Book Description

The Jews of Iran, one of the oldest communities of Jews in the world, have been living in that land for nearly 2,700 years. During this time, they have influenced many aspects of life and culture in Iran, and they have also adopted many of the customs and cultural values of Iran, their ancient homeland. Comprising all the entries published in the Encyclopædia Iranica through 2010, the present volume represents the most comprehensive collection of research published to date on the life, history, culture, languages, music, literature, customs and monuments of this unique branch of world Jewry’s family tree. With contributions by the leading scholars of Judeo-Persian studies, this collection of 65 articles on virtually every aspect of the life of Jewish communities throughout Iran begins with an examination of their history from the Achaemenid period through to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Specific articles pertaining to Jewish life in major cities such as Hamadan, Isfahan, and Mashhad are then followed by detailed examinations of several Judeo-Persian dialects. Comprehensive studies of various aspects of Judeo-Persian literature, manuscripts, and music are then complemented by analyses of the contribution of Iranian Jews to the Hebrew Bible and the Babylonian Talmud; their impact on classical and popular Persian music; as well as Jewish-Iranian interaction with other religious. The volume also contains numerous biographical entries on some of the more prominent Iranian Jews throughout history. Other important subjects including but not limited to the Jewish community of Bukhara, the tomb of Esther and Mordechai, and the exhilarchate are also covered. The collection’s bibliography, one of the most comprehensive published to date, contains nearly 800 book and article titles written in English, French, German, Hebrew, Persian, and Russian on or about the Jews of Iran.