Shany Fardian and her family now live peacefully inIsrael. But the tale of her father’s escape fromIranafter the Islamic Revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini is as harrowing as it is miraculous.
I was born in Tehran in the 1960s.I grew up in a comfortable home — I remember our huge garden with exotic flowers and cherry trees and a private swimming pool. Most Iranian Jews during the Shah’s rule were wealthy. We were about 100 000 Jews amongst 40 million Muslims but the Shah favored Jews so we led good lives.
A few months before the Shah was ousted from power in 1978 he sent the Jews a secret message warning them to emigrate while they could. Many fled but plenty of Jews stayed. Some didn’t believe anything would happen; others like my father Daniel couldn’t get hold of ready cash because it was tied up in property.
I was 17 then and had just finished school exams when my father announced our upcoming family vacation toEurope. I packed a small black suitcase and traveled toEnglandwith my parents and seven-year-old sister. My father had to return toIran but my mother sister and I continued toIsrael.
On our expected return date a week later my father called. He told me the universities inIranwere erupting with violent demonstrations and I was safer inIsrael. My mother and sister returned toIran leaving me alone inIsraelwith just my suitcase — lonely miserable and unable to communicate because I didn’t speak Hebrew.
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