Iranian Jewish Diaspora Women

Publication Date: November 1999

Publisher: Hadassah-Brandeis Institute

Author(s):

Research Area: Culture and religion; Population and demographics

Keywords: Methodology; Diversity; Immigration; Persian Jews

Type: Other

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author uses personal interviews and studies to describe the Persian Jewish Diaspora community in the United States, their relationships with, and similarities and differences to, the Ashkenazi Jewish community and expatriate Muslim Iranian community. Iranian American Jews tend to have more of their family and community in close proximity to them than their Muslim fellow expatriates, with a corresponding increased feeling of belonging and decreased connections to Iran. Still, they struggle with the preservation of their own ethnic and cultural traditions amidst the institutional hegemony of Ashkenazi Judaism. Census methods obscure information about this community and more research and information is needed, especially on descendent generations.