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Upcoming Event at the JCC in Manhattan

As an author, one of the most prestigious places to have a book event is at the JCC in Manhattan, and on May 25th, I will have the opportunity to speak with the community about my book and my experiences as an Iranian-Jewish Immigrant.  Inevitably I am asked about my reasons behind writing the harrowing tale of our family’s escape from revolutionary-rocked Iran.  One reason I wrote Life as a Visitor because I wanted to give my community a voice.

At the JCC event, I want to share the varied stories of my people from Iran. It is interesting that through my book tour, I now realize that many people were not even aware that there were Jews in Iran. As a matter of fact, we were the largest community in the Middle East after Israel right at the start of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. With the revolution in 1979, 60% of Jews immigrated—so, the largest Jewish community in diaspora in the Middle East is now slowly but surely fading away. So, in a way by talking about my story and my heritage, I am reintroducing this ancient family of Jews and making their presence known. On a personal level though, I feel there is an urgency to document our story because with our move to the United Sates, and the declining Jewish population in Iran, our story will be lost forever.

For more information on the JCC and my event please go to this link:

http://www.jccmanhattan.org/cat-content.aspx?catID=2599&progID=21540