Building a bridge between Israel and Iran

April 1, 2014 14:07

Activists create a space in which connections between ordinary Israelis and Iranians are allowed to take place.

Kamal Penhasi, founder and publisher of Israel’s only Persian language magazine, Shahyad, poses next to a photo of the deposed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, ruler of the former Imperial State of Iran, at his print store in Holon. (photo credit:TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH 90)

The top of DJ Sa’id David Rabi’s head is just visible behind a dense thicket of microphones and antennas as he introduces a song in his tiny radio studio. As the thumping beats and melancholy crooning of a Persian pop number fill the air, Rabi swings round in his wheelchair, slaps his palm on his knee, and beams in delight.

“That’s a great tune. It’s a band from Tehrangeles,” he enthuses, using the Persian nickname for the large Iranian immigrant community in Los Angeles.