‘The Butcher of Tehran’: Diaspora Iranian Jews Celebrate Death of Raisi, Iran’s Hardline President

Iranian Jews in the diaspora this week have been celebrating the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose long record of human rights abuses, Holocaust denial, and calls for Israel’s destruction have earned him infamy among Jewish communities worldwide.

Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and several others died on Sunday in a helicopter crash in the mountainous forested region of northern Iran amid heavy fog that impeded rescue efforts.

News of Raisi’s death was quickly accompanied by reports of celebrations among diaspora Iranians of all backgrounds. For Jews, their reactions were set against a backdrop of anger directed at the Iranian regime, which drove the vast majority of Iran’s ancient and thriving Jewish community into the diaspora during and immediately after the 1979 Islamic Revolution — reducing a community that had previously numbered over 100,000 to a few thousand within a few years.

Dr. Sheila Nazarian, a celebrity plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, published that she “would shed no tears for Ebrahim Raisi, the ‘butcher of Tehran.'”

“As a woman born in Iran, I feel not just a sense of celebration at the death of this evil man, but of relief,” she wrote. “It is a feeling I share with a great many of my countrymen, and — in particular — countrywomen.”

Nazarian pointed to Raisi’s stint as deputy prosecutor of Tehran, where he sentenced thousands of political prisoners to death in “sham trials that lasted mere minutes” during Iran’s 1988 political purge.

Nazarian further mentioned Iran’s extensive support — including money, weapons, and training — for terrorist organizations across the Middle East during Raisi’s presidency. Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Shi’a militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen are among the armed groups backed by Tehran.

Along with blatant Holocaust denial and violent repression of women and popular dissent in the 2022 anti-government “Women, Life, Freedom” demonstrations, Raisi has been widely criticized by human rights organizations.

The deceased Iranian president has also consistently called for the elimination of Israel, saying he would “celebrate its end.”

“From his early days, Raisi epitomized the worst of Iran’s theocratic regime,” Nazarian wrote.

Others expressed hope that the death of Raisi could ultimately foster positive change in Iran.

“We hope that the death of President Raisi will usher in an era of freedom for the Iranian people and a quieter and more peaceful Middle East,” Elie Alyeshmerni, president of the Iranian American Jewish Federation, told The Algemeiner.

Meanwhile, comedian Menachem Kashanian released a video on Instagram highlighting the connections between Raisi’s death and the trial of Arvin Netanel Ghahremani, the 20-year-old Iranian Jewish man who was sentenced to death after reportedly killing an assailant in self-defense. On Sunday, Ghahremani’s execution was postponed until next month.

Kashanian compared the events to those of Purim, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of the Persian emperor’s antisemitic minister Haman, an official in ancient Achaemenid Iran. Haman was ultimately hanged.

Elsewhere on social media, youth activists and commentators chimed in with comedy in the wake of Raisi’s death.

They especially pounced on a message on a Telegram channel affiliated with the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, which said Raisi had been assassinated by Mossad agent “Eli Copter.”

It is unclear whether the original post was intended to be humorous, trolling, or fake news. Either way, the post went viral, and social media users posted slews of memes parodying and lauding the fictitious Mossad agent allegedly responsible for the demise of Raisi. Other memes included edits lampooning Raisi set to the song “Helikopter” by Bosnian singer Fazlija.

Raisi’s funeral was held on Wednesday and attended by leaders of some of Iran’s terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The Iranian president will be buried in his home city of Mashhad on Thursday.

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