Iran’s Jews refused cash offers by Israel in exchange for migration to Israel.
Iran’s Jews have given the country a loyalty pledge in the face of cash offers aimed at encouraging them to move to Israel, the arch-enemy of its Islamic rulers.
The incentives — ranging from £5,000 a person to £30,000 for families — were offered from a special fund established by wealthy expatriate Jews in an effort to prompt a mass migration to Israel from among Iran’s 25,000-strong Jewish community. The offers were made with Israel’s official blessing and were additional to the usual state packages it provides to Jews emigrating from the diaspora.
However, the Society of Iranian Jews dismissed them as “immature political enticements” and said their national identity was not for sale.
Iran’s Jewish population has dwindled from around 80,000 at the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution but remains the largest of any country in the Middle East apart from Israel. Jews have lived in Iran since at least 700BC.
Jews are free to practise their religion and have their own schools, although they are forced to open on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath.
guardian
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Iran’s Jews refused cash offers by Israel in exchange for migration to Israel.
Iran’s Jews have given the country a loyalty pledge in the face of cash offers aimed at encouraging them to move to Israel, the arch-enemy of its Islamic rulers.
The incentives — ranging from £5,000 a person to £30,000 for families — were offered from a special fund established by wealthy expatriate Jews in an effort to prompt a mass migration to Israel from among Iran’s 25,000-strong Jewish community. The offers were made with Israel’s official blessing and were additional to the usual state packages it provides to Jews emigrating from the diaspora.
However, the Society of Iranian Jews dismissed them as “immature political enticements” and said their national identity was not for sale.
Iran’s Jewish population has dwindled from around 80,000 at the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution but remains the largest of any country in the Middle East apart from Israel. Jews have lived in Iran since at least 700BC.
Jews are free to practise their religion and have their own schools, although they are forced to open on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath.
guardian
Stumble it!
This entry was posted
on Thursday, July 12th, 2007 at 2:38 pm and is filed under main, the rest of the world, iran, israel, middle east.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.