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September 4th, 2013
04:47 PM ET
Iranian president's surprising message to JewsBy Daniel Burke and Mitra Mobasherat, CNN (CNN) - Marking a sharp shift from his Holocaust-denying predecessor, new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday appeared to wish "all Jews" a "blessed Rosh Hashanah" on his English-language Twitter account.
Rosh Hashanah, of course, is the Jewish celebration of the new year. As Rouhani mentions, it began Wednesday at sundown. The image in the tweet is reportedly taken from a synagogue in Tehran. Rouhani, a Shiite Muslim cleric, was elected president in June. He is widely seen as more moderate than former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though his goodwill gesture on Wednesday stunned even veteran Iran watchers. “Not even under the monarchy do we remember such a message,” Haleh Esfandiari, a native Iranian and director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, told Al-Monitor. On Thursday, however, Mohammadreza Sadegh, an adviser to Rouhani, told Iran's Fars News Agency that the Rosh Hashanah tweet did not come from the Iranian president. The tweet came from former campaign aides, rather, who run the Twitter account, Sadegh said. "All the news regarding the president, after his election, is reflected by his appointed bureau chief and those are the only official reports. Mr. Rouhani does not have a Twitter account," Sadegh told Fars. A close aide to Rouhani, however, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that while the president does not tweet from his account, people in his office do, so it is semi-official. Interest in Rouhani's Twitter account was nearly eclipsed on Thursday by extraordinary Tweets from the official account of Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister.
If the name of Zarif's interlocutor looks familiar, it should. @SFPelosi is the Twitter account of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi. Ahmadinejad isn't as tech savvy nor as pluralistic as Rouhani, but on a few occasions, he would issue positive statements about Christmas or Rosh Hashanah. The former Iranian president was much more widely known, however, for saying that Israel should be eliminated and calling the Holocaust a myth. Usually, Ahmadinejad would caution that he was criticizing "Zionists," not all Jews. Fewer than 10,000 Jews remain in Iran, according to the JTA, the Jewish news service, which still makes it the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside of Israel. Religious minorities are not completely free to participate in Iranian government and often face discrimination, but Jews and Christians are, to some extent, allowed to live and worship openly in Iran. As Washington Post foreign policy expert Max Fisher points out, it's difficult to extricate Rouhani's tweet from the context of Israeli-Iranian politics. "It’s not exactly a unilateral declaration of peace – tomorrow, Iran will probably still support Hezbollah – but it’s yet another hint of Rouhani’s efforts to dramatically soften Iranian foreign policy and rhetoric," Fisher writes. In honor of Rosh Hashanah, here are some other things to know about the Jewish holiday: According to the Talmud, the world was created on the first day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. So Rosh Hashanah is considered a birthday of sorts for the world. (Other rabbis teach that it honors the day Adam and Eve were created.) It is celebrated on the first and second days of the month of Tishri, which generally corresponds to September or October on the Gregorian calendar. Rosh Hashanah begins the High Holy Days or Ten Days of Penitence, which end 10 days later with Yom Kippur. One of the most significant rituals during Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the Shofar, or ram's horn. It is used as a call to repentance during the High Holy Days. During this time, Jewish people attend synagogue services and refrain from working. Another popular practice is to eat apples dipped in honey, symbolizing the hope for a good year to come. Also, challah bread in round loaves instead of braided loaves is dipped in honey instead of salt. Pomegranates are eaten because the seeds are symbolic of the many commandments in the Torah that Jews must fulfill. Another popular ritual is to walk to a river or stream and recite special prayers of penitence. Afterwards, one throws breadcrumbs in the river, to symbolically cast away sins.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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A glimpse at what world peace would look like. Calm, happy and permeated in a spirit of goodwill. Hats off to him and kudos to him for having the courage to embrace good and reject hate. If only we could all just exist peacefully. What a beautiful world we could be if we let love set us free!
Wow, I guess you can politicize anything anymore! It is also
It is also........what?
It is also ironic that Iranians are Pharisees!
Sorry about the premature launch!
Lol
Are Iranians time travellers?
There is a HUGE difference between being against Israel's foreign policy (i.e., not even Israel itself but the way it treats Palestinians), than being anti-Jew. Ironically, extremists on both sides would like to conflate the two things.
As for Iran-Israeli relations, it is too early to tell. Both Iran and Israel are sovereign nations with their own interests, but for the sake of humanity, everyone in the Middle East – Jew, Christian, Muslim – need to work towards conflict resolution and de-escalation.
It's a start. "Hope Springs Eternal in the Human Breast."
I am thrilled for my Jewish relatives by marriage and my deceased husband's Shiite family. It is a start a and long in coming. My husband never had any ill will toward his Iranian Jewish neighbors and many were his friends. He also harbored no ill will towards Americans and loved living in this country.
Dave I don't see Mossad wearing suicide vest killing any one near. they are more like well get you if you mess with us. yes we will target you.
You dont see mossad wearing suicide vests and blowing them selves up? Do you not know what has been going on throughout syria for the past two years?
"The King David Hotel bombing was an attack carried out on July 22, 1946 by the militant right-wing Zionist underground organization the Irgun on the British administrative headquarters for Palestine, which was housed in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. 91 people of various nationalities were killed and 46 were injured." One persons terrorist, is another persons freedom fighter.
The Mossad may not be wearing suicide vests but they damn sure are killing & torturing people EVERYDAY.
I've learned one thing in my life. Never trust a human.
Perfectly said.
All these religions nutjobs bowing to the setting sun and slitting throats in the name of their God or scripture. Fools!
I remember the marine barracks in Beirut. I remember the USS Cole. I remember the world trade center. the twin towers, Boston and many other atrocities that these people commit. if they really want to be any ones friend then they should stop trying to go nuclear. you just can't trust some people. it's simple. they lie.
I remember Kangaroo Jack. Terrible film.
Bryan, that's the most pathetic, self pitying, ignorant statement I've read all day today. One more thing for you to remember... "they" remember a lot of stuff too, but you're too self centered and whiny to acknowledge that.
Bryan, do you remember when we helped overthrow their legal government, 60 years ago?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBi2rwYE0Hg
Iranians are Persians, not Arabs. And al-queda did everything you mentioned. Do we blame the atrocities of the Crusaders on all Christians? So why blame all Muslims for the atrocities of Islamist Extremists?
First a member of the KKK signs up for the NAACP and now the Iranian President is offering the Jews of the world a blessed Rosh Hashanah.
Has the world ended?
What? A peace loving muslim? This goes against the western plan to conquer all oil producing countries. We must suppress this news.
Just love reading your posts you useless couch potatoes
And yet here you are. Get over yourself, and step away from the Cheetos.
yes, step away from the Cheetos so that I may grab them. is there any beer in the fridge?
All I have to say is... its a start... I never would have guessed to ever hear that from any muslim nation... can't think of one muslim country ever wishing any Jew anything positive.
John Z... your name is john, so I take it you're not Muslim. You've definately not met many Muslims,. My Muslim husband used to fix some community meals for our local synagogue, as he was a chef, and he knew how to fix Kosher food. I think the fact that you are surprised means that you simply need to get out of the propaganada of the American media, who have brain-washed America into thinking Jews and Muslims are totally hate mongers. Both have had serious wars over Palestine, but other than that, they are part of a rich religious heritage. As a Muslim... I have absolutely no hate of Jews.
Kris:
I wish everybody would think like you in the USA this racism will be forgiven. One blood, One family.
So he made you convert? Why didn't he convert to Judaism??
this is a thought provoking question – assuming someone converted.
As her name is Kris, I don't think she was ever Jewish.
I'm Jewish and also have plenty of Muslim friends and clients whom I love dearly, I agree this is a western lie. Muslims are some of the most respectful and well mannered people I've ever met, unlike most average Americans who think The Kardashians and Jerry Springer is a form of culture.
Kris,
I actually am a Soldier in the Army and have 48 months deployed to Afghanistan and I respect the muslim religion on a pure, non political basis because I have met very good servants in the islamic faith however, I have to say as a whole is it is very rare for mass media to come out and show muslims (especially Iran) excited and with a celebratory mindset in regards to Jewish holidays... I mean zero offense by my words just stating the common norm that is relayed by the mass media and I am a Christian not a Jew and I than your husband for his sense of community and outreach to a diverse culture different than his own... God bless you and your family.
That's as shocking as it was to find out that Bonner agreed with the President. Not kidding, it was a shock.
Must have been quite the shoehkner.
Not a shock that Boehner agreed with Obama when he knows that a strike on Syria will cause the Democrats to lose the election in 2016
More lying garbage out of Persian holes
Ahh. yeah. This from a government, that worships deception, uses sponsored terror groups to commit atrocities. Example. 1983 US Marine barracks in Beirut. 1994 attacks in Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. Sponsoring Holocaust denial conventions. Stoping work on their nuke weapon, only to contiunue it. Reading Iranian Revolutionary Gov. is like Mary Howitt. "Welcome to the jungle. Said the spider to the fly." Better bury them, and be safe then sorry.
Said DaveR, who can't even spin an idiom.
Any worse than Mossad? Hell no.
Let the American citizen and pastor free Iran...
No. He broke Iranian law. Let him out because he's American? Shuddup! He no more special than any other criminam just because he's American.
Let American Christian pastor Saeed Abedini free from prison now Iran. He is jailed for being a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ...
We're talking about Syria. And when in Rome, do what the Romans do. Being a Christian doesn't afford you special privileges, nor does being American. Get over yourself.
Oops, I posted on the wrong blog, but everything else I said still holds true.
I will never understand the hatred for Jews. My neighbors are Jewish and great people. Jews are hard working, successful and have greatly improved this world with many inventions and medicines.
And Larry David.
The hatred has its roots in religion, namely Christianity.
They are holding a US citizen and pastor Saeed Abedini hostage in a Iranian prison because he is a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Actions mean so much more than mere words. Let him go now!
I witnessed Jesus once. He was selling blow to school kids. Naturally, I informed the authorities.
No, they jailed him for breaking Iranian law. He doesn't get a pass because he's Christian, a pastor, or American. How many times does an idiot have to be told not to do something? When he gets caught you boo hoo because you're a Christian like he is? Shaddup.
If he was an American MUSLIM who broke a law in Iran you wouldn't be saying jack.