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As protests grip Iran, fears grow for a Jewish New Yorker held prisoner there

JL;DR SUMMARY Amid the escalating protests in Iran, the Jewish community faces increased danger, highlighted by the plight of Kamran Hekmati, an Iranian Jewish New Yorker imprisoned in Iran for previously visiting Israel. 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

Jewish DiasporaHostage NegotiationsIranian ProtestsEvin PrisonUs Iran RelationsIran Israel ConflictIranian Jewish CommunityKamran HekmatiGreat NeckIran's Political Prisoners

Places mentioned

Iran
"As Iran is gripped by its most intense wave of protests in years, concern is mounting over the fate of Americans imprisoned by the Islamic Republic particularly Kamran Hekmati, an Iranian Jewish man from Great Neck, New York, who was sentenced to two years in prison while traveling to Iran for business."
Great Neck, New York, United States
"particularly Kamran Hekmati, an Iranian Jewish man from Great Neck, New York, who was sentenced to two years in prison while traveling to Iran for business."
Paris, Île-de-France, France
"Protestors shout slogans during a demonstration to support mass rallies denouncing the Islamic republic in Iran in Paris on January 11, 2026."
Israel
"His crime was traveling to Israel 13 years ago for his sons bar mitzvah."
New York, United States
"Right now, he said, the captives are not the most important issue in Iran for the State Department or other organizations that could help."
Istanbul, Turkey
"About 10 years ago, while on a family trip to Istanbul, she ran into Hekmati at a restaurant as he was on his way to Iran."

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Cairo Item ID 72699
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-01-14 05:31:02 UTC
Curated 2026-01-14 08:30:36 UTC