One of the Captured Hikers Is Jewish
Now free, Jacob Fattal’s story can be told
September 26, 2011
(Michael Nagle/Getty Images)
Josh Fattal, one of the three American hikers who were imprisoned in Iran after they accidentally crossed the border, is Jewish, a fact his family and various news outlets (including this one) chose not to disclose during the time of their capture (they were just returned). As the Jewish Exponent, the paper based in the Philadelphia suburbs from which Fattal hails, reports, “While it stands to reason that Fattal’s captors knew his religion or learned it during interrogations, his family did not want to take any chances and risk having information get out into the public sphere that could endanger their son even further. And, since the families of the three captives worked so closely together, forming a united front, the idea was to keep the focus on three American citizens who were wrongly imprisoned, rather than single out one because of his Jewishness.”
Meanwhile, the two other hikers are getting married; Fattal will be the best man. I guess they never go for the Jewish guy.
The Untold Story of Josh Fattal [Jewish Exponent]
Back from Iran, U.S. Hikers Share Tales of Strife [NYT]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
