Standing in Caulfield, Melbourne, I witnessed something many wouldn’t expect in the current climate — Jews and Iranians coming together, not in conflict, but in celebration.

The occasion was Nowruz, the Persian New Year, but the event carried far more weight than a cultural festival. Against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in the Middle East, this gathering became a show of unity against what attendees repeatedly described as a shared enemy: the Islamic Republic regime in Iran.

“It feels natural… it just feels normal,” one attendee told me. “We’re not enemies. We don’t need to be enemies. We need to stand together against terrorism.”

That sentiment echoed throughout the event. Many I spoke to said recent global events, particularly the fallout from Hamas’ October 7 terror attack and escalating regional conflict, have unintentionally brought these communities closer together.

“I think they really messed up, the Islamic regime in Iran,” The Australian Jewish Association’s Robert Gregory told me. “They’ve brought us together… and shown that community and love and support is so much stronger.”

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For Iranian Australians at the event, the message was clear: their fight is not with Jewish people or Israel, but with the Islamic regime that oppresses its own citizens.

“The IRGC are the greatest threat to global peace,” one speaker said. “They sponsor terrorism while executing their own people. But the Iranian people know — when Israel strikes, it’s not the citizens who are the targets.”

There was also a strong warning directed at Australians who believe the conflict is distant and irrelevant.

“They are in your backyard at the moment,” one attendee told me bluntly. “The Islamic Republic regime has been working for years to infiltrate Australian society… you might want to leave the conflict alone, but the conflict will not leave you alone.”

There was also reflection on history, a shared bond stretching back thousands of years. Several attendees pointed to ancient ties between Persians and Jews, long before modern geopolitics divided the region.

“When we say ‘long live Iran’, it means the same as ‘Am Yisrael Chai’,” I was told. “That connection has always been there.”

The event also touched on Australian politics, with some attendees pointing to growing support for figures like Pauline Hanson as a sign that voters are responding to concerns around national security and radicalism.

Still, the dominant message from Caulfield wasn’t political, it was personal.

“I didn’t even know the Iranian community before all this,” one Jewish attendee admitted. “Now I’ve met so many beautiful people.”

As the celebrations continued, that sense of newfound connection was unmistakable. In a time defined by division, this was a rare moment of unity, one both communities say they intend to build on.