Iranian Jewish MP: Israel doesn’t represent all Jews
By Ebrahim Beheshti
Staff writer
The Israeli regime considers itself the representative of Jews everywhere. How much does this claim hold true? Do all Jews approve of the acts and positions of the regime over the past few decades? Do its plans and performance line up with those of Judaism? We asked these questions of Homayoun Sameh Yah Najafabadi, the representative of the Iranian Jewish community in Iran’s Parliament.
Born in Tehran, he now holds a seat in the Parliament’s Health Committee.
The Israeli regime thinks it represents all the Jews in the world. As a follower of Judaism, how correct do you think this claim is?
If Muslims could ever accept that the terrorist group Daesh truly represents Islam, then Jews worldwide could deem Israel to be their representative. Since no one believes Daesh stands for what Islam stands for, no one should admit that Israel speaks for the Jews.
The Israeli regime consists of a bunch of extremist people and views, none of which have any agreement with the teachings of Judaism in deeds or words, as they contrast sharply. In a historically and geographically critical location of the world, that is, the land of Palestine, the Israeli regime seeks its interests, which can’t be further from Judaism, in the name of Jews everywhere.
Does that mean that Israel is abusing Jewish teachings to achieve its political goals and justify its excessive demands?
That is so. The Israeli regime only cares about its goals but decides to hide behind Judaism. In fact, Zionists are exploiting the Jewish creed to create legitimacy for themselves. Unfortunately, there are some throughout the world who have been manipulated to buy in to the lies of the Zionists, who, in no way, represent Jews. Of course, everywhere you look, there are extremists who link their extremist acts to a religion, just as Daesh falsely contends that their inhumane moves are Islamic. We even have Zionist Christians.
As a follower of Judaism, how do you feel about the massacre of the people of Gaza by Israel in the last two months?
The crimes that the regime has committed in Gaza are painful to watch for anyone, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or race. All of us, however different we are in our beliefs, can fathom the depth of the Israeli regime’s atrocities if only we were to put ourselves in the shoes of the innocent civilians of Gaza, and our own children in the shoes of the innocent children there.
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t seem to be showing any kind of sensitivity toward this mass killing. International organizations are all talk and no action. They don’t make any meaningful, practical moves to stop the massacre and the bombings. The people of Palestine are under the most brutal attacks, and that moves any human.
In various parts of the world, followers of different religions, each from a different race, coexist peacefully. In Palestine itself, Jews, Christians, and Muslims often lived peacefully together throughout history, but it seems like the excessive demands of Israel have disrupted this historical order.
Yes, the Israeli regime has sabotaged that peaceful coexistence. Of course, the overextending of Zionists is not related to Judaism. They have incorrect understandings of the teachings of Judaism.
We here in Iran live peacefully alongside followers of other religions. Imam Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, and the Leader Ayatollah Khamenei have always stressed domestic unity. They do not only mean unity between Muslims or Shias in Iran. They mean unity among all Iranians, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
Regrettably, in the past few decades, we have seen attempts at making rifts among Palestinians, which, I believe, is the evil legacy of the British. Still, I think, just as the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution put it, even though thousands of Palestinians have been martyred, hundreds have joined the resistance movement to pick up the torch.