The fire, which caused significant damage to two synagogue buildings, left Adass Israel congregants in shock, with some arriving for morning prayers to find their synagogue severely damaged by the blaze.

Iranian diplomat Abdol Hossein Sardari ingeniously saved Jews during WWII by convincing Nazi officials they were "Jugutis" – ethnic Iranians who merely followed Jewish customs – exploiting the regime's own racial ideology to protect them from persecution.