Passover 1913, fifteen years since Alliance School opened
Teachers and school children of Alliance Israélite School, Tehran, Jale Intersection. Picture includes Monsieur Trigano, representing Alliance, and Rabbi Haim Moreh, third person from left.
It was in 1873, during one of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar’s visits to Europe, when members of Alliance Israélite decided to meet with the King of Iran and speak about the situation of Iranian Jews. The Iranian Ambassador asked for the Shah to meet them.
Eventually, on Saturday, July 12, 1873, the Central Committee of the Alliance arrived punctually at the residence of the President of the French Parliament, where Naser al-Din Shah was lodging.
Adolphe Cremieux delivered a compelling and heartfelt speech, detailing the injustices inflicted upon the Jewish community in Iran. Concluding his oration, he turned to Naser al-Din Shah, stating, “Your Majesty, the Alliance Israélite wishes for your Jewish subjects to be well-acquainted with their obligations to their nation and sovereign. It is imperative to introduce them to the enriching fruits of education from a young age. We propose the establishment of schools in several cities across your realm, akin to those in North African cities, to be overseen by our educators. Does this notion meet with the king’s approval?”
The Shah replied, “I am delighted to make your acquaintance. Yes, I will endorse your educational endeavors. Coordinate the arrangements with the Grand vizier, and I shall ratify them.”
The following day, Alliance France penned a letter to Iran’s Grand Vizier, Mirza Hossein Khan Sepahsalar, outlining their request for Alliance Schools within the nation. On July 18, 1873, the Grand Vizier responded with a detailed, respectful, and favorable letter:
“Mr. Adolphe Cremieux, President of the Alliance Israélite Universelle,
I wholeheartedly accept the proposal you have tendered on behalf of the Alliance Israélite Universelle. The Imperial Government of His Majesty, my sovereign, enthusiastically pledges its support for the schools that your institution will establish in Iran, aimed at the betterment and advancement of the Jewish populace.”
Thus, Naser al-Din Shah’s complete consent to the establishment of Alliance Schools in Iran was secured.
Regrettably, due to numerous challenges, particularly the volatile circumstances in Iran and the Jews of Tehran’s incapacity to dispatch students to Paris for teacher and administrator training, the inauguration of Tehran’s Alliance School in July 1898 proved unattainable.
Eventually, negotiations between Cremieux, President of the Alliance Israélite Universelle, and Mirza Hossein Khan Sepahsalar, Grand Vizier of Iran, led to an agreement between the two. This pact ensured the Iranian government’s backing for the Jewish populace, the founding of Tehran’s premier Alliance School for Jews, and the provision of suitable premises and a Persian instructor by the Iranian government. Moreover, with the Iranian government’s endorsement, four young Iranian Jews (aged 13 to 15) would journey to Paris to pursue their education and acquire the requisite skills to administer the schools in Iran, at the Alliance’s expense.
Despite this agreement and Naser al-Din Shah’s endorsement, it was not until twenty-five years later, during the reign of Mozaffar al-Din Shah, that Tehran’s inaugural Alliance School for Jews commenced operations in 1911.
Monsieur Cazes arrived in Tehran to establish a school and received an unprecedented welcome. He Immediately reached out to the leaders of the Jewish community. His first action was to increase the number of members at the Tehran Jewish Committee from 7 to 13. Alongside founding the school, he caused significant improvements in the lives of Jews. He organized a team of young Jews to clean the neighborhood and negotiated with Seyed Reihanollah to replace patches on Jewish clothing with a small, discreet metal badge, which Seyed agreed to.
The initial support that the Alliance provided for the Jews of Tehran was extensive and invaluable. Most students were admitted free of charge and provided with uniforms. Additionally, all students received a complimentary lunch every day. Monsieur Cazes personally taught French at the Alliance School, using resources from Paris. He was joined by Persian and Hebrew teachers, Mulla Yaghoub Levi and Rabbi Haim Moreh, respectively.
It’s important to note that this cultural institution emerged in an environment where members were still compelled to follow orders from certain Muslim clerics and adherents, necessitating distinctive clothing for identification and adherence to societal limitations.
Shortly after, due to an influx of eager students, the Alliance School relocated to a rented building to accommodate its growth. Despite its capacity for only 300 students, it suddenly faced 421 enrollees. Consequently, space from two synagogues was allocated for children aged 6 to 8, facilitating the inclusion of female students. Thus, shortly after opening the boys’ school, Monsieur Cazes established the first Alliance girls’ school for Jews, enrolling 60 students. This was groundbreaking, even within the Muslim-majority society of that era.
As a result, not only did Jewish families eagerly send their children to the Alliance School, but they also established evening classes for adults, providing them with the opportunity to learn to read and write.
After the establishment of the first Alliance School in Tehran, similar schools quickly sprouted across Iran. Alliance girls’ and boys’ schools opened their doors in Hamadan (1900), Isfahan (1901), Sanandaj and Shiraz (1903), Nahavand and Kermanshah (1904), and Bijar (1906). Later, in 1913, Borujerd’s Jewish community enrolled their children in their city’s new Alliance School.
The onset of World War I and ensuing political turmoil posed challenges for these institutions. War conditions in France slowed Alliance activities in Iran and even halted them in Shiraz. Yet, post-war, the Alliance’s educational endeavors resumed, reaching communities like Yazd (1928) and Kashan (1929) that would be the final urban Jewish community in Iran that needed a school.
The situation of Iranian Jews greatly improved as graduates of Alliance Schools entered various sectors and pursued advanced studies abroad, particularly in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and English-speaking universities in Britain, France, and Beirut. Furthermore, the shifts stemming from Iran’s constitutional revolution and the rise of Reza Shah to power played a pivotal role in advancing the status of Jews in Iran. The era of prejudiced attitudes from religious leaders waned in the face of these individuals’ talent and innovation. The Alliance emblem that students wore on their hats, had now turned into a shield against bigotry. It now commanded respect and admiration. Within a mere two decades, former students had become vital contributors across cultural, social, economic, medical, and technical domains. Their proficiency in French, then a hallmark of education, facilitated their national and international professional advancement.
It is important to mention that since the Alliance School for teaching French was set up, Muslim students have been welcomed and enrolled there because of the good learning environment and high-quality education. Some of these students include:
Mr. Ahmad Birashk: Researcher, writer and translator who studied up to the seventh grade at the Alliance School. He was also born in the Oudlajan neighborhood. He is the founder of the Cultural Hadaf Group and the Great Persian Encyclopedia, as well as the Three Thousand Years Comparative Journal, and the author and translator of several books.
Mirza Mohammad Khan Ghazvini, known as Allameh Ghazvini: Writer and researcher of Iranian history and culture.
Abolhassan Khan Sedighi: A prominent Iranian painter and sculptor and one of Kamal-ol-Molk’s students. His most notable works include the statue of Ferdowsi in Ferdowsi Square in Tehran, the statue of Khayyam in Laleh Park in Tehran, the statue of Nader Shah Afshar in Mashhad, and the design of the face of Avicenna.
Behnam Isa: A contemporary archaeologist, one of the founders of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Tehran and one of the founders of the Museum of Anthropology. He was born in the Oudlajan neighborhood and completed his elementary education at the Alliance School.
Habib Yaghmai: Researcher, writer, journalist, poet, and teacher.
Javad Badizadeh: Musician, composer, and traditional singer, who studied secondary school at the Alliance School.
Sources:
“History of the Jews of Iran” by Habib Levi
“Along with Culture: Memoirs of Elias Esfahani” by Guell Cohen
Some of the students and teachers of Alliance School in Tehran
The first students of Alliance School with their Hebrew teachers, the late Rabbi Haim Moreh
Students of Alliance school in Tehran