A senior leader of Iran’s Jewish community participated in an interfaith conference held in the city of Mashhad on the eve of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral, where he stressed what he described as the distinction between Judaism and Zionism.

The gathering, titled “Religions United Against Global Oppression,” was organized by Iran’s Institute for the Study of Religions and Sects and brought together representatives of the country’s recognized religious minorities.

During the event, Chacham Dr. Younes Hamami, one of the leading rabbis of Iran’s Jewish community, expressed sorrow over what he called “the assassination of the leader of the Islamic Revolution” and the victims of the recent war.

Hamami emphasized the need “to distinguish between Judaism and Zionism.”

“What separates Judaism from the Zionists is the Torah of Israel and the path of Moshe Rabbeinu,” he said. “Even before receiving prophecy, Moshe did not remain indifferent to injustice—whether against the Egyptians, in disputes among his own people, or in defending strangers. He always chose justice.”

He added that, according to the Torah, “injustice and wrongdoing are a deviation from the Divine path, and all human beings, as descendants of Adam, are responsible for one another.”

“Every individual and every nation must stand against injustice in every possible way, because remaining silent in the face of the mistakes and injustices of others makes a person a partner in that injustice. The ultimate victory belongs to those who act according to G-d’s path of justice and righteousness,” he said.

The conference was held the night before Khamenei’s funeral and focused on what organizers described as “the role of religions in confronting global oppression and defending the oppressed.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)