Page 57 - issue
P. 57
Exodus HAIR’S TO YOU ©WWW
and in a way that was good, because it forced Jews to stick to- wig salon ©WWW
gether. Although this new atmosphere was very harsh and diffi-
cult, it may have helped save Persian Jewry.” Fagie Rosen
uuu 410.952.9842 • hairstoyouwigs@gmail.com
Rachel Afrah, the daughter of Levi and Sara Afrah, a first-gener- Specializing in wigs for medical needs.
ation American in her twenties, is a teacher and tutor. Her fami-
ly attends Ohr Hamizrah and other Sefardi shuls in the area and I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE.
is very close to other Persian families. But, perhaps because they WEDNESDAYS: 1-HOUR SERVICE FOR WASH & SET
don’t have a large extended family here, such as grandparents
or first cousins, they have also “branched out” to have close Every day of the week –
connections with the wider community. When Rachel attended Drop off in the morning and pick up in the evening.
Bais Yaakov, there were other Iranian girls but usually not in her
class. It forced her to be friendly with those around her. “That DAVID J. COHEN
was very good for me, because I got to know other types of peo-
ple, and we were all friends.” Private Investigator
DJC Investigative Group
Today, Rachel feels quite at home in both the Sefardi and
Ashkenazi communities. She believes there are many single Licensed And Bonded - NY • Licensed - Maryland
girls who would go out with Persians only because “they are
very used to living in homes where there is heavy emphasis on Specializing in Civil and
the culture, and they are very Persian and would not fit into a Criminal Investigations
non-Persian lifestyle.” Others, like herself, would find it easier to
join a family that has some Sefardi background but are not op- Cell Phone: 917-301-0430
posed to considering Ashkenazi shidduchim. Many believe that, E-mail: djc@djcinvestigativegroup.com
even if they do end up marrying Persians, they won’t feel the
need to teach future children Farsi, other than, perhaps, to be www.djcinvestigativegroup.com
able to communicate with older relatives.
One thing that Rachel feels is important to pass down to chil-
dren is the knowledge of the mesiras nefesh that the Persian
community demonstrated by leaving behind a 2,500-year-old
community in order to be able to practice Judaism freely and
transmit it to their children.
Like Chana Lavi and other children of the original Persian
Baltimoreans, Rachel is very familiar with her family’s history.
Her mother Sara, from Tehran, left Iran as a college student in
1979. While in the States, it was clear that trouble was brewing
in her country, so she did not return to Iran. She didn’t know
a lot of English before she came, but was able to pick up the
language by being around Americans and using English while
working.
Rachel’s father, who had served his compulsory service in
the Iranian army, was one of those young men who had been
in Oklahoma with Persian friends before coming to Baltimore.
Both sets of Rachel’s grandparents were also able to leave Iran
and move to Israel. In Shiraz, her father’s father, Tzion Afrah,
a”h, had instituted and become the principal of a much-needed
boy’s high school. Until then, the school stopped at ninth grade,
after which boys were forced to go to public school. He was able
to expand this school through 12th grade, sparing the boys from
needing to attend school on Shabbos as well as increasing their
Jewish learning.
uuu
Rivkah Nakhon, another first-generation Persian American, is
u 410 358 8509 u 49
and in a way that was good, because it forced Jews to stick to- wig salon ©WWW
gether. Although this new atmosphere was very harsh and diffi-
cult, it may have helped save Persian Jewry.” Fagie Rosen
uuu 410.952.9842 • hairstoyouwigs@gmail.com
Rachel Afrah, the daughter of Levi and Sara Afrah, a first-gener- Specializing in wigs for medical needs.
ation American in her twenties, is a teacher and tutor. Her fami-
ly attends Ohr Hamizrah and other Sefardi shuls in the area and I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE.
is very close to other Persian families. But, perhaps because they WEDNESDAYS: 1-HOUR SERVICE FOR WASH & SET
don’t have a large extended family here, such as grandparents
or first cousins, they have also “branched out” to have close Every day of the week –
connections with the wider community. When Rachel attended Drop off in the morning and pick up in the evening.
Bais Yaakov, there were other Iranian girls but usually not in her
class. It forced her to be friendly with those around her. “That DAVID J. COHEN
was very good for me, because I got to know other types of peo-
ple, and we were all friends.” Private Investigator
DJC Investigative Group
Today, Rachel feels quite at home in both the Sefardi and
Ashkenazi communities. She believes there are many single Licensed And Bonded - NY • Licensed - Maryland
girls who would go out with Persians only because “they are
very used to living in homes where there is heavy emphasis on Specializing in Civil and
the culture, and they are very Persian and would not fit into a Criminal Investigations
non-Persian lifestyle.” Others, like herself, would find it easier to
join a family that has some Sefardi background but are not op- Cell Phone: 917-301-0430
posed to considering Ashkenazi shidduchim. Many believe that, E-mail: djc@djcinvestigativegroup.com
even if they do end up marrying Persians, they won’t feel the
need to teach future children Farsi, other than, perhaps, to be www.djcinvestigativegroup.com
able to communicate with older relatives.
One thing that Rachel feels is important to pass down to chil-
dren is the knowledge of the mesiras nefesh that the Persian
community demonstrated by leaving behind a 2,500-year-old
community in order to be able to practice Judaism freely and
transmit it to their children.
Like Chana Lavi and other children of the original Persian
Baltimoreans, Rachel is very familiar with her family’s history.
Her mother Sara, from Tehran, left Iran as a college student in
1979. While in the States, it was clear that trouble was brewing
in her country, so she did not return to Iran. She didn’t know
a lot of English before she came, but was able to pick up the
language by being around Americans and using English while
working.
Rachel’s father, who had served his compulsory service in
the Iranian army, was one of those young men who had been
in Oklahoma with Persian friends before coming to Baltimore.
Both sets of Rachel’s grandparents were also able to leave Iran
and move to Israel. In Shiraz, her father’s father, Tzion Afrah,
a”h, had instituted and become the principal of a much-needed
boy’s high school. Until then, the school stopped at ninth grade,
after which boys were forced to go to public school. He was able
to expand this school through 12th grade, sparing the boys from
needing to attend school on Shabbos as well as increasing their
Jewish learning.
uuu
Rivkah Nakhon, another first-generation Persian American, is
u 410 358 8509 u 49
