Jewish Federation of the Berkshires to Host Author Talk on Jan. 29

PITTSFIELD — On Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m., the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires will welcome award-winning British-Iranian journalist Jonathan Harounoff, who now serves as Israel’s international spokesperson to the United Nations. He will discuss his book, Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt, with Robyn Rosen, professor of History and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Marist University.

This program, part of “Jewish Literary Voices: A Federation Series in Collaboration with the Jewish Book Council,” will be presented via Zoom. Click here to register.

In September 2022, 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Jina Amini was killed by Iran’s morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely. Outrage triggered nationwide protests. Women ripped off their headscarves, setting them afire. Others cut their hair in open defiance. Key industries were brought to a standstill, and once-revered banners of the country’s supreme leader were incinerated.

It was the greatest challenge to the Islamic Republic of Iran in its 46-year history and came not from a foreign adversary, but from Iran’s own freedom-seeking women. Women and girls, perhaps for the first time in the history of the modern Middle East, took center stage in a nationwide uprising, clamoring for a freer Iran and chanting the now-viral battle cry of “woman, life, freedom.”

Harounoff will demystify the context leading up to these historic protests inside Iran and abroad and examine the potential future ramifications. With much of the global spotlight focused on the Islamic Republic’s dangerous foreign policy agenda, Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt pays tribute to the people of Iran who have paid the ultimate price for freedom.