Early Life

Hoori was born to an Iranian-Jewish family in December 1937 in Hamadan, Iran. She was the last of 9 children. After Israel’s independence, she enjoyed visiting there with her family and making friends. She attended school where she learned French, how to sew clothes, and would sing on the radio after school.

Adulthood

Hoori likes to think that if she had the option to, she would have studied to become a nurse. Women in Iran at that time were not encouraged to have careers. When Hoori was 21, she got married to Mansoor Sedaghat who had a store where he would sell imported goods from Europe and America. At 22, she gave birth to her first of 4 children- Eliza, Alfred, Fariba, and Sharona. Every summer, they would take their children to Israel.

Historical Background

Beggining 1977, civil unrest in Iran was becoming more common and many people started protesting the Shah- the king of Iran. Many critisized his modernization and Westernization programs and accused him of being a puppet of Western nations. People against the Shah became more outspoken and protests increased. In 1928, almost 500 people were killed in a fire set in a movie theater. The protesters and the Government blamed each other for the incident and tensions escalated. Even more protests against the government erupted and they demanded the Shah be removed and for revolutionist Ayatollah Khomeini who was exiled for speaking out against the Shah to be returned to Iran. Workers at oil refineries and government offices went on stike and even more people joined protests. Protesters were met with deadly forces from the government which escalated the situation. Many people began to flee Iran in fear of their safety and in the uncertaintly of the future of their country.

In 1979, the Shah left with his family and Khomeini returned and overthrew the government. Iran became an Islamic Republic and women were required to cover their hair when they left their houses. Those who opposed the new government or who broke the rules were jailed or killed by the Revolutionary Guard.

Her Story

Hoori and her family were aware of the political climate upcoming the Revolution. In her oldest daughter’s classroom, they began ripping out images of the Shah in schoolbooks. She and Mansoor made the decision to send her to Israel when the protests were beggining to ensure her safety. Many people were being targeted and killed, especially the Jewish people who had Israel stamped in their passport. Many people began fleeing the country in fear that they would be killed or jailed. They sent their son to the United States through a program that took in young Jewish boys fleeing from Iran. The rest of their family including their two youngest daughters decided to leave Iran to Israel. They then returned to Iran for Mansoor to settle his business affairs. They remained in Iran for 4 years before protests were getting more and more prevalent. In 1980 when the Iran-Iraq war began, and Hoori recalled covering the windows and hearing the missles land near their house and fearing for her family's safety. While the war was going on, the Iranian government would hang those who they thought were conspiring against them, including people that their family knew. Mansoor went to get a passport so that they could try to leave again but he was questioned on why he was previously in Israel. As conflict escalated, airports and borders were closed and they had no way of leaving.

Unsure of their family's safety especially as a Jewish family, they decided they must leave Iran before they were in danger. They decided to take a risk by trusting a man who would show them a way out of Iran through the Turkish border. They took whatever they could carry and made a long journey to small Iranian towns near the border before one night they were crossed into to Turkey on horses through the mountains. The journey was long and hard, especially traveling with two young children. They arrived in Bashkalan, Turkey where they were found by the police and brought to a community where other Iranians who escaped were staying temporarily. They stayed there for 1 month before they were taken further into Turkey where they showed their passports and they were allowed to leave. They then traveled to Israel where they stayed for 6 years before leaving to the United States in 1988.

Hoori and Mansoor did everything they could to ensure their children could be safe and have happy lives. They left their whole lives behind to escape the country they called home for generations. Hoori is glad that her children and grandchildren now have the chance to be free and choose their own fate in the United States. In Iran, women weren't allowed to have jobs or go places alone. She is happy that now her granddaughters have the opportunity to become doctors, lawyers, and artists like she never had the chance to do herself. Because of this, she is glad that her family's struggles paid off. She is now living in New York with 11 grandchildren and is so proud of all of them.