At times reminiscent of European Jewry in the 19th century, at others of American Jewry in the 20th, the modern history of Iran’s Jews varies radically from contemporary Jewish histories in the Middle East.

The new book Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran by Lior Sternfeld, assistant professor of history and Jewish Studies at Pennsylvania State University, focuses on the unique case of Iranian Jewry.