Why some see an ancient biblical enemy in Iran
Rabbis weigh in on why the ancient story of Amalek is being invoked in response to Iran
Shiite Muslims hold portraits of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to condemn US and Israel’s attacks on Iran, during a protest in Karachi on June 22. Photo by Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images
By Benyamin Cohen June 22, 2025
In Jewish tradition, no enemy looms larger — or carries more theological weight — than Amalek.
Described in the Bible as the first nation to attack the Israelites after the Exodus, the Amalekites came to symbolize a recurring evil: not merely one that seeks to harm the Jewish people, but one bent on their erasure. Across the centuries, Jewish thinkers have mapped this archetype onto real-world threats — from Haman to Hitler. And now, some are asking: Should Iran be added to that list?
Who were the Amalekites?
In the Book of Exodus, just after the Israelites escape Egypt and cross the Red Sea, they are ambushed from behind by Amalek — striking the stragglers and the weak. “God says that this battle you have with Amalek will be one l’dor v’dor — from one generation to the next,” said Rabbi Daniel Cohen, my brother, who leads an Orthodox congregation in Stamford, Connecticut.
That eternal framing has led many to see Amalek not just as a nation, but as a persistent force — a destructive ideology that resurfaces at pivotal moments.
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, the preeminent Modern Orthodox theologian of the 20th century, taught that Jews can no longer identify the literal descendants of Amalek. But their spiritual legacy, he argued, lives on.
“It’s possible that people embrace the Amalek theology,” said Cohen. In that sense, when a regime adopts an agenda of Jewish annihilation, he suggested, the comparison becomes warranted.
So is Iran Amalek?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu viewed Iran as Amalek as far back as 2009, when the country’s nuclear capacity was already a growing concern. Since then, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has continued calls for the destruction of Israel, arming and funding terror attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas, which Netanyahu has also described as carrying on the legacy of Amalek after the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel.
The link between Amalek and Iran isn’t just ideological — it’s also geographical. The story of Purim takes place in ancient Persia which is now modern-day Iran. The story centers around Haman, a royal official who plots to exterminate the Jews. Rabbinic tradition identifies Haman as a descendant of Amalek.
And yet, the Book of Esther is notable for what it omits: “The main theme in Purim is that God’s name isn’t mentioned, but His hand is visible throughout,” Cohen noted. “People see the same thing in what’s happening today — with the success of the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad, the rescue of hostages.”
The biblical commandment regarding Amalek is uncompromising: the entire nation — including women, children and livestock — must be wiped out. But modern rabbis have been careful to distinguish between regimes and populations.
“The Iranians are not evil,” Cohen said, “but those that are leading Iran are evil.”
Rabbi David Wolpe, the rabbi emeritus of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, offered a similar caution. “I understand the impulse to analogy,” he told me. “But Amalek was about a nation; Iran is about a regime. I believe the Iranian people yearn to live in peace.”
