Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, born in 1983 or 1984, has served as the Chief Rabbi of Iran and spiritual leader for the country's Jewish community since 2011. The Jewish population in Iran is estimated to be between 8,000 and 20,000 people, with the majority residing in Tehran (approximately 10,000), Shiraz (7,000), and Isfahan (3,000). There are also smaller communities in cities like Kermanshah, Rafsanjan, and Yazd.
While there were around 100,000 Jews before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, about 80% left. Despite this, Iran still holds the second-largest Jewish population in the Middle East, after Israel. Rabbi Gerami states that Jews can openly practice their faith, citing around 70 functional synagogues, and that he sends ritual items to each annually. Other estimates suggest about 25 synagogues remain active, along with kosher restaurants, a Jewish library, an old-age home, and a cemetery. Jewish day schools, a mikvah, and a yeshiva with 50 students are also present in Tehran.
The community maintains a delicate relationship with the Iranian government, with Rabbi Gerami emphasizing that Jews must avoid politics to live an observant life without repercussions. He has stated that Iranian Jews are "guests" in the country and must be diplomats. Jews face legal limitations, such as being barred from significant government positions, though one seat in Iran's parliament is reserved for a Jewish representative. The community leaders, including Rabbi Younes Hamami Lalehzar, frequently highlight the long history of coexistence, dating back over 2,700 years.
Sanctions have impacted the Jewish community, leading to high prices, with organizations like Chabad helping 200 families in Tehran with food and medicine due to an eight-fold increase in costs. Despite challenges, Rabbi Gerami notes that the doors are open for anyone who wishes to leave, and that approximately 20,000 Jews choose to remain, each for their own valid reasons.
