Hacham Yedidia Shofet, a spiritual icon for Persian Jews in Iran and in the United States, has died last week in Los Angeles at the age of 96. In Iran, Shofet served both as a religious leader and as the liaison representing Iran’s Jewish community with the Shah’s government. Shofet joined the thousands of Jews who left Iran following the 1979 Islamist revolution, but he continued to intercede for Jews in Iran by maintaining contact with various government and religious officials. Born in the central Iranian town of Kashan into a family with 12 generations of rabbis, Shofet gradually gained prominence in Iran for his eloquent speeches and ability to easily connect with people who approached him for help.
