On September 22, 2022, the Stephen Wise Temple and Schools leadership issued a statement expressing their solidarity with the protesters in Iran in the wake of the murder of Mahsa Amini.
Today, women and men in Iran are risking their lives, taking a stand against the vicious treatment of women by the country’s Islamic regime, and pushing back against the oppressive system under which they have lived since 1979.
Last week, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by the “morality police” of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Seen in her car while visiting her brother, she was stopped and arrested for improperly wearing her hijab, the head covering mandated for women by Iranian law. Photos of her lying in a hospital bed, comatose from injuries most likely caused by police brutality, began to circulate via social media; hours later, her death was announced, sparking ongoing protests in Iran and around the world.
We know that for many here at Wise, this fight is personal. We know that many of our community members or their parents were born in Iran and fled from the very system under which Mahsa Amini died. And certainly, as Jews we all understand what it means to experience religious persecution, to be threatened, injured, and even killed for daring to practice our faith. As Americans, we cherish our freedom of expression.
We, the Stephen Wise Temple community, stand with the people of Iran who are speaking out against religious fundamentalism, intolerance, and violence against women.
In just a few days, the shofar will sound for Jews around the world, calling out—our tradition says—for justice in a broken world. With that sound, let us raise our voices together, and call for an end to the ongoing human rights violations by the Islamic Iranian government. As the New Year dawns, we pray for an Iran free from tyranny and dictatorship. We pray for an Iran, and a world, where basic human rights are guaranteed for every citizen. We pray for Iranian women and stand with all those in Iran and around the world who fight for freedom, justice, and peace.
L’Shalom—
The Clergy, President, and senior leadership of Stephen Wise Temple and Schools:
Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Senior Cantor Emma Lutz
Rabbi David Woznica
Rabbi Ron Stern
Rabbi Sari Laufer
Rabbi Josh Knobel
Steve Bram, Temple President
Tami Weiser, Head of School for Wise School
Keri Loventhal, Director of Aaron Milken Center
Sharon Spira-Cushnir, Executive Director