Modern Era
Mashhad's Jewish history is uniquely defined by the Allahdad pogrom of 1839, when the Shi'a population — fired by their proximity to the holiest Shi'a shrine, the Imam Reza complex — attacked the Jewish quarter, killed 36 Jews, and forced the surviving 200 families to convert to Shi'a Islam under threat of death. The Mashhadi community lived as 'Jadid al-Islam' (New Muslims) — publicly observing Islamic ritual while practicing Judaism in secret — for over a century. Despite the constant threat of exposure, they maintained kosher slaughter, secret Jewish marriages, Yom Kippur observance, and Hebrew literacy. The community gradually emigrated to Israel (after 1948), London, and New York; today the Mashhadi community of Great Neck (Long Island, NY) and Queens preserves this unique survival story with deep institutional and family bonds.