by Jerry Ginsberg
On April 7th, during the Jewish holy day of Passover, an Israeli airstrike destroyed the Rafi-Nia synagogue in Tehran. The attack was part of a broader wave of strikes on civilian sites across Iran, which killed more than a dozen people. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later described the synagogue’s destruction as regrettable “collateral” damage.
This explanation echoes a troubling pattern seen throughout Israel’s military operations. During the Gaza War, the IDF frequently attributed the killing of Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians to “friendly fire” or unintended consequences of urban warfare [1]. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s prolonged refusal to negotiate with Hamas for the return of hostages during the Gaza War further suggests a political calculation in which even Jewish lives are treated as expendable—and, at times, politically useful—for advancing his strategic goal to stay in power. [2]
Iran’s Jewish Community: Zionism’s so-called “Wrong” Kind of Jews
Outside of Israel, Iran is home to the largest Jewish population in the Middle East. The Kalimi community, now numbering approximately 15,000, consists of Iranian Jews who historically chose not to join the Zionist movement to settle in Palestine. At one point, their numbers exceeded 100,000—this community has remained steadfast in its identity, insisting that Iran, not Israel, is their homeland.
Yet, many people around the world confuse Jews with Israel, and Judaism with Zionism. This confusion makes it difficult for some to accept that Israel could act against Jewish interests or commit acts that resemble anti-Semitism. Such thinking paves the way for Iranian Jews to be viewed as acceptable collateral damage in Israel’s regional ambitions. Since they are seen as the “wrong” kind of Jews—non-Zionist, rooted in the Muslim world—their suffering is often ignored or dismissed. The destruction of their livelihood is rarely labeled anti-Semitic unless it aligns with a narrative that prioritizes Zionist interests.
Zionists Strategic Embrace of Anti-Semitism
Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, recognized that anti-Semitism and Zionism sought, for different reasons, to remove Jews from Europe. In his diary, Herzl wrote, “The anti-Semites will become our most loyal friends; the anti-Semitic nations will become our allies.”
Herzl turned to Joseph Chamberlain, a pragmatic British imperialist who proposed the 1903 “Uganda Scheme” to provide Jewish refuge in East Africa. While supporting Zionist efforts, as a known anti-Semite, Chamberlain promoted finances to a Zionist project that would aid British imperialism. [3]
The Uganda Scheme did not materialize, but was the foundation for Jewish settlement in Palestine for another British anti-Semite, Arthur Balfour, the serving British Prime Minister, who presided legislation restricting Jewish immigration into the U.K. [4] In 1917, the Balfour Declaration expressed Britain supporting the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
Herzl’s insight reveals how anti-Semitism could be weaponized to advance the Zionist project—by using Europe’s hostility to Jews, anti-Semites would drive Jewish emigration to a future Jewish state in Israel.
[3] https://electronicintifada.net/content/balfour-declarations-many-questions/22216