Melbourne Jews and Iranians unite

Iranian-born Melburnians carrying the Lion and Sun flag received a standing ovation at Caulfield Shule on Sunday night at a Jewish community event marking the outbreak of war with Iran.

It featured speeches, songs and the recitation of Tehillim (psalms), with the presence of the Iranian exiles drawing one of the night’s most emotional responses from the crowd.

An Iranian woman who fled the regime 17 years ago and now calls Australia home, introduced simply as Noosh, delivered a moving address drawing parallels between the Iranian and Jewish peoples.

“I was born in Iran and left 17 years ago as a teenager. I have experienced the brutality of this regime first hand,” she said.

“I grew up in a country where I was told what to wear, what to say, what to watch, what to think, where girls are controlled, where children are systematically brainwashed at schools, where asking for basic human rights can mean being beaten in the streets of Tehran. I have seen it. I have lived it.”