As the executive director of 30 Years After, Tabby is clearly determined to get Iranian-American Jews to participate in the leadership of American political, civic, and Jewish life. She has a great interest and passion in educating young Iranian Jews in the Los Angeles community and has done an amazing job in carrying out her goal. Her passion for getting young Iranian American Jews to participate in political and civic Jewish life comes from “having lived so many years in a sheltered LA bubble where everyone was just like [her].” According to Tabby, within the Los Angeles community, there is a lack of interest in Jewish life. Many young Iranian American Jews are not educating themselves about the religious aspect of their identity.

Her interest in community involvement is very strong because she believes that there is much more to the Iranian Jewish community than meets the eye. Tabby says, “There is so much more to being a Persian Jew than what we saw ourselves as, and what others outside saw ourselves as.” The goal of 30 Years After is to encourage young people within the community to become professionals and educators who ultimately will make a “huge difference in the world.” The goal is to not only encourage the participation and leadership of young Iranian Jews, but to also encourage these participants to show interest in civic and political affairs. The goal is to allow the community to “live up to its best” and strive to make our ancestors proud. For Tabby, witnessing young Iranian American Jews take an interest in Jewish life indicated that she is succeeding and has made an impact on the Iranian Jewish community. She said that the best part of her job as the executive director of 30 Years After is when someone asks for her perspective on something.

Comment on this page