The possibility of a different future
For both Iranians and Jews, home carries a sacred meaning.
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.
Canada has a visible Iranian-Jewish community, particularly in Toronto, and I felt their presence throughout the event. Magen Davids rested against chests beneath Iranian flags. Israeli flags appeared among Lion and Sun flags without contradiction.
It was an image of Iran and Israel very different from the one the world has become accustomed to seeing.
One of the most touching moments came when Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw thanked members of the Iranian community who had stood shoulder to shoulder with Toronto’s Jewish community after October 7, including those who participated in the Walk with Israel.
For decades, the Islamic Republic has defined the relationship between Iranians and Israel through hostility. Yet here was another reality: Iranians standing beside Jews, and Jews standing beside Iranians.
The Cyrus Accord, coined by Prince Reza Pahlavi, calls for a broader vision for relations between a future Iran and Israel after the Islamic Republic. What makes the idea compelling to me is that it begins before governments and diplomacy, with historical memory, coexistence and people rebuilding trust.
Canadian Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre’s speech brought the Canadian dimension into focus. He spoke about Iranian aspirations for freedom, individuals linked to the Islamic Republic and the IRGC in Canada, sanctions and accountability, and justice for the 176 victims of Flight PS752, shot down by two IRGC surface-to-air missiles on January 8, 2020.
His remarks also highlighted how closely the concerns of Iranian and Jewish communities can intersect.
Both communities understand that events thousands of kilometres away can reach into the countries where we now live. For Jewish communities, the Islamic Republic’s hostility toward Israel has consequences beyond Iran. For Iranians, the same state has shaped political and social life at home while affecting diaspora communities abroad.
Then came Prince Reza Pahlavi.
The atmosphere changed the moment he entered. For many, this was not simply another political speech. It represented the possibility of a different future for the country we still call home.
He spoke about a future Iran built around four principles he said could provide common ground among Iranians: preserving Iran’s territorial integrity, separating religion from government, protecting individual freedoms and equality before the law, and allowing Iranians to choose their political system through a free and fair vote.
Another point stayed with me. He spoke about cooperation with other countries in efforts to bring political change to Iran while stressing that such cooperation must serve Iran’s national interests.
The Islamic Republic does not operate in isolation. It has international relationships, networks and sources of support. Those seeking change also need the democratic world to understand that developments inside Iran have consequences beyond its borders.
My experience became more personal when I had the opportunity to meet Prince Reza Pahlavi and Yasmine Pahlavi.
After travelling from Sydney with my friends, standing before them felt surreal. Both were warm and welcoming, and when Yasmine Pahlavi learned we had travelled from Sydney, she personally thanked us for making the journey.
It was a short interaction, but it stayed with me.
So did the security presence throughout the day. It was substantial and visible, which I found reassuring.
As an Australian, it made me wonder what would happen if Prince Reza Pahlavi visited Australia. Would the Albanese Labor government, together with the Australian Federal Police and state authorities, provide the same visible and serious protection I witnessed in Toronto? I hope so.
I travelled to Toronto expecting an Iranian gathering about Iran’s future. I returned to Sydney thinking about two ancient peoples rediscovering a friendship that politics tried to bury.
More than 2500 years ago, Cyrus helped the Jewish people return home and rebuild their Temple. Today, his name is again becoming a bridge between Iranians and Jews.
For both Iranians and Jews, home carries a sacred meaning. It holds history, memory, language, belonging and the stories of generations. Israel is that home for the Jewish people, just as Iran is for Iranians.
Home is more than a place on a map. It is something carried across generations, protected in memory and returned to in the heart.
Bibi Soleimani is an Iranian-Australian artist and human rights activist.