Persia

Shortly after the Babylonian exile of Jews from Judea to Babylon in the early 6th century BCE, the territory of Babylon was swallowed into the Persian empire. Jews who had settled in Babylon were, therefore, now “Persian,” and these territories, which Jews continued to call Babylon, remained the home of large numbers of Jews for the subsequent twenty-five centuries. In Babylon, Jews produced the Talmud that would define Jewish practice for Jews around the world until this day. Jews were inspired by Islamic arts and teachings, which were often seen as models for Jewish parallels (for example, Islamic mysticism—sufism—was singled out by Jews as modeling the true path to mystical union with the divine). Depending upon where they resided, Jews in these territories spoke either Arabic or Farsi, and to this day Jews from these lands view their pedigree as being superior to those of other Jews.

Persian Jews had (and have!) great pride in their own history and culture. The story of the scroll of Esther took place in Persia, and Esther and Mordecai play an important role in subsequent Jewish legends from these lands. The influence of Jewish tradition on Islam, and vice versa, is evident in our manuscript of Yusuf and Zulayka, which preserves a version of the story of the biblical Joseph. As much as anything, the stunning beauty of the art in the manuscripts and on the ketubbot attests to the rich culture of the Jews in Persia.