As Israel continues to thwart the Islamic Republic of Iran’s terrorist activities in the Middle East and inside Tehran, the ongoing protests inside Iran, despite the government crackdowns, many Iranian Jews and Israelis are continuing to have hope that the…
Hillel Speaker Series featuring Dr. Saba Soomekh
The new Hillel Speaker Series, a weekly event featuring a notable scholar or leader in the Jewish community, has created a forum at which students can explore Jewish identity. This past week, students had the opportunity to learn with Dr.…
The Plasco Building: A Reflection
Panic struck the people of Tehran, Iran on January 19, 2017 as they watched the city’s beloved, 17-story Plasco Building collapse to the ground. The incident is believed to have been caused by a fire that started in the morning…
If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program
On April 2, President Obama strolled triumphantly across the Rose Garden in the White House and proudly announced to the world that the United States and its allies had reached an agreement with Iran that would prevent it from obtaining…
Purim: did the party really end?
It is no secret that Persians like a great party with food, wine, dancing and music! King Ahasuerus of 4th century Persia, was no different, throwing a 180-day-long drunken festival in celebration of his vastly growing Persian Empire in its…
Toward a more humble Middle East policy: a post-uprising update from Dr. Robert Malley
May 20, 2013 — When told by the student introducing the event that he would be expected to offer his thoughts on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Dr. Robert Malley retorted that the events to which she referred were…
Prospects for a post-Ahmadinejad Iran: new president, fewer distractions
The 11th Iranian presidential elections, scheduled for June 14, are fast approaching, and as election day draws near, many prospective presidential candidates (they must be approved by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before they can run) are publicly distancing themselves from…
30 Years After and the threefold identity of Iranian-American Jews
Eager as can be, with my program in hand and my nametag around my neck, I made my way into the ballroom of the historic Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles for what would be a momentous gathering. I had…
Israel on the backburner: is Obama too busy for the Jewish state?
This article is in response to an op-ed piece by Thomas Friedman published in the New York Times on November 10th, 2012. I would like to express my utmost respect for Mr. Friedman as a renowned journalist and state that…
First Farsi Holocaust text connects Iranians to Jewish history
On October 14, I was privileged to be a student delegate at 30 Years After’s 3rd Biennial Conference. 30 Years After is the civic and political voice of America’s Iranian Jews, the first and only organization of its kind. The…