A prominent rabbi from Iran’s Jewish community has claimed that shuls in the Islamic Republic do not require special security arrangements, while sharply criticizing Israel and accusing it of using allegations of antisemitism against its opponents.

Chacham Younes Lazar Hamami, a rabbi serving Iran’s Jewish community, made the remarks during an interview with Iranian media, according to a report by B’Chadrei Chareidim.

Unlike Jewish communities in other countries, Hamami claimed, Jewish institutions in Iran do not require dedicated security personnel or protective systems.

“Our communities have no security system, no guards, nothing,” he said.

Hamami maintained that Iranian police provide security for all citizens, suggesting that the Jewish community does not face the same security concerns experienced by Jewish communities elsewhere.

During the interview, Hamami also criticized Israel, referring to the Jewish state as the “Zionist regime.”

He accused Israel of using allegations of antisemitism to discredit those who oppose its policies.

Hamami pointed to demonstrations by Jews in Britain, the United States, and other countries against Israeli government policies, arguing that the protests demonstrate that some Jews oppose Israel’s actions.

“There are Jews who oppose this way of operating,” he said.

The remarks were made in an interview with Iranian media, where public criticism of the Islamic Republic is heavily restricted.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)