Between Iran and Zion

Lior B. Sternfeld is Assistant Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Penn State.

• Introduction1. Shifting Demographics: The Arrival of Ashkenazi and Iraqi Jews2. The Iranian Political Sphere: Shaping a National Identity3. Iranian Jews and Israel: From Indigenous to State-Sponsored Zionism4. Unintended Consequences: The Lead-Up to the Iranian RevolutionConclusionPostscript: Toward a New Historiography

"Lior Sternfeld has given us a highly nuanced and perceptive study of not only the Jewish community in Iran but also the Jewish community's integral relationship with the larger Iranian nation. The book is especially insightful on the position of the Jewish community in the 1979 Islamic Revolution."—Ervand Abrahamian, City University of New York "Between Iran and Zion is an exciting reconstruction of modern Jewish life in Iran. Lior Sternfeld unearths mesmerizing and previously untold stories to ask important questions about Jewish identities and offer hope for a better future to the peoples of the region, Jews and Muslims alike."—Orit Bashkin, University of Chicago "Between Iran and Zion offers a compelling history of Iranian Jews in the twentieth century. Lior Sternfeld proves himself an honest and judicious storyteller with this sobering account of a people caught between their historic homeland and a symbolic call for 'return.'"—Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University "Sternfeld's strength lies in his ability to successfully situate Iran's Jews within the broader context of Iranian history...Between Iran and Zion is highly recommended not only for readers interested in an original and nuanced examination of Iranian Jewish life between the early 1940s and the early 1980s, but also for those seeking an understanding of the greater Iranian society during this time. It is an excellent demonstration that minority communities cannot be studied in a vacuum."—Daniella Farah, H-Nationalism "To the best of my knowledge,Between Iran and Zionis the first utterly successful attempt to liberate the historiography of twentieth-century Iranian Jews from its conceptual and institutional straitjackets. Hence, it provides exciting, novel and thought-provoking insights and findings regarding the modern history of Jews in Iran."—Haggai Ram, The Tel Aviv Review of Books "Between Iran and Zion is an important contribution to the current post-Zionist debate on the status and history of Middle Eastern Jews. More importantly, it brings forth the history of Iranian Jews outside of the context of Israeli society and tries to determine its legacy within the Iranian context. I would recommend the book to everyone interested in understanding the complexity and development of Iranian society as a whole between the early 1940s and the early 1980s."—Alessandra Cecolin, International Journal of Middle East Studies