Stanley Abramovitch: Iran, 1949-1952

Stanley Abramovitch began working for JDC in 1945 in the DP camps in Germany. His career with JDC spanned over six decades during which he served in Jewish communities across the globe including France, Iran, North Africa, JDC's Yeshivot Program in Israel, and the Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union. Stanley enjoyed documenting his work with photographic images and donated his many personal photo albums to the JDC Archives. Stanley served as JDC Director for Iran from 1949-1952. During these years, many Jews yearned to immigrate to Israel, and several groups made their way to Tehran to begin that process: Iraqi Jews who crossed into Iran seeking to make Aliyah, thousands of Kurdish Jews who fled to Tehran to escape anti-Jewish excesses in Northwest Iran, destitute Persian Jews who moved to Tehran from outlying communities in Iran, and Jews from Afghanistan. The refugees formed makeshift camps in Jewish cemeteries, or lived in synagogues in the ghetto. As the refugee numbers rose to over 10,000 souls in 1950, JDC was called upon to provide assistance. A special allocation was given for emergency relief and medical and sanitation supplies. These refugees lived in terrible conditions all across Tehran. Among the refugees were the entire Jewish community of 850 souls from Nowbandagan. These Jewish refugees ultimately made aliyah to Israel with the help of the Jewish Agency and JDC. This gallery includes a selection of Stanley’s photos of his work with refugees in Iran.