In honor of Los Angeles’s vibrant Persian Jewish community, Angelenos are invited to spend an afternoon at the Skirball Cultural Center delving into Persian Jewish heritage, discovering the unique history of heirlooms and legacy objects, and honoring centuries of Jewish life in Iran and the rich cultural traditions that continue to shape Persian LA today. 

Taking place on March 8 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, the timing of the FREE program, From Iran to Los Angeles: Honoring Persian Jewish Culture and Community, falls between Purim (beginning March 2) and Nowruz (on March 20)—two holidays of particular significance in Persian Jewish life and history—while being mindful of the realities of living in Iran and the US today.

The program is FREE and open to the public. Reservations and more information are available on the Skirball website at skirball.org/persian-jewish-event.

This community event serves as the official start of a long-term, collaborative effort between the Skirball Cultural Center and the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation to honor, preserve, and explore Persian Jewish history and lived experience across time and place. Rooted in community stories and shaped by scholarship, the initiative ensures these histories—and the objects that represent these histories—are visible, valued, and thoughtfully stewarded within a major Jewish cultural institution.

“The Skirball has long been the place where Jews and all of Los Angeles come together to experience Jewish culture together,” said Jessie Kornberg, President and CEO of the Skirball Cultural Center. “Together with the Nazarian Family Foundation we have a chance to ensure that includes Persian Jewish objects and cultural experiences. We are honored to have this opportunity to gather and collaborate in this way.”

“Inspired by our personal and communal histories and recognizing the lack of research, collection, and exhibition of Persian Jewish art, the Nazarian family has proposed a new effort to identify and build a world-class collection in partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center, and possibly other partner institutions,” said Sharon Nazarian, President of the Nazarian Family Foundation and a member of the Skirball’s Board of Trustees. “This ambitious proposal coincides with the Skirball’s process of reimagining its own ongoing exhibition of Jewish history and art. The timing is fortuitous and seeds the possibility not just for meaningful new collection acquisition, but for future exhibition.”

In addition to ongoing public programs and conversations, the Skirball seeks to further develop community-informed collecting of objects and stories, educational experiences for families and students, and future exhibitions reflecting the long history and varied cultural traditions of Persian Jews, with a particular focus on the vibrant Persian Jewish community in Los Angeles. 

Outreach and programming, including a showcase of objects from the Skirball’s core collection of Judaica, have been guided by a host committee comprised of community leaders, influencers, and advocates from across Los Angeles’ Persian Jewish community. The host committee includes:

7Dorim
Caroline Delijani
Shiva Farzinpour
Jasmin Niku Hakimi
Mojgan Hakimi
Marjan Greenblatt
Pamela Kohanchi
Chelsea Larian Khakshouri
Dina Levy
Sabrina Merage Naim
Angella Nazarian
Mike Nazarian
Sharon S. Nazarian
Shulamit Nazarian
Soraya Sarah Nazarian
Homayoon Nehoray
Matthew Nouriel
Nahid Pirnazar Oberman
Chloe Pourmorady
Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh
Roxana Rastegar
Mehrzad Roshan
Homa Sarshar
Dr. Houman Sarshar
Maggie Soleimani
Dr. Saba Soomek
Shirin Yadegar

The March 8 program is made possible with generous support from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. 

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About the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation is dedicated to the promotion of education as the most important catalyst for societal change. The Foundation supports educational causes in a broad spectrum of institutions and through a wide variety of avenues—academic, public policy, and community-based social and artistic programs.

About the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. We welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 pm; Saturday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; closed Mondays and holidays. Reservations are recommended for General Admission and the permanent exhibition Noah's Ark at the Skirball, which requires timed entry and is ticketed separately. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org.