Aroos // Doomad
In the months leading up to and following Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979, Persian Jews left the country in droves, many of them settling in the United States. As today’s Persian Jewish community in Los Angeles reconciles tradition with assimilation, the first-generation American children of those who immigrated from Iran in the late 20th century are confronted with conflicting societal pressures in many sectors of social, cultural, and economic life. The construct of heterosexual marriage is still held in high regard by Persian Jewish society, even as the influence of more “liberal” American ideas about marriage, romance and sexuality are becoming more prevalent over time.
Of course, one experience cannot be generalized across the board with respect to families or individuals in the Persian Jewish community. Still, it is common for girls and women hailing from this background to receive both explicit and implicit counsel as to the absolute importance of marrying a Jewish man (if not a Persian Jewish man specifically) at a young enough age. Often, such expectations are rooted in a desire to sustain or uplift the family’s or the girl’s reputation and social standing, which may feel suffocating at times. However, many families discuss such matters with their daughters out of genuine hope for the girl to have a warm and happy domestic life, even as parents may encourage their daughters to find fulfillment in other ways unrelated to marriage.
This digital collage, composed by Lauren Neman with photographs and paintings by Audrey Pakravan (also taken from various online database sources) serves as a commentary on the nuanced feelings and thoughts Persian Jewish young women may experience regarding the matter of marriage. Wistful desires for human connection seem just as prevalent in the images as an almost overwhelming sense of immediacy and psychoemotional weight.
