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iranian, american, and jewish.

three identities. one poWERFUL combination for leadership.

 

30 YEARS AFTER is a Los Angeles-based organization that harnesses the power of the Iranian-American-Jewish identity to promote civic, and Jewish communal engagement. The organization links past, present, and future through the Ben Evri project’s documentation of Iranian-Jewish testimonies, events that promote discussion on key community issues, and our fellowships, which cultivates the next generation of leaders.


 

our mission

 

to promote the participation and leadership of iranian-american jews in american political, civic and jewish life.

 

our CORE VALUES

 

AS WE BALANCE THREE IDENTITIES, WE DRAW VALUES FROM EACH. THEY INFORM WHY 30 YEARS AFTER IS SO UNIQUE, WHAT WE DO, AND HOW WE RUN OUR ORGANIZATION.

 
 

Iranian

HAMSAYEH (neighbor, literal: Same shade) – Recognizing that our future is tied to that of the diverse society in which we live.

KHOSH ZABOON (positive tongue) – Affirming our commitment to the Persian embodiment of respect, diplomacy, and hospitality

TAROF (No literal translation applicable) – Always showing gratitude and humility first, and never taking more than we need

FARHANG (culture, knowledge, civility) – Empowered by the lessons, beauty and richness of Persian culture, literature, and poetry

 

American

A MORE PERFECT UNION – promoting civic responsibilities to build a more perfect society 

HUDDLED MASSES – Remembering that America is fundamentally a nation of immigrants and refugees “yearning to breathe free”

SELF DETERMINATION – Embracing new-world individualism for the betterment of the communal fabric

INALIENABLE RIGHTS – Commitment to justice, equality, diversity, and the pursuit of happiness

Jewish

L'DOR VA DOR (from generation to generation) –  Preserving our history to inform and empower our future

KOL ISRAEL ARAVIM ZE BA'ZE (all Israel is responsible for one another) – Taking responsibility for the security and growth of every Jew

AHAVAT ISRAEL (love of Israel) – Translating love for the Jewish homeland to non-partisan activism in support of the U.S.-Israel relationship

NA'ASEH VA NISHMA (we will do, then we will hear) – Taking the risks needed to drive Jewish social innovation to secure the Jewish future

 

OUR STORY

Feeling that it was time for an organized representative voice for our community, a handful of Iranian-American Jewish young professionals sat around a coffee table in 2007 to create 30 Years After. 

30 Years After is the only initiative created for and by Iranian-American Jewish young professionals. The founders of 30 Years After were driven by the belief that after three decades in the United States, it was time for the Iranian-American Jewish community to embrace its responsibilities as Americans and as Jews. 30 Years After has proudly become the entry point for many Jewish and other organizations to reach the Iranian-American Jewish community, as we also offer the leadership training sought after for lay leadership opportunities with these organizations. 

30 Years After fulfills its mission everyday through a host of educational, advocacy, and service-oriented programming, with a special focus on community and identity building. 

We are a non-partisan, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.

 

Our Team

 
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JASMIN NIKU HAKIMI, CO-PRESIDENT

Jasmin is a founding member of 30 Years After and has served on the Board of Directors since 2007. She is a graduate of the Moradi Berkowitz Public Service Fellowship. Jasmin is a member of the Board of Directors of Hillel at UCLA and sits on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Healthcare Law Section. She is currently Senior Corporate Counsel at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Jasmin holds a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) law school.

ARIELLE YAEL MOKHTARZADEH, CO-PRESIDENT

Arielle serves as the Co-President of 30 Years After. She has served on the Board since 2019 and is a graduate of the Maher and Moradi Berkowitz Public Service Fellowships. Arielle currently works as an Associate Director in Global Programming at the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank committed to helping people build meaningful lives by catalyzing practical, scalable solutions to global challenges and leveraging the expertise of top experts, innovators, and influencers from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints to construct programs and policy initiatives. Arielle is a proud alumnus of UCLA, where she studied Communications, Public Affairs, and Israel Studies, and served as Undergraduate Student Body President. Arielle also serves on the Board of the Magbit Foundation.

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JASON YOUDEEM, BOARD CHAIR

Jason Youdeem serves as 30 Year’s After Board Chair. As a graduate of PresenTenseLA, a social entrepreneurship incubator and a board member of 30 YEARS AFTER Jason created and launched the Maher Fellowship, a six-month leadership training program for Iranian American Jews. In January 2018, Jason was featured as a "Mensch” by The Jewish Journal for his impactful work in the Jewish community. Jason is also the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s National Director of Virtual Engagement. Jason began his career with AIPAC in Los Angeles and Orange County, and has served in a number of leadership roles including as the Director of AIPAC’s Fellows Program and most recently as AIPAC's Senior Director for Los Angeles. As Senior Director Jason oversaw grassroots mobilization, development, community education, political engagement and donor relations in the Greater Los Angeles area. Prior to AIPAC, Jason worked at Google and at Relief International, a humanitarian NGO based out of Los Angeles. Jason is a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles, where he focused on Globalization and Political Science.

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Arya Donay, director of the Maher fellowship

Arya Donay graduated with a B.A. in International Relations, with an emphasis in the Middle East and North America and a Minor in Technology Management from UCSB. After graduating, Arya made Aliya and moved to Tel Aviv for 9 years. Upon finishing his army service in the 932nd Infantry Battalion of the Nachal Brigade, he worked in education tourism, the high-tech industry, and managed a restaurant. Arya is an Eagle Scout and a Cohort 6 Maher Fellow Alumni. Arya is also the Program Coordinator for the Los Angeles Cohort of The Diller Teen Fellows program.

 

Board of Directors

AMIR AHOBIM, BOARD MEMBER

Amir is a Los Angeles native who works as a Broker in Real Estate. He enjoys cooking anything he purchases at the local Farmer’s Market and reading non-fiction, with his favorite books being The Alchemist and The Gifts of Imperfection. After experiencing the Maher Fellowship in the 4th cohort and having gained the wealth of knowledge and resources of leadership, Amir is excited to be on the board of 30 Years After.

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debbie afar, BOARD MEMBER

Debbie Afar is a non-profit professional with 12 years of experience in the fields of nonprofit management, donor relations, events, and fundraising. Debbie has a B.A. in Economics from Occidental College. She is passionate about promoting civic engagement amongst Iranian-American Jews in Los Angeles and is an alumna of the 30 Years After Maher Fellowship and the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Rautenberg New Leaders Project. She has served on the Board of Directors of 30 Years After since 2018. Debbie enjoys the beach, yoga, and trying new restaurants.

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tabby refael, BOARD MEMBER

Tabby is a co-founder of 30 Years After and its former Executive Director. She has served in the realms of Jewish community non-profit and pro-Israel advocacy for over 12 years, and lectures regularly regarding the state of Iranian Jews, American-Iranian relations, and the Iranian-American Jewish diaspora. Tabby also writes on matters relating to the Iranian-American Jewish community for The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.

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MICHAEL A. BINA, BOARD MEMBER

Michael A. Bina is a proud alumnus of Cohort 7 of the Maher Fellowship and is honored to be part of the 30 Years After Board of Directors. Michael is a graduate of New York University where he majored in Dramatic Writing and double minored in Producing and the Business of Entertainment, Media & Technology. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he has continued to write, direct and produce. Many of his projects explore the themes of immigration, growth, and adaptation. Michael enjoys reading, traveling, and playing kickball.

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michelle moreh, BOARD MEMBER

Michelle is a communications strategist with a background in public affairs, media relations, writing, and public diplomacy.

She is currently the Director of Public Affairs at Miller Ink, a strategic communications agency, where she oversees the company’s public affairs practice and works with clients in education, affordable housing, healthcare, social advocacy, and government.

Previously, Michelle served as Director of Academic Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. Michelle holds a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology, summa cum laude, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She speaks Spanish, Farsi, and Hebrew.

 

DONATE

Your tax deductible donation is what sustains our work.

 
 
 
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giving levels

Invest the emerging generation of Iranian-American Jews, as they take inherit the responsibility of the Jewish future. Join one of our Giving Levels, or make a meaningful gift of your choice.

sponsorships and other options

Inspired by our work, and want to make a bigger impact? Here are some other ways to make your donation go further. Contact us at (info@30yearsafter.org) to learn more about any of these opportunities.

  1. Corporate Event Sponsorships

  2. Personal/Family Event Sponsorships

  3. Sponsor a 30 years after Fellow

  4. Sponsor a benevri filming

  5. Donate in honor of or in memory of a loved one

the maher fellowship

Harnessing the energy and passion of Los Angeles' brightest Iranian-American Jewish leaders. 

 Graduation Ceremony of Cohort 6 Maher Fellows

The Maher Fellowship is a 6 month leadership-in-training fellowship developed by and for our community, for young-professional Iranian-American Jews between 21-35 years of age. Fellows who are chosen will progress through a comprehensive and intensive leadership training program that will introduce them to the needs of not only their own community, but the greater community they live in, and equip them with the tools they need to make a difference. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with various leaders and activists from the greater Los Angeles community. Graduates of our program go on to not only be informed and effective leaders but also role models for their peers. This venture expands on the mission of 30 Years After by educating future leaders for the Iranian-Jewish community and giving them the tools and resources they need to be agents of change.

 THE MORADI BERKOWITZ PUBLIC SERVICE FELLOWSHIP

Details:

The Moradi Berkowitz Fellowship is a six-month public service training program for the next generation of leaders of the Iranian and greater Los Angeles Jewish communities. The Fellowship advances 30 YEARS AFTER’s mission of empowering Iranian-American Jews to pursue leadership roles in American political, civic, and Jewish affairs and to build bridges with the greater Jewish community.

30 Years After thanks the Moradi family and the Stahl Berkowitz families for their generous sponsorship of this program. The Fellowship is open to individuals between the ages of 24-39. There is a mandatory $260 tuition fee. Financial aid is available. For questions or requests, please email us at info@30yearsafter.org.

BENEFITS:

  • Participate in virtual interactive discussions with local and state elected officials, explore topics related to policymaking, political campaigns, and elections, as well as learn more about local state, and federal politics.

  • Gain skills to seek a lay or professional leadership role with a local advocacy organization or political campaign.

The BenEvri Project

Preserving the history of the Iranian-American Jewish experience through accessible and engaging content that serves to educate and bridge generations. 

Through the The BenEvri Project, we are recording the collective experience of Persian Jews from their day to day existence in Iran, including their experience during the Iranian Revolution and starting over in the United States, as well as the memories of the culture and the community in which they grew up.  If you are an Iranian Jew, we want to hear your experience.  With this project, time is of the essence.  As the years pass us, we do not want to miss the opportunity to capture this community’s first hand experiences

LAUNCH LABS

Launch Lab Cohort 1 meeting with Dr. Jill Kickul from USC’s Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab

 
 

With help from the Jewish Federation's NuRoots & Nazarian Initiative, we are excited to announce the first cohort of 30 Years After's Launch Lab! 

30YA's Launch Lab is a 6-month program meant to bring our valued alumni's ideas, projects, and initiatives to life. 

Participants in previous fellowship programs at 30 Years After are eligible to join in bi-monthly sessions, and workshops where they will be taught the skills to hone their vision, survey their given market, and determine the resources needed, to ultimately launch their vision. 


ACTIVE PROJECTS:

  • Esther’s Table | Amir Ahobim & Eli Shavalian & Arya Donay

    • This program welcomes Persian Jewish young adults who are looking for an opportunity to better own their Jewish identity by strengthening their foundational understandings of Jewish traditions and concepts. Esther’s Table will cultivate a space that intentionally does not lean on either conservative or reform ideals but rather a balance to welcome more people and differing opinions. Teachers, Rabbis, and fellow peers have been interviewed to get better insight into what they would want in the program.

  • Iranian Jewish Children's Book “Esther and Ezra’s Yummy Shabbat Adventure” | Jessica Behmanesh

    • A digestible, easy to read book for children to learn about their heritage and tell the story of our people in a manner that is both engaging, as well as easy to follow for children. This book will demonstrate that our traditions aren’t outdated or complicated, but rather a fundamental thread in the diverse tapestry that is this country. The book is intended to make children ages 5-10 excited about their family history and spark their curiosity. 

  • SEGOL Health | Dr. Daniel Niku & Bahar Basseri 

    • SEGOL Health aims to create an environment to openly understand, discuss, educate, and address women’s health, as well as create health advocates within our community. As a community, we can redefine the foundations of our understanding, awareness, and meaning of our bodies and selves. With Dr. Daniel Niku and Bahar Basseri’s knowledge, evidence-based practice, resources, expertise, and teaching backgrounds, they can provide guidance through experiential learning to our target audience in order to understand their reproductive health. 


 

services

Our depth of experiences and first-hand knowledge of cross-cultural communication, first generation communities, and the Judeo-Persian experience have made 30 Years After’s staff and board a sought-out resource within the North American Jewish community, and other business, political and civic groups seeking knowledge on how to understand, and bridge cultural divides. 30 Years After provides individuals, businesses, non-profits and others with the opportunity to best learn how to engage, embrace, and learn about the culture, history and institutions of Iranian-Jews, and our growing community in the US.

Pricing determined per project, Non-profit rates available. 

Contact us (INFO@30yearsafter.org) today to learn more!

 

Consulting

Have questions about the nuances, cultural perspectives, and norms of our community? We’re here to help you navigate that. Offered hourly and by project.

Presentation

Want to learn more about Jewish-Iran past and present, and our community’s transition to Los Angeles? Our team offers an easily absorbable multi-media presentation, based on our unique BenEvri Project. Various formats and lengths available.

Ideal for Conferences, saloons and parlor events, non-profit education, college or high school courses, corporate/professional events.

Training

Is your team or clientele engaging with the Iranian-Jewish community, and you’re interested in some further cultural awareness and inclusion training? We can help you gain the knowledge, background and tools for an open and welcoming atmosphere.

Ideal for business, non-profits, schools, and synagogues.

 

 

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We're happy to explain further regarding any of our programs, help you find a method of donation that works for you, or respond to any media inquiries.

 

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