Habib Elghanian

Habib Elghanian

Habib (Habibollah) Elghanian (1909 – May 9, 1979) was a prominent Iranian Jewish businessman and philanthropist who served as the president of the Tehran Jewish Society and acted as the symbolic head of the Iranian Jewish community in the 1970s.

He was sentenced to death by an Islamic revolutionary tribunal shortly after the Islamic revolution for charges including "corruption", "contacts with Israel and Zionism", and "friendship with the enemies of God", and was executed. He was the first Jew to be executed by the Islamic government. His execution caused fear amongst the Jewish community and caused many to leave Iran.

Read more about Habib Elghanian:  Jewish Community Leadership, Execution