Iranian Jews are considered to be the descendants of 722 BCE
Assyrian and 586 BCE
Babylonian exiles. From this
diaspora, a smaller tribe of Jews evolved, in part due to their geographic setting in the city of
Mashhad, and their robust community ties. The community was founded in 1746, when
Nadir Shah Afshar called for the relocation of forty
Jewish families from
Qazvin and
Dilaman to
Kalat. These families settled in
Mashhad, and were selected to protect Nadir Shah's treasures and
jewels, which he had acquired from his
Indian invasion.
17th Century • 1650 -
Safavid dynasty ruling in Iran calls to convert or kill all Iranian Jews
18th century • 1739 -
Nadir Shah of the
Afsharid dynasty invades India. • 1740 - Nadir Shah brings spoils back from his Indian invasion in the form of treasures and jewels. • 1746 - Nadir Shah orders the relocation of forty Jewish families from
Dilaman and
Qazvin to
Khorasan province for the purpose of guarding his acquired treasures and jewels. A
blood libel on the Muslim holiday
Ashura led to a devastating
pogrom. On March 27, 1839 an estimated 36 Jews were killed
20th century In 1901, Haji Adonya HaCohen built the first Mashhadi Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem, followed by Haji Yehezkel's synagogue, built in 1905. In the 1910s, some Mashhadi Jews moved to London. In the autumn of 1917, the
Russian Revolution caused the first return of Mashhadi Jews, from Marv to Mashhad. Beginning in the 1940s, some Mashhadi Jews had moved to the United States (a trend which continued through the 1980s). By 1948, the Jewish population of Mashhad numbered 2,500. In the 1950s, some Mashhadi Jews moved to Germany and Italy. In 1979, Mashhadi Jews in Tehran fled during
the Iranian Revolution.
21st century As of 2007, Jerusalem Post estimated there were about 15,000 Mashhadi Jews, with most living in New York and Israel. == Practices ==