Against the backdrop of the US-Iran ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump about a week ago, a special recitation of Psalms was held Thursday night at the Yosef Abad Synagogue in Tehran in memory of Iranians killed in the war.
The event was led by Hakham Dr. Younes Hamami Lalehzar, one of the senior figures in Iran’s Jewish community. It took place amid reports from the community that a synagogue in Tehran was accidentally damaged during an Israeli strike during the war.
The strike hit a structure adjacent to the synagogue, causing destruction. In addition, several homes belonging to Jews in the city were damaged, though no members of the community were injured.
Torah scrolls in the synagogue were found intact, but many other religious books were damaged. The Jewish community, largely cut off from news like most other Iranians, maintained a limited routine during the war, with public events halted and planned weddings postponed or canceled.
Hakham Hamami issued a statement calling on the public to "thank G-d" for the "victory" in the war, stating that "the Iranian nation defeated the Zionist and American enemy." He also condemned the "crimes of the enemy" and referenced the "holy deaths of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and those who fell defending Iran."
The Iranian regime has largely refrained from publicizing Israeli and American strikes across the country, but highlighted the damage to the Tehran synagogue, presenting it as an accidental strike attributed to Israel.
Iranian media have reported thousands of Israeli casualties, but there has been no mention of the heavy losses suffered by the IRGC or the significant damage caused to military bases, including nuclear facilities and ballistic missile systems.