(Israel Hayom) When Chief Rabbi of Iran Rabbi Yehuda Gerami arrived on Thursday, as he does every year on the Fast of Esther and Purim, to pray at the Tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamedan, he discovered that the PLO flag had been raised there.

In recent months, because of the war in Gaza, the holiest site for Judaism in the country has been the subject of arson attacks.

The tomb, according to tradition, is the burial place of the Esther and Mordechai mentioned in the Book of Esther. The site has served as a pilgrimage site for Jews for years, 220 miles southwest of Tehran.

In a rare interview with an ultra-Orthodox outlet in 2022, Gerami said that there was no danger to Iranian Judaism and that Iranians have enormous respect for Jews. He added that Jews in Iran stayed out of politics and that the treatment by the authorities was excellent.

In the past, Gerami referred, in an interview, to Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force who was assassinated by the United States, as a national hero and a revered person. Additionally, he disavowed Zionism, expressed a desire for peace, and claimed that there was freedom of religion in Iran.