A Love Letter From Israel to Iran

We love you Iran

A message of love from Israelis to Iranians sounds stranger than fiction in these tense years where Iranian and Israeli governments threaten each other with any imaginable words.

But we see examples of just this in a Facebook campaign launched by Pushpin Mehina (real name Ronny) in his timeline that says: “We will never bomb your country. We love you.”

Israel considers Iran a potential nuclear threat to its existence. Meanwhile Iranian leaders claim that their nuclear program is peaceful, but also call for Israel to be wiped off the map.

Both Israelis and Iranians are now uploading photos of themselves with the logo saying either “Iranians We love You” or “Israelis We Love You” and it has attracted the attention of Israeli media.

For several people it is the first time they have communicated directly with either an Israeli or Iranian, and some Iranians voiced fears of repercussion from their government.

“I never met an Iranian”

Ronny from Tel Aviv in Israel writes:

To the Iranian people
To all the fathers, mothers, children, brothers and sisters. For there to be a war between us, first we must be afraid of each other, we must hate. I'm not afraid of you, I don't hate you. I don't even know you. No Iranian ever did me no harm. I never even met an Iranian… Just one in Paris in a museum. Nice dude… I see sometime here, on the TV, an Iranian. He is talking about war. I'm sure he does not represent all the people of Iran… If you see someone on your TV talking about bombing you… be sure he does not represent all of us. To all those who feel the same, share this message and help it reach the Iranian people.

Love from Iran to Israel by Navid MashayekhiBeauty beyond culture

A message from an Iranian lady says:

Hi Pushpin, I am an Iranian lady. I just saw your warm and beautiful message to my country mates. Reading your message brought tears to my eyes and warmness to my heart. Just wanted to ensure you, we all Iranians feel the same, we just want peace and beauty on the earth, we hate war and slaughter, we all are the parts of one body and it hurts when you see a human suffering since she or he is a part of your soul. I have been always curious about you guys if you hate us, because I have been sure that the actual face of Iranians would not be introduced to you guys… All in all, just would like to thank you for your beautiful message and say that we all love you because you are our brothers and sisters. The only thing that matters is your beautiful heart not your culture, language, skin color, religion or homeland.

It seems this campaign is offering a real connection between Iranians and Israelis to share a message we can only dream for: love and peace in the name of mankind.

26 comments

  • […] inclusion of at-risk groups reaching millions with their message through the internet and finding new sources of solidarity also have to make room for the pornographers, hate-groups and terrorists (my apologies to […]

  • Matthew L Kees

    This is beautiful. Makes me proud of our humanity.

  • RE: “Israel considers Iran a potential nuclear threat to its existence. Meanwhile Iranian leaders claim that their nuclear program is peaceful, but also call for Israel to be wiped off the map.”

    Ahmadinejad was quoting the Ayatollah Khomeini in the specific speech under discussion: what he said was that “the occupation regime over Jerusalem should vanish from the page of time.” No state action is envisaged in this lament; it denotes a spiritual wish, whereas the erroneous translation – “wipe Israel off the map” – suggests a military threat. There is a huge chasm between the correct and the incorrect translations. The notion that Iran can “wipe out” U.S.-backed, nuclear-armed Israel is ludicrous.

    (I picked up the above on the internet, but don’t have the source, I think it was a Canadian academic)

  • Yes, it is easy for Israelis to say “No to war” – Israel never threatened to destroy Iran and a war would have only 1 aim – to protect the Israeli people from a country that has made it a goal to destroy it. Unfortunately, love messages from the Iranian public do not prevent Iran from funding terrorism and other acts of war against Israel.

  • Jean-Marie

    “Rayer de la carte”, c’est faux; Ahmadinejad n’a jamais dit çà

    « Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad. »

    Avant d’en venir à la formule tristement célèbre en elle-même, il est important de noter que la « citation » en question était elle-même une citation – ce sont les mots du défunt Ayatollah Khomeiny, le père de la Révolution Islamique [3]…….

    Il a seulement parlé du régime qui occupe Al Qods qui disparaîtrait comme le nazisme et le communisme de la page du temps.

    00 33 3 23 52 30 03 France

  • Jean-Marie

    Dans la version réelle de l’IRNA, le régime sioniste disparaîtra (« vanish ») exactement comme a disparu l’Union Soviétique. Disparaîtra (« vanish », « disappear »). Dans la version malhonnête de l’Associated press, le régime sioniste sera « anéanti » (« wiped out »). Et comment sera-t-il anéanti ? « De la même façon que l’a été l’Union Soviétique. » Cette référence à la Russie [à l’Union Soviétique, plus exactement… NdT] confirme dans les faits le sens réel et la véritable intention des précédentes déclarations antisionistes d’Ahmadinejad, interprétées de manière inexacte, plutôt que d’impliquer une menace militaire ou une surenchère réthorique.

    Version complète de l’article : http://www.tlaxcala.es/pp.asp?reference=1976&lg=fr

  • Such a beautiful article! It points to the fact that governments want war, the people don’t and if the people speak strongly enough then war can be eliminated

  • Persian

    Iranians and Israelis were allies before the mullahs take Iran. In fact we were allies against the Arabs, as they still cnsider us Iranians as Jew and their enemy. Long live Iran-Israeli alliance

  • […] inspiring. Please…. click here and read about how Israelis and Iranians are bonding online: A Love Letter from Israel to Iran. This entry was posted in CulturTwining and tagged George Clooney, Kon2012, MDGs, peacebuilding, […]

  • Stickycouscous

    Love that last one: nothing will unite two who may hate and fear each other as surely as hate and fear for a third: “Irans and [Jewish] Israelis unite [to hate the Arabs, why not]!”

    That was irony, of course.

    Sad how a message originating in a touching people-to-people contact that highlights the love of humanity and the universal desire to live in peace, can be turned into a vehicle for more hate and hate and fear (at a third target).

    Let us hope this Nowruz brings Peace and Light to the entire region (Arabs, Jews, Persians, Kurds, Armenians, Azeris, etc.).

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