IT CONVERTS POLLUTION INTO OXYGEN.
(IF IT TREATS THE ENVIRONMENT THIS WELL,
IMAGINE HOW IT CODDLES THE DRIVER.)

Tears. And Prayers

Harsh sentences shock
L.A.'s Iranian Jewish community.

TOM TUGEND
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Angeles, Santa Monica and the San
Fernando Valley.
In more than a dozen conversa-
Los Angeles
tions with Iranian Jews, anger at the
hroughout Los Angeles, Iranian
harsh prison sentences imposed on 10
Jews stood nervously by their
of the Iran 13 far outweighed any
phones and radios at 1 a.m. Saturday
sense of relief that they had been
to hear the first news on the sentences
spared death sentences.
imposed on the 13 Jews charged with
A 21-year-old student at the
spying for Israel.
University of California at Los
"My wife has been crying ever
Angeles, who asked that his name be
since," said Cyrus Javaherian some 15
withheld because his parents still live
hours later. His wife, Nezrim, is the
in Iran, grew up in Shiraz. "I know
sister of Nasser Levi Haim, who was
the 13 who were arrested," he said.
sentenced to 11 years in prison.
"They were my teachers and the
friends with whom I
played soccer. I know
they did nothing
wrong."
Avi Davidi, a doc-
toral student in
political science at
the University of
Southern California,
judged the validity of
the charges brought
against the Iran 13
by his own experi-
ences.
"Back in 1982,
my family tried to
leave Iran by crossing
A handfid ofdetnonstrators vent their -ustmtions with
the border into
the verdict in the "Iran 13" trial: Sunday in New York,
Pakistan," he said.
"Before we could .
"We never expected that Nasser
make it, we were arrested. When the
would get such a long sentence," said
police found out that we were Jews,
Javaherian. "He worked for. a power
they immediately accused us of being
company and taught Torah. That's what
Zionist spies. My father, mother,
he did all his life, he only did good."
brother and myself had to spend some
Within a couple of hours of the ver-
time in jail."
dict, Sam Kermanian, secretary-general
Some of those interviewed predict-
of the Iranian American Jewish
ed the verdicts would trigger a final
Federation, had put together a two-
exodus of Iranian Jews, whose num-
hour broadcast beamed via a Farsi-lan-
ber once stood at 100,000. Others
guage station in Los Angeles to Iran and
were skeptical, noting that most Jews
Iranian communities in the diaspora.
still in Iran had neither the money
It took Pooya Dayanim, George
nor skills to make it in a new country.
Haroonian and Frank Nikbaht even less
The long battle to save the Iran 13
time to draft and distribute a statement
has had at least one positive byprod-
by the Council of Iranian American
uct, said Dayanim.
Jewish. Organizations pledging a relent-
"We never expected that the
less struggle to free the prisoners and
American Jewish community and its
safeguard the remaining Jews of Iran.
major organizations would work so
At- 10 a.m., many members of the
hard on this cause," he said. "We have
35,000-strong Iranian Jewish commu-
formed many friendships, which will
nity in Los Angeles, by now exceeding
help to integrate the Iranian Jewish
the 25,000 Jews left in Iran itself,
community into the general Jewish
assembled in their synagogues in Los
community"

T

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