Persian Jews (Hebrew: יהודי פרס, Persian: یهودیان ایرانی) are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.
Judaism is among the oldest religions practiced in Iran and the Biblical Book of Esther contains references to the experiences of the Jews in Persia. Jews have had a continued presence in Iran since the time of Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus invaded Babylon and freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity.
Today, only 8,756 Persian Jews remain in Iran, with much larger diaspora populations living in Israel and the United States.
Read more about Persian Jews: Terminology, Demographics, History, Current Status in Iran, Jewish Education in Iran, Related Jewish Communities, Languages
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“Come, give thy soul a loose, and taste the pleasures of the poor.
Sometimes ‘tis grateful for the rich to try
A short vicissitude, and fit of poverty:
A savory dish, a homely treat,
Where all is plain, where all is neat,
Without the stately spacious room,
The Persian carpet, or the Tyrian loom,
Clear up the cloudy foreheads of the great.”
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