The recent US-Israeli bombing that completely destroyed the Rafi-Nia Synagogue in Tehran, scattering Torah scrolls under the rubble, reveals a profound and ugly truth: the state of Israel does not truly care about Jewish safety, Jewish holy sites, or Jewish life. If it did, it would not have destroyed one of the few remaining gathering places for the ancient Jewish community of Iran, during the Passover holidays. This act, which a Jewish representative in Iran’s parliament rightly condemned as showing “no mercy to this community,” exposes the cynical weaponisation of Jewish identity by a state willing to destroy Jewish heritage to advance its military agenda.
We also note the glaring double standard of Western media and political leaders. Had a synagogue been bombed in the United States, Europe, or in Israel itself, it would dominate global headlines for weeks, trigger condemnations from every Western capital, and be rightly condemned as an antisemitic atrocity. Quite likely, it would also be weaponised as a justification for continued US/Israeli aggression in the Middle East.
When a synagogue in Tehran is destroyed by US-Israeli bombs, however, with Jewish holy books buried under rubble, the event barely makes the news at all. This silence sends a chilling message: That the lives of Arabic Jews do not matter unless they are living in Israel and serving in its military, and that Jewish safety is only newsworthy when it can be used to justify more violence and fearmongering.
As Jews, we mourn the destruction of any synagogue, anywhere. We weep for the scattering of Torah scrolls. But we refuse to let our tradition be turned into a propaganda tool for the very state that commits such acts. Israel’s actions demonstrate that it will sacrifice Jewish communities, Jewish heritage, and Jewish lives whenever they stand in the way of its military objectives. That is not protection. That is predation.
We call on Jewish communities worldwide to break their silence. Condemn the bombing of the Rafi-Nia Synagogue as you would condemn the bombing of any synagogue, and recognise that a state which bombs Jewish holy sites cannot claim to speak for Jews.
Not in our name. Never again for anyone. Free Palestine!