Answer: The Syrians eventually outlawed Judaism, while the Persians encouraged free worship.
Explanation:
The Persians were quite a liberal empire when it came to the religions of the people they had conquered. The official religion for the old Persian empire was Zoroastrianism but from the reign of Cyrus the Great there was religious freedom for all conquered and enslaved people.
This is in contrast to the Syrian/ Seleucid rule over Judea and Samaria under Antiochus IV. Judaism was outlawed and Jews were actively persecuted. This served as a catalyst for the rebellion of Judea under the Maccabees.
