Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Today, as the Jewish world celebrates the holiday of Purim, we delve into the State of Israel's turbulent history with modern Iran.
We begin with a quick recap of the story of Purim, which takes place in Ancient Persia in the 4th century BCE. Jerusalem's First Temple had been destroyed over 50 years earlier, and the dispersed Jews were subjects of the Persian empire, which extended over some 127 nations.
The Book of Esther, an extra-biblical book, relates that evil Haman, an advisor to King Ahasuerus, convinced the king to agree to the execution of Jews of his empire. His plot is thwarted by the secret Jew Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai.
Fast forward to 1948 and the relations between the Iranian and Jewish peoples are cordial and flourishing. We hear about cooperative efforts and even a massive oil pipe line that still exists in Israel, which was initially constructed to bring Iranian oil to Europe.
We hear how since the rise of the current regime in 1979, relations between the two countries have progressively soured, leading to nihilistic rhetoric by the early 2000s.
Berman weighs in on the crossroads that Israel faces regarding Iran: Will the US succeed in negotiating a nuclear deal? Or will Israel need to take to the skies -- presumably with its closest ally -- to bring the nuclear program to a halt?
And finally, to cap off the program, we learn about a special Purim in Jerusalem this year, which is celebrated from Friday through sundown on Sunday.
This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 12, 2025, during a meeting with Iranian students in Tehran. (IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER'S WEBSITE / AFP)
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