What looks like a new connection is actually the reemergence of a 2,500-year-old relationship — one now resurfacing as more Iranians begin to question the ideology that tried to erase it.
Matthew, this was a fascinating article. My own experience here in Canada lines up very much with what you’re describing. The Iranians I’ve met — especially those who fled the regime — overwhelmingly hate the Islamic Republic and have been very pro-Israel and friendly toward Jews.
I also remember checking the ADL global antisemitism index, and what stood out to me was that Iran had the lowest antisemitism levels of all the Muslim countries surveyed. The numbers were still far too high, somewhere around 50% if I remember correctly, but compared to the rest of the region, it was a dramatic difference.
I think your point about many Iranians reconnecting with a deeper Persian identity beyond Islamism is very important. The regime tried to define Iran through hatred of Israel and the Jews, but for many people it seems to have had the opposite effect.
That’s also why I hope this regime is eventually toppled. Anything short of that, in my opinion, leaves the same dangerous ideology in power, no matter what temporary agreements or deals may be made.
Thank you Matthew for this great information, I knew some of the story but never really understood what drove them to this insanity! I’ve been praying 🙏 for the Innocent Iranians, and the need for them to overcome this evil regime when the time is right. Let’s Pray That This Country Will Be Saved Soon ❣️🙏✝️❤️😻
That's what my history book says... My neighbour (married to an Iranian) is hoping their families will be okay but hates the regime. Thanks and prayers to Israel! 🙏💪🇮🇱💙🫂
Beautiful writing, thin evidence and a pile of delusional crap.
This "reemergence of an ancient bond" involves, what, maybe less than a few hundred vocal Persians — and very quiet ones at that. I have yet to hear widespread, unambiguous Persian condemnation of Iran's proxy terror network targeting Jews across the world, or of the explosion of violent antisemitism globally. A handful of diaspora Iranians waving Israeli flags does not a movement make.
The historical parallels with Cyrus are real and meaningful — but history doesn't keep Jews safe. People do. And if the Jewish community is banking on Persian solidarity as a significant factor in our collective security, we are in serious trouble. I'll believe this is something real when I see it operating at real scale, with real voices, and real political courage — not just a compelling essay about what could be.
Will the next article try to convince us that Muslims broadly are horrified by antisemitic violence too. Let's apply the same scrutiny there. Look at every country with a large Muslim population and tell me honestly what you see — not what a few enlightened intellectuals in Western diaspora communities say, but what is actually happening on the streets, in the mosques, in the schools. Where is the outrage from Muslim leaders? Where are the Mullahs, the Imams, the heads of state standing up and unambiguously condemning violence against Jews simply because they are Jews?
The silence is not incidental. Silence at that scale, from that many leaders, across that many countries, is a statement in itself. It is clearly dangerous and must be met with a clearly unambiguous dangerous response from us Jews.
There is a great deal of truth to what you have said about Muslims in general but Iranians, not only those in the diaspora are a special case. Have you not seen the Iranian anti regime demonstrations where people are reaching out to Israel and thanking her for her help? Don’t you realize that Iranians remember the time under Shah Pahlavi when Iran and Israel lived peacefully in the same neighborhood and did business together and shared one another’s culture? That was not so long ago and is part of Iranian collective memory. It is very likely that when the present poisonous regime is toppled that the relationship between Israeli and Iran will revert back to that form.
I appreciate the pushback, and yes, I've seen the demonstrations. a few brave people, genuinely moving moments. But let's be precise here.
Name me the major diaspora Iranian leaders and organizations who came out loudly and unambiguously on October 8th condemning Hamas. Not quietly, not with 'both sides' language, not buried in a thread on X. Loudly. Publicly. Unequivocally. I'll wait.
And while we're waiting, let's address the elephant in the room: roughly 90-95% of Iranians are Shia Muslim. Shia Islam is the ideological engine behind Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the entire Iranian proxy terror network that has been targeting Jews and Israel for decades. The regime didn't impose this on an unwilling population overnight just in Iran— it has cultivated it for 45 years worldwide through mosques, schools, and state media. You don't undo that with some protest signs and a few viral videos.
The Shah's era was real. The historical friendship was real. But that was a different Iran, under a different government, with a different cultural direction. Nostalgia is not a foreign policy.
When the regime falls — if it falls — we'll see what Iranians actually choose. Until then, hope is not evidence, and demonstrations are not the same as a movement. I'll believe the 'special case' when I see it acting like one.
You're right, Sam, nostalgia is not a foreign policy but you are dismissing history that is part of the living memory of many Iranians as mere nostalgia. It is more than that. Bear in mind that it is the present Shia regime that has been brutally oppressing the Iranian people who in great part are educated and sophisticated and Westward leaning. Iran may have been Shia before that but not the way that it is now. Bear in mind also that for Muslims to stick their necks out can mean sure death, that is the nature of Muslim blasphemy and the Iranian regime has been hunting down dissidents from the get-go not only in Iran but abroad. There's a lot going on that neither you nor I know about. Perhaps I'm too much of an optimist but I don't think that the Iranian people want to exchange one brutal regime for another and not only America but also Israel is part of their hope for a better life, for a restoration of what they had even under a very flawed Shah. And they are not the only ones hoping for a more stable and prosperous Middle East, other Gulf countries are coming to the same conclusion. Let's hope for the best and try to be patient, there's still a lot of work ahead.
Here’s an interesting coincidence. In 2015 and 2016, when Trump was launching his first presidential campaign, he knew he would need to win over the evangelical Christian vote to secure the Republican nomination and electorate, so he promised them the moon.
They desperately wanted the conservative judges, including a Supreme Court seat that could finally end abortion rights.
It was still a hard sell, given his personal history, deeply flawed character and vulgar communication style. What the leaders came up with to persuade their followers to vote for the candidate who had clearly never picked up a Bible was that he was like Cyrus — a modern day pagan who would be their salvation.
It’s perhaps ironic that it’s this supposed 21st-century Cyrus who allowed the Jews to reclaim Jerusalem as their capitol in the eyes of the world’s greatest power.
Mathew and readers-I commented a push back on this "new connection" by suggesting that there is little support worldwide from Persians when it comes to fighting antisemitism. I was, gladly, proven wrong when 25% of the 20,000 protesters in London against anti semitism were from Iran.
I say this as a feedback: Your article is way too long and verbose. If you want better results, and I want you to have better results, then write more succinctly than you apparently think you are doing.
Hope for allies in the Persian diaspora.....the Kosher markets and synagogues in Encino, California....I thought my parents would appreciate having kosher food at the end of the street....no, it was all too foreign to them. Good thing for the wall of Arab hostility or Israel may have been ethnically riven by a thousand years apart.
Tremendous writing. Thank you!
Thank you so much 🙏🏼
Matthew, this was a fascinating article. My own experience here in Canada lines up very much with what you’re describing. The Iranians I’ve met — especially those who fled the regime — overwhelmingly hate the Islamic Republic and have been very pro-Israel and friendly toward Jews.
I also remember checking the ADL global antisemitism index, and what stood out to me was that Iran had the lowest antisemitism levels of all the Muslim countries surveyed. The numbers were still far too high, somewhere around 50% if I remember correctly, but compared to the rest of the region, it was a dramatic difference.
I think your point about many Iranians reconnecting with a deeper Persian identity beyond Islamism is very important. The regime tried to define Iran through hatred of Israel and the Jews, but for many people it seems to have had the opposite effect.
That’s also why I hope this regime is eventually toppled. Anything short of that, in my opinion, leaves the same dangerous ideology in power, no matter what temporary agreements or deals may be made.
Freedom for Persia / Iran.
Down with the Ayatollahs and Mullahs.
Very well written 👏
Thank you Matthew for this great information, I knew some of the story but never really understood what drove them to this insanity! I’ve been praying 🙏 for the Innocent Iranians, and the need for them to overcome this evil regime when the time is right. Let’s Pray That This Country Will Be Saved Soon ❣️🙏✝️❤️😻
Great essay!!
That's what my history book says... My neighbour (married to an Iranian) is hoping their families will be okay but hates the regime. Thanks and prayers to Israel! 🙏💪🇮🇱💙🫂
Freedom for Persia / Iran.
Down with the Ayatollahs and Mullahs.
Very well written 👏
Thank you for sharing my piece! 🙏🏼❤️
Beautiful writing, thin evidence and a pile of delusional crap.
This "reemergence of an ancient bond" involves, what, maybe less than a few hundred vocal Persians — and very quiet ones at that. I have yet to hear widespread, unambiguous Persian condemnation of Iran's proxy terror network targeting Jews across the world, or of the explosion of violent antisemitism globally. A handful of diaspora Iranians waving Israeli flags does not a movement make.
The historical parallels with Cyrus are real and meaningful — but history doesn't keep Jews safe. People do. And if the Jewish community is banking on Persian solidarity as a significant factor in our collective security, we are in serious trouble. I'll believe this is something real when I see it operating at real scale, with real voices, and real political courage — not just a compelling essay about what could be.
Will the next article try to convince us that Muslims broadly are horrified by antisemitic violence too. Let's apply the same scrutiny there. Look at every country with a large Muslim population and tell me honestly what you see — not what a few enlightened intellectuals in Western diaspora communities say, but what is actually happening on the streets, in the mosques, in the schools. Where is the outrage from Muslim leaders? Where are the Mullahs, the Imams, the heads of state standing up and unambiguously condemning violence against Jews simply because they are Jews?
The silence is not incidental. Silence at that scale, from that many leaders, across that many countries, is a statement in itself. It is clearly dangerous and must be met with a clearly unambiguous dangerous response from us Jews.
There is a great deal of truth to what you have said about Muslims in general but Iranians, not only those in the diaspora are a special case. Have you not seen the Iranian anti regime demonstrations where people are reaching out to Israel and thanking her for her help? Don’t you realize that Iranians remember the time under Shah Pahlavi when Iran and Israel lived peacefully in the same neighborhood and did business together and shared one another’s culture? That was not so long ago and is part of Iranian collective memory. It is very likely that when the present poisonous regime is toppled that the relationship between Israeli and Iran will revert back to that form.
I appreciate the pushback, and yes, I've seen the demonstrations. a few brave people, genuinely moving moments. But let's be precise here.
Name me the major diaspora Iranian leaders and organizations who came out loudly and unambiguously on October 8th condemning Hamas. Not quietly, not with 'both sides' language, not buried in a thread on X. Loudly. Publicly. Unequivocally. I'll wait.
And while we're waiting, let's address the elephant in the room: roughly 90-95% of Iranians are Shia Muslim. Shia Islam is the ideological engine behind Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the entire Iranian proxy terror network that has been targeting Jews and Israel for decades. The regime didn't impose this on an unwilling population overnight just in Iran— it has cultivated it for 45 years worldwide through mosques, schools, and state media. You don't undo that with some protest signs and a few viral videos.
The Shah's era was real. The historical friendship was real. But that was a different Iran, under a different government, with a different cultural direction. Nostalgia is not a foreign policy.
When the regime falls — if it falls — we'll see what Iranians actually choose. Until then, hope is not evidence, and demonstrations are not the same as a movement. I'll believe the 'special case' when I see it acting like one.
You're right, Sam, nostalgia is not a foreign policy but you are dismissing history that is part of the living memory of many Iranians as mere nostalgia. It is more than that. Bear in mind that it is the present Shia regime that has been brutally oppressing the Iranian people who in great part are educated and sophisticated and Westward leaning. Iran may have been Shia before that but not the way that it is now. Bear in mind also that for Muslims to stick their necks out can mean sure death, that is the nature of Muslim blasphemy and the Iranian regime has been hunting down dissidents from the get-go not only in Iran but abroad. There's a lot going on that neither you nor I know about. Perhaps I'm too much of an optimist but I don't think that the Iranian people want to exchange one brutal regime for another and not only America but also Israel is part of their hope for a better life, for a restoration of what they had even under a very flawed Shah. And they are not the only ones hoping for a more stable and prosperous Middle East, other Gulf countries are coming to the same conclusion. Let's hope for the best and try to be patient, there's still a lot of work ahead.
Here’s an interesting coincidence. In 2015 and 2016, when Trump was launching his first presidential campaign, he knew he would need to win over the evangelical Christian vote to secure the Republican nomination and electorate, so he promised them the moon.
They desperately wanted the conservative judges, including a Supreme Court seat that could finally end abortion rights.
It was still a hard sell, given his personal history, deeply flawed character and vulgar communication style. What the leaders came up with to persuade their followers to vote for the candidate who had clearly never picked up a Bible was that he was like Cyrus — a modern day pagan who would be their salvation.
It’s perhaps ironic that it’s this supposed 21st-century Cyrus who allowed the Jews to reclaim Jerusalem as their capitol in the eyes of the world’s greatest power.
Mathew and readers-I commented a push back on this "new connection" by suggesting that there is little support worldwide from Persians when it comes to fighting antisemitism. I was, gladly, proven wrong when 25% of the 20,000 protesters in London against anti semitism were from Iran.
I say this as a feedback: Your article is way too long and verbose. If you want better results, and I want you to have better results, then write more succinctly than you apparently think you are doing.
Hope for allies in the Persian diaspora.....the Kosher markets and synagogues in Encino, California....I thought my parents would appreciate having kosher food at the end of the street....no, it was all too foreign to them. Good thing for the wall of Arab hostility or Israel may have been ethnically riven by a thousand years apart.
Wasn’t Cyrus’s mother Queen Esther?