David Rahimian: Personal Influences
David believes that his success is attributable to his hard work and to two role models who not only believed in him but inspired him. The first individual, Jimmy Blackman, worked with David while he was still at CSUN. In addition, David considers Antonio Villaraigosa to be another source of deep inspiration. David particularly appreciates Villaraigosa’s love for Israel and the Jewish community. David says that Villaraigosa grew up with many Jews in Boyle Heights and was taught, from a very early age, about the atrocities of the Holocaust and what the ugly outcome of hate can be. Throughout his life, Villaraigosa has allowed the teachings he benefited from in his youth to guide him to live a life free of hate and full of respect for other groups. Villaraigosa's inclusive outlook is one of the reasons David chose to stick with him after his first unsuccessful election campaign.
At the same time, David has also gleaned many positive influences from his Persian-Jewish background. David allows the Jewish attitudes of resilience and perseverance to guide his daily life, particularly in a field such as politics, which can be quite tough at times. In addition, he feels a deep attachment to the Jewish commandment of Mitzvot (doing good deeds) for other individuals. He seeks to do good in his daily life and seeks to implement the welcoming Persian attitude into his daily actions. Overall, David sees his background and experiences as assets he seeks to utilize, not only in his career but in his daily life as well.
David Rahimian started working with the city government, even though it is almost unheard-of for an Iranian Jew to be working in this field, because he believes strongly that if we do not have diversity in government, everything will be unbalanced, as your representatives must reflect your society and what it is all about. He believes that the Los Angeles city government proudly reflects the makeup of our society and this will result in a strong relationship between government and society for future generations. Although the Iranian Jewish community inculcates the notion that young people must grow up to be a lawyer, doctor, or businessman, David followed what he truly cared about and did not conform to this ideal career path.
At the same time, David has also gleaned many positive influences from his Persian-Jewish background. David allows the Jewish attitudes of resilience and perseverance to guide his daily life, particularly in a field such as politics, which can be quite tough at times. In addition, he feels a deep attachment to the Jewish commandment of Mitzvot (doing good deeds) for other individuals. He seeks to do good in his daily life and seeks to implement the welcoming Persian attitude into his daily actions. Overall, David sees his background and experiences as assets he seeks to utilize, not only in his career but in his daily life as well.
David Rahimian started working with the city government, even though it is almost unheard-of for an Iranian Jew to be working in this field, because he believes strongly that if we do not have diversity in government, everything will be unbalanced, as your representatives must reflect your society and what it is all about. He believes that the Los Angeles city government proudly reflects the makeup of our society and this will result in a strong relationship between government and society for future generations. Although the Iranian Jewish community inculcates the notion that young people must grow up to be a lawyer, doctor, or businessman, David followed what he truly cared about and did not conform to this ideal career path.
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