The possibility of a different future

Inside Toronto’s Meridian Hall, among a sea of Iranian Lion and Sun flags, I kept noticing another flag: the blue and white of Israel.

In the waiting hall, a woman had an Israeli flag wrapped around her shoulders. Inside, I saw several more. Among the thousands gathered for Cyrus the Great II: From a Great Civilisation to a Greater Future, I met Iranian Jews wearing Magen David necklaces openly and proudly.

My friends and I travelled from Sydney for the September 19 gathering, joining more than 3000 people at Meridian Hall to hear Prince Reza Pahlavi at an event centred on Iran, its history and its future.

For Iranians, Cyrus the Great belongs deeply to our national memory. He also holds a profound place in Jewish history. More than 2500 years ago, he allowed Jewish exiles to return from Babylon to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. That shared history is one of the oldest links between the Iranian and Jewish peoples.

In Toronto, it did not feel ancient.