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Source: PARSA Community Foundation
Los Angeles is home to the largest community of Iranians outside of Iran,
including 50,000 Jewish Iranian-Americans. Jewish Iranian-Americans are one of
the most affluent and highest educated groups in the United States and in the
past three decades, the group has grown considerably yet has retained its
tight-knit sense of community and tradition. In achieving the "American Dream,"
they have also made significant volunteer-based and philanthropic contributions
to Jewish and non-Jewish causes. These include development of community centers
and places of worship, providing services for refugees and securing medical care
for people in need, While staying cognizant to their heritage, Jewish-Iranians
are now turning their attention to civic participation.
 In
2007 Jewish Iranian-American Sam Yebri founded
30 Years After, a nonprofit
organization aimed at promoting educational, political and community
involvement. Among its many activities, the group hosts a civic action
conference, runs a mentorship program for Iranian-Jewish students and holds a
voter registration drive.
On September 14, 2008, 30 Years After hosted its 2008 Civic and Political Action
Conference in Beverly Hills, California, attended by approximately 1,000
participants and featuring prominent speakers such as Councilman and former
Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy Delshad and California Congressman Henry Waxman. "We
as Iranians have power of money and power in our education, but we don't have
power in politics," noted Mr. Delshad. Yet he also noted that ""We are not here
as guests. We are here to stay, and when we are here to stay we have to
contribute."
It is this sentiment that 30 Years After seeks to build upon, through educating,
inspiring and mobilizing the Iranian Jewish community through civic action
conferences every two years, as well as through quarterly lectures and seminars.
Among its most striking accomplishments is its ability to involve youth in its
activities. Its Board of Directors is entirely under 30 years old and in an
effort to link the two communities it has already announced plans to open a
second chapter in New York. Taking a cue from other ethnic groups that have
successfully built a tradition of civic participation in the United States, they
have enlisted the help of students at their speaking engagements, registering
almost 1,000 new voters in the last seven months.
By encouraging the second generation of Jewish Iranian-Americans to get
involved, 30 Years After is ensuring that today's college students and young
professionals will be the leaders of tomorrow. Combining their ability to
organize events that mobilize their own community with their eagerness to
collaborate with established minority groups in the U.S., 30 Years After has
become a model for organizations that seek to engage young people in the civic
process.
... Payvand News - 10/24/08 ...
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