In 7th grade my best friend was an Iranian refugee. If you were in Jewish day school in the late 80’s and early 90’s you may have had a similar experience. I had just switched schools and thought I was going through a transition until I met Moshe who had just started school after his family fled Iran. They were persecuted for their Judaism in Iran in the decade since the Islamic Republic had taken over. A once thriving Jewish community had fled and their stories of escape were quite harrowing. My 13 year old friend seemed far older than I was – he had been through a lot.

As we stand at a crossroads for Iran, I think about my friend. We hope the Islamic Republic will finally fall and give way to the majority of Iranian citizens who want a return to leadership that is not steeped in the dogma and extremism of radical Islam. Moshe and his family had to give up that same hope those year ago and instead were chased out as a doctrine of hatred and violence began to take root. Over the last 40 years those roots have continued to grow largely unchecked and Iran has become synonymous with radical Islam, constantly plotting the destruction of the Jewish people and western culture. The tendrils from those roots have not only grown into Iran’s many proxies in the Middle East but also to Europe and the USA in the guise of political leaders and universities that encourage demonization of Zionist. It is frightening to think about where this same ideology has led Iran and to imagine Spain, Britain or the USA moving in a similar direction over the next 30 years.

Moshe’s parents spoke no English, just Farsi, and it was very challenging for them in the US but still they left to give their children a better life. A life of religious and economic freedom they knew was just a memory in Iran. Moshe’s parents grew up in a very different Iran – they knew the freedom they wanted for their children. Listening to Iranian refugees who have left in the intervening decades has cemented the hypocrisy of the anti-Israel movement. Paid agitators organize protests that claim to be concerned for Palestinians, and now Iranians. But when the Iranian regime was slaughtering their own people who were protesting in the streets the silence from the very same people was far louder than their earlier talking points and rehearsed chants.

It is abundantly clear to anyone who wishes to pay attention that Iran has been a most evil regime for far too long. Whitewashed obituaries and wikipages aside, an honest assessment of the last 40 years in Iran shows the morality of the war against Iran’s leadership. And Iran’s barrage of missiles to almost all of its neighbors shows that the US and Israel acted in the best interests of the region and the world. I wish Israel and the US much success and a speedy end to this war. Let’s return Iran to its glory days and perhaps even one day soon see a renewed Jewish community there. Maybe Moshe can still visit his childhood home.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)