One of the privileges of living in the United States of America, is being able to have conversations about politics and/or religion without the fear of one’s life being at risk.
As an Iranian-Iraqi Jew, living in Iran during the start of the Islamic Revolution, we all quickly learned to never question, speak, or even mumble anything to criticize the government or the Islamic Regime. We knew that the morality police of Iran, better known in Iran as the Komiteh, had our phones tapped. They did this to many Iranian Jews, but also to people of various faiths whom they deemed as suspicious. They enlisted many families to be spies and tell on anyone who was not behaving within Islamic moral codes of behavior. If it was determined that an individual had said or done anything to go against the Islamic Republic, that person simply was taken away by force by the Komiteh. They might be forcefully arrested in the street, placed in a car and forever gone. Or the Komiteh might kick their front door in, sometime in the middle of the night, and terrorize the family by searching all their belongings, turning all their furniture upside down and yelling questions in their face. My family experienced this. I was seven years old. I was in my pajamas and sleeping. Suddenly there were men everywhere, going through my home in the dark. My father was being yelled at. My mom was beside me holding my hand. She was yelling at them. I cannot completely remember what she was saying to the Komiteh, but I believe she was asking them if terrorizing families was prescribed in the Koran. I didn’t really know what was going on or what they were looking for. Who told on us? What did we say or do?
I tell this story because I really want to inspire Americans to push themselves to talk about the war in Israel/Gaza with the focus of learning about various perspectives. On May 6th, through the JewCrew of Verona and Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, a unique book talk about Israel will be happening. We will be having an interfaith book talk around Noa Tishby’s book: Israel – A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. We have the freedom to exchange ideas as a collective – please do not take this for granted. It is an American privilege to read a political book and be able to sit in a mixed setting to discuss it with others in the community. We have freedom of speech, we have freedom to learn from each other, to talk to each other, to question! This cannot happen in many parts of the world. As scary as it may be to navigate these conversations, they are worth it because even if someone offends or upsets us, we will learn from each other. The trick is to emotionally regulate ourselves and believe in the good of others. If we believe that others are coming to the table to talk and learn, we can grow our brotherly and sisterly love for each other.
There are community members in Montclair and Verona who are excited about this book, while others feel anxious to discuss anything about Israel in a mixed religious setting. However, I implore you to read the book, and come to the interfaith book talk that is happening in a church in Verona. It is your American privilege. Make use of it.
(If you have questions about how to sign up for the book talk, please contact the JewCrew of Verona at email hidden; JavaScript is required)
- Lets Talk About Noa Tishby’s Book: Israel – A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth - Tue, Apr 16, 2024
- Shabbat – Our Way In Verona - Thu, Jan 11, 2024
- A Letter To My Son - Wed, Dec 14, 2022
Thank you for sharing your story and creating this opportunity!