The 'Iranian Schindler' who saved Jews from the Nazis
bbc / Brian Wheeler
21-Dec-2011 (8 comments)


Thousands of Iranian Jews and their descendants owe their lives to a Muslim diplomat in wartime Paris, according to a new book. In The Lion's Shadow tells how Abdol-Hossein Sardari risked everything to help fellow Iranians escape the Nazis.

Eliane Senahi Cohanim was seven years old when she fled France with her family.

She remembers clutching her favourite doll and lying as still as she could, pretending to be asleep, whenever their train came to a halt at a Nazi checkpoint.

"I remember everywhere, when we were running away, they would ask for our passports, and I remember my father would hand them the passports and they would look at them. And then they would look at us. It was scary. It was very, very scary."

Mrs Cohanim and her family were part of a small, close-knit community of Iranian Jews living in and around Paris.

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maghshoosh

Not sure what you're saying, Red Wine

by maghshoosh on Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:37 AM PST

Jenabe Red Wine,

Apparently, your post below is directed at my comment, but I'm not sure what exactly you're referring to.  The best I can make is that you think I was doubting the BBC article on Sardari.  If so, you've completely misunderstood my comment.  If not, I've completely misunderstood yours.


I was only referring to the story that Sardari made up for the Nazis.  He told them that Iranian Jews (Djuguten) were not "racially" related to European Jews, and so they should be left alone.   He told them that Iranian Jews were descended from Aryan converts, as opposed to the European Jews, who were descendants of the original Hebrews.


My point is that the IRI has adopted a similar but opposite explanation for the origin of Jews & Zionists.  According to the YouTube link I gave, IRI believes that the Middle Eastern Jews are descendants of the original Hebrews and therefore have a claim to Palestine, whereas European Jews, from whose ranks the Zionists came, are descendants of Khazar converts and have no claim to Palestine.


Just comparing the origin-of-Jews theory Sardari made up to fool the Nazis, to a similar-but-opposite theory the IRI has for political propaganda.  What exactly are you objecting to?


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Red Wine

...

by Red Wine on Thu Dec 22, 2011 06:59 AM PST

جناب،این قضیه یک تئوری نیست که،این یک داستان نیست،این یک واقعیت است و همان جور که نبشته شده است،اتفاق افتاده است،دیگر جایِ  شک و شبهه نیست.


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maghshoosh

Revised "Djuguten" theory

by maghshoosh on Wed Dec 21, 2011 06:04 PM PST

I posted the following at another blog on the same topic:

The BBC article mentions the "Djuguten" theory that Sardari peddled to the Nazis in order to provide an ideological excuse for exempting Iranian Jews from being rounded up.  According to this theory, Iranian Jews were of Aryan origins, and not racially related to European Jews.

It turns out that the IRI peddles its own version of the Djuguten theory, but w/ a reversed conclusion.  According to the IRI version, the true descendants of the original Hebrew inhabitants of Palestine are the current Middle Eastern Jews, whereas European (Ashkenazi) Jews, from whose ranks the Zionists arose, are converts descended from the Turkic Khazars.  (Whoever posted the above video on YouTube, added his own nonsensical banners to it, which are irrelevant.)

So, according to the original Djuguten theory addressed to the Nazis, the good Jews are the Aryan converts, while the evil ones are the original European ones, whereas according to the IRI version, the good ones are the original Persian Jews, while the evil ones are the European converts.


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Esfand Aashena

Happy Yalda RW Jaan, it is what it is, you be the Judge!

by Esfand Aashena on Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:00 AM PST

Everything is sacred


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Red Wine

...

by Red Wine on Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:26 AM PST

Very dear Espand jaan ...

Thank you for that link but i don't like IRI TV production,very weak,lie and nonsense,worst than Pahlavi era !

Happy Yalda my dear friend.


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Esfand Aashena

مدار صفر درجه

Esfand Aashena
Wed Dec 21, 2011 07:47 AM PST

In 2007 they made a TV series in Iran called Zero Degree Turn. You can buy or download it on line for free, I think.

Here's more about it. 

Everything is sacred


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Red Wine

...

by Red Wine on Wed Dec 21, 2011 07:43 AM PST

God bless the whole family Sardari and al-Molk Mohtasham, best Iranian families, the story has more to say that someday I'm going to rewrite everything I've been told.


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ilovechelokebab

Great Article!

by ilovechelokebab on Wed Dec 21, 2011 06:59 AM PST

Everyone knows about Oskar Schindler and rightfully so but how come Yad Vashem hasn't formally recognized the Iranian diplomat's deeds? Is it because he was a Muslim Iranian?


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