The first
Iranian Jews to settle in Ottoman Palestine were from
Shiraz. They left in 1815 in a caravan, making their way to the port of
Bushehr and from there boarded a ship to
Basra in southern Iraq. From there, they traveled by land to
Baghdad and
Damascus. Those who survived the difficult journey settled in
Tzfat and
Jerusalem, establishing the nucleus of the Iranian Jewish community in these cities. After the establishment of the
State of Israel, immigration increased significantly. In 1952, approximately 30,000 Iranian Jews immigrated to Israel under the Israeli mission Operation Cyrus. In the 1950s, the Israeli treatment of Iranian Jews was similar to the Israeli treatment of other Jews from the
Middle Eastern and North African region. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, over 200,000 Iranians have settled in Israel. Many Iranian Jews
immigrated to Israel after the
Iranian Revolution in 1979. Following the revolution, an additional 10,000 to 15,000 Iranian Jews immigrated directly to Israel. Many others migrated first to the United States or Europe and then to Israel, mainly out of fear of the
Ayatollah's regime but also from lack of familiarity with Israel. Some fled after
Habib Elghanian was murdered after being accused of "
Zionism." Israel continues to encourage the remaining Jews in Iran (less than 9,000) to immigrate, since Israel sees them as hostages of the Iranian regime. In 2007, Israel offered monetary incentives to Jews in Iran to encourage Iranian Jewish immigration to Israel. Jews of Iranian descent in Israel are considered
Mizrahim. A Mizrahi Jew, broadly construed, is a Jewish person from North Africa and Asia.
Kol Israel transmits daily radio broadcasts to Iran in the
Persian language and
Menashe Amir, an Iranian Jew, hosts a talk show that draws callers from Iran. ==Notable Israelis of Iranian-jewish descent==