Haroun Yashayaei ( fa, هارون یشایایی) is former chairman of the board of the Tehran Jewish Committee and former leader of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

's Jewish community. On January 26, 2006, Yashayaei's letter to the

Iranian President The president of Iran ( fa, رئیس‌جمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader. The president ...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, concerning his

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

comments, brought about worldwide media attention, including an interview with Der Spiegel.

Early life

Yashayaei was born in a religious Jewish family in Oudlajan in south

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. His father Moshe Hayyim was a butcher in the local Jewish community. He studied in Alliance Israélite school in Tehran and entered the

university of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

to study Philosophy. During this time, he joined the "Bani Adam" magazine which was run by Jewish branch of

Tudeh Party The Tudeh Party of Iran ( fa-at, حزب تودۀ ایران, Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Īrān, lit=Party of the Masses of Iran) is an Iranian communist party. Formed in 1941, with Soleiman Mirza Eskandari as its head, it had considerable influence in i ...

. For his activities in the Tudeh (communist) party he was arrested and was sentenced to nine months in prison. After release Yashayaei became active in Anjoman-e-Kalimian which oversaw the Jewish community of Tehran.

In Iranian Cinema

Yashayaei is a well known Iranian producer and among the pioneers in this field. He has produced numerous movies and was awarded as the best producer of the Islamic republic in the 28th Fajr Festival in 2008.

Personal life

Yashayaei is married to a woman named Farida from the well known Pouratian family. He has a daughter, Marjan, who works with his father and a son, Arash (Kiarash), who manages the Pakhshiran company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yashayaei, Haroun Iranian Jews Tehran Jewish Committee Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Producers who won the Best Film Crystal Simorgh