Arts and culture are a very important part of who the Nazarian family is. The family members focus on their Iranian and Jewish heritage. The family originated an exhibit on Iranian Jewish heritage in Israel’s Diaspora Museum, which is the Museum of the Jewish People, that was the first exhibit to have whole collections of items that were cultural and religious. The Iranian community in Israel has a very different experience than in Los Angeles. Most immigrants coming to Israel go through a period of getting put down and treated like second-class citizens. The exhibition for the Iranian community in Israel made them felt acknowledged for the first time. For the opening, they had amazing Iranian-Israelis who have gone up in Israeli leadership. It gave the Iranians a moment of pride, and for the first time they felt that they were seen and acknowledged.

Israelis, who are non-Iranians, had the opportunity to learn about who the Iranians are as a community, the richness of their community, the struggles that they have been through, and how they have survived despite all the killings and discrimination. The Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation brought the exhibit to the Fowler Museum at UCLA. The exhibit was on view for five months, and Professor Saba Soomekh was one of the lead curators, telling the story of the Iranian Jewish community. The Nazarian family felt that this exhibition reflected who they really are, and that is where they wanted to put their investments because these things add to their standing as a community within the United States.

Comment on this page