During World War II, Iran gave shelter to thousands of Polish Jews fleeing the Nazis. Within this group who traversed vast parts of the Soviet Union to Iran, there were 1,000 young people who became known as the Tehran Children. This history is less familiar in Iran, where the regime has become known for anti-Zionism, antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and the suppression of access to Holocaust history.

During this two-part digital program, join experts to learn about Iran's lesser-known connection to the Holocaust, hear about a daughter’s decade-long journey in the footsteps of her “Tehran Child” father, and examine why retracing this history is relevant today, not only to Iranians, but all of humanity.

Part One: Why was Iran’s wartime rescue of Jewish orphans obscured?

Speakers
Mikhal Dekel, Author, Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey, and Director, Rifkind Center, City College of New York

Arash Azizi, Author, The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, US, and Iran's Global Ambitions

Moderator
Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Part Two: How did this history impact one descendent of Jewish refugees?

Speaker
Mikhal Dekel, Author, Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey, and Director, Rifkind Center, City College of New York

Moderator
Sony Ton-Aime, Director, Literary Arts, Chautauqua Institution

This is a free event, but reservations are required.

For more information, please contact the Chautauqua Institution Ticket Office at ticketoffice@chq.org or call 716.357.6250.