Jews and Education in Modern Iran: Identity, Integration, and National Belonging

04 Nov 2021

pittadmin

*Promoted by the University of Pittsburgh*

Speaker: Daniella Farah

Description: In 1947, 95% of the students in the Alliance Israélite Universelle’s network of Jewish schools in Iran were Jewish. However, by 1977, only 51% of Alliance students were Jewish, and more than half of all Jewish children in Iran were attending non-Jewish schools. What accounts for these changes? This talk will explore Jews and education in twentieth-century Iran through the intersecting themes of upward mobility, identity formation, integration, and national belonging. In addition to examining several Jewish-run schools in Iran, such as the Alliance, Ozar Hatorah, and ORT vocational schools, the talk will also address the eventual preference of many Jewish parents to send their children to non-Jewish schools. By applying an educational lens to Iranian Jewish history, this talk will demonstrate how Jews navigated the educational sphere to find their place in the broader Iranian nation.

Event Date: 
Thursday, November 4, 2021 - 12:00pm
Institution(s): 
Sponsored By: 
University of California Los Angeles Center for Near Eastern Studies and Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Center
Location: 
Online