Tehran, Iran – Rabbi Yisroel Gabay who traveled to Iran last week to visit and preserve the graves of tzadikim, reports that he witnessed holy sites in a state of complete devastation. R’ Gabay went to Bahamadane, south of Teheran, to pay his respects at the graves of Mordechai and Esther where he said “I saw tremendous neglect. There were soccer fields built over the graves of tzadikim.”

R’ Gabay also visited the grave of Prophet Chabakuk, located in the middle of traffic in the city square of what is known to be the ancient city of Shushan.

This may be the last opportunity R’ Gabay will have to pray at the graves of Esther and Mordechai as some news reports recently suggested that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to destroy them completely. The Jewish community is attempting to preserve these holy sites and while R’ Gabay reports that the Jews in Iran are very much afraid and in need of assistance, a community representative said “Hashem is the leader of the world and He will watch over us.”

R’ Gabay has made numerous visits to Arab countries to rescue endangered graves despite the dangers involved and has traveled to Gaza and even Lebanon at the height of the war there. Dressed in the garb of a religious Jew and speaking Hebrew, he explains that while locals wonder what he is doing, they have caused him no trouble at all.

“They ask me what I am doing here and I tell them I want to pray. In the end, they ask me to pray for them as well.”

Quoting the Zohar, R’ Gabay explains why he has devoted so much of his time to preserving the graves of tzadikim. “We here are alive today through the merit of these departed tzadikim who are up above, praying for us.”