Tehran, Iran – Members of the Chabad organization smuggled a huge quantity of matzot into Iran in order to enable local Jews in the Islamic Republic to celebrate the Passover according to tradition.
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Some 20,000 Jews currently live in Iran. The authorities allow them freedom to practice their religion, but forbid the import of Israel-made products to the country, an act that could cost a person three years imprisonment or the revoking of his passport for five years.
The import ban causes a problem for local Jews, who are unable to bake enough matzot to feed the entire community.
As a result, Chabad launched a secretive operation and smuggled one ton of matzot into Iran.
The matzot were manufactured in Ukraine, and then delivered to a neighboring country of Iran. From there they were transported into the country through a border crossing where security is known to be relatively loose.
Nevertheless, Chabad took no unnecessary risks and replaced the matzot’s original packages, which bore Hebrew letters, with blank packages ahead of the delivery.
The packages arrived in Tehran on top of 10 buses and the operation was declared a success.
why is this being publicized.
You guys are just great!!
please take this down as many people could have a major consequence from this
if the matzos were baked in Ukraine . why did they have to smuggle it in .??
isn’t the ban for israeli products only?
Gee , Thanks for letting the whole world know…………
You dont think Achmajinijaj (or whatever his name is doesn’t read this).
There is no point in publicizing this. Another bonehead move by VIN.
They don’t have to “smuggle” matzos. Iranian Jews make their own in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and import kosher products from Europe all the time. It is not true that they can’t produce enough. They have been producing enough for years! Ask Rabbi Weiss in Antwerp! Why use the idiotic term smuggling, which implies something very illegal risking arrest and imprisonment?!
Stupit post! One reportet kills the sucess of it but chabad are just gr8 people
Take this down!
So go ahead, advertise this to the world, so the Iranians will take extra care not to be embarrassed again.
The Iranian Jewish community of 35,000 bakes its own matzah as they have for 2000 years. What do they need with Chabad matzah from the Ukraine?
Why is this being publicized??????? Morons…………..
The way I interpret this is, nothing illegal occurred as they came from Ukraine, not Israel. Unfortunately, someone chose to use the word smuggle which connotes an that it was imported in violation of the law.
It appears it was not an illegal import, but it was a major operation to get this amount in, so that is why it was newsworthy, but there is no fear of the law finding out by VIN publishing this.
Just my thoughts.
The fact is that u are all right. The matzos were not smuggled in. They were imported. They were baked in Ukraine in the kosher Matzah bakery. It happens to be a fact that the Iranian community bakes enough matzah to cover their needs. The matzos from Ukraine have been imported in the past to Lebanon as well, where Israeli products are not permitted.
B”H
Maybe the price of matzha in Tehran is as bad as it is here and its not they don’t make enuf… just the yidden there don’t “make enuf” (money) to afford it.
I wast tempted to buy some of that $9 a pound (retail) Ukraine stuff this year but in the end decided to stick with my regular $18+ a pound stuff.
…OK. How was the Matzah “Smuggled” in. Some say they (Chabad) told Iranian Customs and Immigration agents, the Matzah was part of enriched Uranium to be used in their “Peaceful” nuclear (or as President GW Bush would say, “Nu-Killer” power program.!!!