Jerusalem:
Israelis of Iranian descent are torn between homesickness for their country of origin and anger at its leaders after Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend. Many believe this is not the time for Israel to retaliate.
“I hope we don't have to attack Iran now, this is not the time. Let them worry a little,” said Zion Hasid, chairman of the Central Organization of Iranian Immigrants, which says it represents 300,000 Iranian Jews.
On Wednesday in Jerusalem, he gathered friends and members of the organization's governing council for a meal ahead of the Jewish Passover next week.
Many observers now believe that an Israeli response to Iran's attack will not come until after the religious holiday.
Hasid, a businessman with fond memories of Iran, said he had “felt bad” since Tehran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel on April 13.
The attack won Israel widespread support from its Western allies, as the ongoing assault in the Gaza Strip has met with increasing disapproval, including from close ally the United States.
Like others in Israel, Hasid fears a heavy-handed response could lead to a violent response.
“I hope Israel will act wisely and with a cool head. That way, with God's help, we will be able to win,” he said.
Iran – a major backer of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and the Palestinian militant group Hamas – launched the attack in retaliation for an April 1 attack on its consulate in Damascus that was widely blamed on Israel.
Nearly all Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted by Israel with help from the United States and other allies. Israel has vowed to respond despite calls to avoid escalation in the Middle East.
'Blessed'
Iran's Jewish community was long the largest in the Muslim world. Many Jews in the country have emigrated in search of a better life elsewhere.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the fall of the Shah, others followed, although Jews were protected by the constitution. Many settled in the United States or Israel.
Hasid has lived in Israel since 1964. His business cards feature the Israeli and Iranian flags – the latter with the image of a lion in the center, just like before the revolution.
“If the Shah had been in power, this would not have happened. The current regime wants to show the world that it controls the Middle East,” he said.
After its founding in 1948, Israel maintained close ties with Iran. But the 1979 revolution dramatically ended the friendship and they went from firm allies to sworn enemies.
Members of the Central Organization of Iranian Immigrants, who sometimes speak in Farsi, all speak with the same affection for their native country and the “blessed” times of the Shah, when relations between Iran and Israel were at their peak.
Hostages
Yehezkiel Yegana, 75, whose cousin was killed by Hamas fighters on October 7, said he often thinks about the Israeli prisoners the militants brought to Gaza.
Israel estimates that 129 of the 250 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom the army says 34 have been killed.
But Yegana has also not forgotten what he called the “Jewish hostages in Iran.”
Iran still has a Jewish community of between 8,000 and 10,000 people, who have a reserved seat in the Iranian parliament, but complain of distrust of the authorities in light of the hostility between the two governments.
“The entire Iranian people have been held hostage by an extremist group and will one day free themselves from it,” he said.
Yegana said the issue of a protracted war between the two countries was “complex”.
“If we attack, it could provoke conflict on several fronts,” he said. “If we don't attack, we will be considered weak.”
But Yegana believes the days of the Islamic republic are numbered.
“We have never been so close to the moment when we can return to our country, to visit the cities and forests of our childhood,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)