On Friday, May 15, 2020, the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 1 Jonathan Greenblatt, announced on Twitter that the tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan, Iran had been set afire overnight.
Two days later, the Hamadan prosecutor told reporters that “the case of the fire at the tomb of Esther and Mordechai is under investigation.” At the same time, the director general of Hamadan’s cultural heritage announced that “only minor damage was caused to the holy site by the fire.” In addition to the statements of officials in Hamadan, all different forms of contradictory information have been announced by the government official and state news agencies about this incident.
Based on the fact that many Iranian cultural and historical heritage sites have undergone damage and experienced negligence after the Islamic Revolution, it is quite
possible that none of the information heard from the officials of the Islamic government
or their news agencies is true. It is plausible that those who set fire to the tomb have
been supported by authorities of the Islamic Republic.
In addition to the conflict that the Islamic Republic has with non-religious cultural and
historical heritage or non-Shiite religious sites, these historical monuments have
become a means of political exploitation against the people of Iran and foreign
countries. It is clear that what has occurred to the tomb of Esther and Mordecai is an act
of revenge against Israel and the United States.
The tomb of Esther and Mordecai, which has religious significance for Jewish people in
addition to its heritage and historical significance, has repeatedly been the target of
threats by agents linked to the Iranian government in recent years. The tomb has been
in Hamadan for hundreds of years and has always been respected by Iranian people.
Furthermore, it is also quite unfortunate that the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s representatives based in Iran have not objected
to the Iranian government’s strategic negligence of cultural heritage and historical sites.
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1 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.