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As Israel fought Iran, ‘Persian’ Jewish teens in Los Angeles felt a tug on their complex identities

JL;DR SUMMARY Iranian-Jewish American teens in Los Angeles grapple with their complex identities amid the tensions between Israel and Iran, where their cultural roots and national identities intersect. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

IdentityZionismDiasporaLos AngelesCultural HeritageJewish TeensIranian CultureIsrael Iran ConflictIranian JewsIntergenerational Perspectives

Places mentioned

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Tel Aviv was hit directly, [as were] many other cities."
Los Angeles, California, United States
"Many of them are residents of Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran."
Piedmont, California, United States
"Dev Nabizadeh, 16, lives in Piedmont, California, where he has grown up eating dishes like khoresh-e ghormeh sabzi (an herb, bean and lamb stew often called the national dish of Iran)..."
Pasadena, California, United States
"Growing up in Pasadena, California, she felt like she didn't belong to the Iranian Jewish community in nearby Los Angeles."

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Cairo Item ID 55574
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2025-06-26 18:00:30 UTC
Curated 2025-06-26 19:00:36 UTC