The Israeli news agency The Media Line profiles a young Iranian-Jewish couple now living in Israel. They are careful to draw a distinction between the fanatically anti-Zionist government of President Ahmadinejad, and their Iranian neighbours, with whom their families had good relations.
It was a cold, moonless night in 1990 when Danni (pictured), a 15-year-old Jewish boy, began his journey from Tehran to Jerusalem. Along with a group of 14 other Jews, Danni put his faith in the hands of professional smugglers, said a quick goodbye to his parents, and crossed the deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan on his way to Israel.
It was a cold, moonless night in 1990 when Danni (pictured), a 15-year-old Jewish boy, began his journey from Tehran to Jerusalem. Along with a group of 14 other Jews, Danni put his faith in the hands of professional smugglers, said a quick goodbye to his parents, and crossed the deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan on his way to Israel.
In 2001, 18 year-old Linda also left her family in Tehran. Linda and Danni, today a married couple, reside in Jerusalem and can offer us a unique perspective on the life of the Jewish community in Iran. They also share their feelings with us regarding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad's threats to wipe their new homeland – Israel - off the map.
Ahmadi Nejad's threats were preceded by those of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah 'Ali Khamanai, who in December 2000 said that "Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon [Israel]. We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region." Back then however, the Iranian nuclear program was still in its early stages and the threat seemed less sinister.
"Ahmadi Nejad is an extreme person and one can’t tell what he'll do next. If he produces a nuclear bomb and uses it, it could spark a world war," says Danni.
Danni still lived in Tehran when Ahmadi Nejad was elected mayor of Tehran in the late 1980s. He remembers that back then, women and men used separate elevators in the municipality. Danni says this was just one indication of his extremism. When asked if Ahmadi Nejad means business about destroying Israel, Danni laughs uncomfortably.
"He's full of air, but I am scared nonetheless. You never know what he might do," he says.
Soli Karmi, Director General of the non-profit organization, Iranian Zionists in Israel, believes the Iranian president's threats should not be taken lightly.
"These are dangerous statements. We have a very short memory. Sixty years ago people did not pay attention to Hitler and called him a lunatic. If these statements are not denounced, they will eventually gain legitimacy," Karmi warns.
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