‘This Will Be Written in History Books’: Granddaughter of Iran’s Last Shah Marries Jewish American Businessman
Echoes of the story of Queen Esther are remarked upon in the coverage of the nuptials.

The granddaughter of the last Shah of Iran and a Jewish American businessman tied the knot over the weekend in a union that’s being hailed as a modern-day Purim story.
Princess Iman Pahlavi celebrated her marriage to the American tech chief executive, Bradley Sherman, in a private wedding ceremony in Paris over the weekend, just a month after the couple registered at a courthouse in New York. The lavish function in the city of love drew several prominent Iranian public figures as well as members of the Iranian royal family.
Ms. Pahlavi is the daughter of the exiled crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, and the granddaughter of Iran’s last monarch, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who ruled Iran between 1941 and 1979 and was known for his pro-Western foreign policy. The Pahlavi family was ousted from power and forced into exile in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution. The family fled to America, where Ms. Pahlavi and her sisters were raised.

Given Ms. Pahlavi’s royal Persian bloodline, her marriage to a Jewish man has drawn parallels to the story behind the Jewish holiday of Purim, which celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia through the union of a Jew and a Persian royal. According to the story, a Jewish woman succeeds in thwarting a high-ranking Persian official’s plot to exterminate her community by marrying the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus.
“The marriage of Iranian Princess Iman Pahlavi and Brad Sherman is one of the most historic events that everyone will remember,” an Iranian-Jewish blogger, Nioh Berg, wrote. “This will be written in history books,” she added.
Pictures from the Parisian wedding began to surface on social media this week, with one video showing the newlywed couple being raised on chairs, a traditional Jewish celebration. Ms. Berg responded to the video by praising “the bond between Persians and Jews,” which “dates back all the way from Cyrus the Great and to the current Pahlavi dynasty.” She then welcomed Mr. Sherman to “our Royal family.”
Other Iranian figures extended their support for the couple, including Persian artist, Faezeh Alavi, who shared: “This is who we are. This is IRAN.” An Iranian-born Canadian politician, Goldie Ghamari, wrote: “This wedding photo of Princess Iman Pahlavi with her father HRH @PahlaviReza symbolizes hope, legacy, and over 2500 years of Iranian history.”