Jews in Iran dates back over 2,700 years.