A large gathering of Israelis assembled Wednesday night in Holon – home to many of the Israeli-Persian community – to demonstrate solidarity with the Iranian people amid more than two weeks of protests challenging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime, which opposition newspapers report has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths.
Protesters voiced backing for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, heir to Iran's last Shah, while chanting "death to the dictator" and displaying placards declaring "Standing with the Iranian people against the terror regime." A diverse group of journalists and activists, joined by an IDF spokesperson in Farsi, addressed the crowd in multiple languages – Persian, Spanish, Russian, and English – highlighting the significance of unity and partnership between the Jewish and Iranian peoples.
Video: A rally in support of the Iranian people in Holon, Israel. Credit: Paz Bar
"We both face unmatched hatred," co-founder of the Iran-Israel Alliance, Emily Schrader, said. "My message to Iranians today is that you're not alone. We are here, in the State of Israel, to raise our voices and to call even on our government to act, to stand with the Iranians, to be their voice, and yet, to assist them in their liberation... if that means that I have to spend more nights in a bomb shelter, so be it," the journalist emphasized.
"Every time I meet Iranians, they remind me of us, Israelis, because Iranians have the same fierce patriotism, the same ancient history, culture, and resilience," analyst Zina Rakhamilova said. "After Oct. 7, when Hamas invaded the kibbutzim and carried out the barbaric massacre, the same Hamas that is funded and trained by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israelis and Jews all over the world felt completely abandoned," Rakhamilova continued and emphasized," one community that stood with us shoulder to shoulder was the Persian community."
"As a country that just two years ago went through October 7, we know what it is like to face a genocidal killer. We know what it's like to have our children murdered. This is what the Islamic Republic is doing in Iran today. And the world is silent. Where are all those who were at the protests? Why isn't anyone talking about Iran today?" The IDF spokesperson in Farsi said. She added, "This is why we're gathered here today."
