About this talk

Join us in this two-part series as we explore the rich, deep-rooted history of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world: the Jews of Iran. In this first session we will travel from antiquity to the XIX century.

The origins of Iranian/Persian Jewry date back to late biblical times, and are mentioned in the books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

Through music, photography, visual and literary arts, as well as historical sites, we will take a virtual journey to a region steeped in twenty-seven centuries of uninterrupted Jewish history that continues to the present day. Our tour will include the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Hamadan, Mashhad, and others.

About Ruben

Ruben Shimonov is an educator, community builder, and social entrepreneur with a passion for Jewish diversity. He previously served as Director of Community Engagement and Education at Queens College Hillel. Currently, Ruben is the Executive Director and Co-founder of the Sephardic Mizrahi Q Network, an organization that is building a supportive community for LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews. He also serves as Vice-President of Education & Community Engagement on the Young Leadership Board of the American Sephardi Federation, as well as Director of Educational Experiences & Programming for the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee. He is an alumnus of the COJECO Blueprint and Nahum Goldmann Fellowships for his work in Jewish social innovation, and has been listed among The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" young Jewish community leaders and changemakers. Ruben has lectured extensively throughout the world on the histories and cultures of various Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. He is also a visual artist specializing in multilingual calligraphy that interweaves Arabic, Hebrew and Persian.