A student yawns during his class at the Yalda 1 Jewish Kindergarten in Tehran November 28, 2006. Jews have lived in Persia for nearly 3,000 years. Today, Iran is home to about 11,000 Jews, the largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside Israel. The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and Iran?s Islamic revolution led to increased Jewish emigration from Iran. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, recognized Jews as a religious minority that should be protected and gave Jews a guaranteed seat in Parliament. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN)