Rabbi David Wolpe on Iran, Israel, and the Rise of Antisemitism

**Michael Smerconish** (0:00)
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**Michael Smerconish** (1:14)
There are nearly 800,000 Iranian Americans in the United States, according to the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. 166,000 of them in Los Angeles County. The highest concentration anywhere in America. And a couple of days ago, in the aftermath of the first World Cup game in the US., which featured Iran, I raised the question of how well was the team received? I noted that I had attended a game in San Francisco last Saturday. I guess it was Sunday night that Iran played. And the reception was warm. When the team came out, they roared in approval. The crowd did. When the flag came out, it was a little different of a reaction. And much has been written about this. And I invoked the name of Rabbi David Wolpe when discussing this, because I said, if there's anybody who's plugged into the Iranian community in Los Angeles, it's the Rabbi. Let's see if we can get him back on the program. And he's in the on-deck circle.
From the Wall Street Journal, on this issue of Iran at a time when the nation was at war with the United States, competing in the World Cup in the US., here's a story from the Wall Street Journal. Dateline, Inglewood, California, as soon as the World Cup draw was announced, Benham Mohebi knew which game he had just got to see in person. Iran was kicking off its tournament against New Zealand, and the 68-year-old would finally have a chance to see his country of birth play in a World Cup. He grew up loving the game in Iran, attending games with his father. His passion for the sport never subsided after he left for the US. Following the Revolution in 1979, now he views soccer as a way to share his Iranian culture with his family, regardless of war or his own concerns about their current regime.
He said, I put all the politics aside, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us. When the match began, it sounded like a home game for Iran, which was hardly surprising since the LA metro area is often referred to as Tehran-Jilis because of its large Iranian-American community.
For fans supporting Temm-Melli, as the squad is known, it can be complex and intensely personal. Just last week, protesters, including former national team members, stood outside City Hall in LA saying the team should be kicked out of the tournament.
They argued, in essence, that the World Cup served to whitewash the country's killing of dissidents. Then there were the tens of thousands in attendance who swelled with pride, not because they support the current regime, but because it was a chance to connect with their heritage. One more graph that I found really instrumental, interesting, pardon me. As a symbol of protest against the country's leadership, many fans, they tried to enter with their pre-revolutionary flags, which featured the son and a lion holding a sword at his band in Iran. Those were confiscated upon entry by Stadium Security after a Los Angeles judge ruled that FIFA's decision to ban the flag would be upheld from matches just hours before kickoff. Rabbi David Wolpe is the Max Webb Rabbi Emeritus of Sinai Temple. He's been named the most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek, one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by The Jerusalem Post, twice named one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles by The Business Journal. Rabbi, it's been too long. It's so nice to have you back on the program. I hope you're well.