May 9, 2012 | 7:58 pm

Remembering Vidal Sassoon; A 2006 Exclusive Interview

Posted by Karmel Melamed

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In September 2006 I had the unique opportunity to interview Jewish philanthropist and hairstyling legend Vidal Sassoon for the now defunct “Iranian Jewish Chronicle” magazine based here in Southern California. With the news of his sad passing this morning, I felt it was appropriate to share that exclusive interview with readers as an special insight into Sassoon’s strong sense of Jewish identity and profound sense of Zionism.

While the name Vidal Sassoon has become synonymous with the glamorous world of hairstyling and haircare products for nearly five decades, the man behind the brand name had been equally well known for us unwavering support for Israel during this period. Before becoming known as the “father of modern day hairstyling”, Sassoon was born in the east end of London’s improvised Jewish ghetto in 1928. Despite his family’s financial problems, by age 14, the young Sassoon began working as an apprentice in a Jewish barber shop and learning his famous craft. During this same time he joined the “43 Group” a popular anti-fascist organization that combated post-World War II anti-Semitic groups parading in London’s streets. When the state of Israel was established, then 20-year-old Sassoon bravely volunteered and served in the Israeli army in the War of Independence.

After the war, Sassoon returned to London and over the years created his famous hairstyling empire that included forming hair salons, hairstyling schools, and haircare products bearing his name. Today he is credited for establishing the foundations of modern hairstyling after having created geometric hairstyle cuts, the popular wash-and-wear perm, as well as other hairstyling techniques that are widely used. In addition to his career, Sassoon had also dedicated his time to aiding worthy philanthropic and educational causes in Israel. In 1982 he founded the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was also involved with the North American Conference for Ethiopian Jews, a group that provides educational and sports programs for young Ethiopian Jews visiting the U.S. from Israel.

The following is a portion of my 2006 interview with Sassoon…

Your family name ‘Sassoon’ is very popular among Iranian Jews and Sephardic Jews, can you please give us a brief background of your family’s origins?

My father was actually from Salonika in northern Greece where the family had lived for some years. I think there was a population of about 90,000 Jews there and after the Holocaust there was 3,000 left which is quite dreadful. But I am Sephardic from my father’s side and my mother was born in London and her people are from the Ukraine, Kiev. So I guess on my mother’s side it was Ashkenazi, she spoke both Ladino and spoke Yiddish. She was quite a remarkable woman.

What prompted you to start working at a barber shop at a young age?

Well I had no choice. First of all it was World War II, we were in London and we used to sleep in the shelters because the German air force was rearranging the streets of London every night with the bombings practically every night in those days. This was in 42’ and I was 14. My mother didn’t have the luck that she might have had and my father had left us at an early age, so we lived in the east end of London with an aunt until I was five. Then my brother and I were put in a Jewish orphanage until I was 11, when the war started. At 14, that was the school leaving age unless you had money which we didn’t, or you had an extraordinary brain and won scholarships. Of course I didn’t have that either. My mother had a premonition and she felt that hairdressing would be very very good for me. She took me along to a man named Adolf Cohen at 101 White Chapel Road which was in the Jewish ghetto where I had my apprenticeship. He was a great disciplinarian which served me for the rest of my life, he was very good for me. It took me a long time of studying and working in different places around London.

As a teenager you joined the British Jewish organization known as the “43 Group” in London, what activities was this group involved in and how were you involved?

It was a rather strange situation because the war was over. Before the war there was quite a strong fascist party led by Oswald Mosley and he and his cohorts were put in detention (jail) during the war by Churchill. After the war they came out and immediately started up again with their anti-Semitism and running through the streets and having meetings, it was quite ridiculous. Many truly brave Jewish ex-servicemen started the “43 Group” because there were 43 people at the first meeting they had. These were tough men who had been through the war. Of course volunteers were needed, I was 16 or 17 at the time, most of my friends joined the 43 Group and there were quite a few hundred of us. Truly the fascists were smashed in the streets and yes if you were scared at times because it was scary. But after we saw the pictures that came out and the whole story of the Holocaust, there was actually no way we could allow fascists to run through the streets. I was arrested one night and put in jail, the following day the judge told me ‘to be a good boy’ and let me go. That was our life in those days, we decided that we were absolutely not going to allow what happened pre-war when Jews were just beat up indiscriminately in the streets. It worked beautifully because of mainly the tough Jewish characters that were in the British armed forces during the war, they were the people that did it. But also there were quite a few gentiles who had seen the camps, the horror of Europe and fought with us.

After Israel was established in 1948, what motivated you to suddenly leave your family and join the Palmach (Israeli army) at such a young age?

Through my mother who was an ardent Zionist and who used to hold Zionist meetings were we lived in the East End, so I grew up with Zionism. My sense was that without a strong Israel, Judaism would die out with only a few religious Jews in the world but basically as a philosophy of life it would be very much on its way out. Israel was so important. An Israeli officer, a “Sabra” came to London and had a meeting way before 48’ in late 47’ and say ‘that if a war breaks out which they were expecting, we would like volunteers’. He came to see the 43 group and I hadn’t a clue who he was. You’ve got to remember that I was just a private, a very insignificant member of the group, just one of the ordinary…I guess you call them G.I.’s. A few us put our names on a list, we couldn’t leave until the British left (Palestine) for obvious reasons because we were British.

Did you see any action while you were a soldier then?

I was very lucky, I was very fit and I joined the Palmach. I was living in a young fishing kibbutz with young beautiful Sabras, tough from their work and strong in their minds. We were three English guys— I was one of them, there was one American we were accepted into the group and became a part of the Palmach. We trained for two months, it was the hardest physical exercise I’ve ever had in my life. We marched through the night through the northern Negev through Arab lines because in those days you couldn’t truly get through by transport, we were building up the kibbutzim inside those lines. When Egypt attacked with tanks, many comrades were killed, many were wounded but I was very lucky. Out of the three Englishmen and one American, two of the English guys were wounded and the American and myself were unscratched. It was an extraordinary experience and I think that experience in Israel gave me the sense that anything could be done. I thought I saw a miracle happen, you think that 600,000 people beat back five Arab armies…it was an extraordinary feat. Frankly no one realizes how it was done.

After the war what motivated you to get back into hairdressing in England?

My mother. The war was over, we were in Tel Aviv waiting and deciding what to do with the rest of our lives. I got a telegraph from my mother who said that my step-father had had a heart attack, come home and earn a living. So I went back to England and the only thing I knew to earn any cash was through hairdressing. I got a job and many many jobs, it took quite a few years. In 1954 I opened my own salon after working for a wonderful man called “Raymond”, I learned so much from him about cutting.

Over the years you’ve been given the title of “father of modern hairdressing” for your contributions to the profession, where did you get the motivation for developing these haircutting techniques and what is it like to be considered a legend?

Well I opened my own salon in 1954 and by that time I was totally fascinated by what you could do with hair, the possibilities of changing things. For nine years I worked to change what was hairdressing then into a geometric art form with color, perm without setting which had never been done before. There were many innovations that we—I say we because I trained a team that was much involved with me. Many innovations we created that changed the craft, so I guess that’s why they call me the ‘father of hairdressing’…or maybe it’s because of my age, I’m 78 and possibility the grandfather.

In recent years, you have sold your chain of salons and the haircare products that bear your name to other companies. Have you decided to move away from the industry or are you still involved?

I haven’t moved away from it, in fact I did a live show at the ‘Albert Hall’ three months ago. There were over 5,000 people and we actually sold out the Albert Hall. I’m doing a show in Israel in May of this year. There’s a big hair show in Israel and they’re inviting the Jordanian hairdressers so I hear, which I think should be very interesting. I speak now, I don’t actually physically work on heads on hair, but I speak. In June my hairdressing team will be doing a show in Barcelona as well. We’re invited to so many places just to show up and talk to young hairdressers and tell them about our experiences. It’s very very nice, it a great compliment. So I haven’t really deserted the craft at all, I’m still involved.

Nowadays you do not see many prominent people in the public eye taking a strong stance on behalf of Israel, why have you remained active in fundraising efforts and a vocal supporter of Israel?

I honestly believe that without a strong Israel, Judaism is doomed. If you look at our center in Jerusalem that has done a survey about anti-Semitism in Europe, in France it is horrendous—it’s practically a quarter of the population there that doesn’t like Jews. In Britain it’s about 15 to 18 percent of the population that don’t like Jews. My sense is that as the world is today, there is an extraordinary rise of Islamic anti-Semitism utilizing much of the Nazi propaganda. When you have a situation were there is indigenous anti-Semitism it can become endemic and all you have to do is a start a spark. Frankly I don’t trust the world, there are very nice Christians in this world as there are Muslims, as there are Hindus etc, but there are only 13 million Jews left in this world. Where did they all go? They were all murder or they had to convert or be murdered. So a very strong Israel is absolutely necessary to our survival as a people.

You seem to be visiting Israel often and are active with social programs there, what is your sense of the Arabs that are citizens of Israel?

I do believe that Israeli Arabs should be equal citizens in Israel. They now vote for their own people the Israeli parliament, that’s good for democracy. But I do believe that the Israeli national anthem should be inclusive of all, it should not just be ‘nefesh yehudi’ it should be ‘nefesh Israeli’—everybody should be included. They’re either loyal Israelis or not, and if they’re not we’re creating a fifth column in Israel because there are 1.2 million people of the Islamic faith living there. I just believe we have to change our relationships with Israeli Arabs. I think it’s very important that they feel that they are very much a part of the society and they are Israeli. The ‘Druze’ for example who are loyal Arab citizens and serve in the Israeli army, we need to welcome them and have them included more in Israeli society.

What was your objective in founding the International Center on Anti-Semitism at Hebrew University that bears your name?

I was always involved with Hebrew University before then, but there was this wonderful professor, Yehuda Bower at the university and we had very similar views and feelings about Judaism and where Judaism was going and if there was a future for Judaism. It was terrifying to think that the people who created Einstein would be eliminated from the earth. It’s terrifying to think of all those extraordinary elements in society that made up Judaism that have been wiped away and could have been so creative for the rest of this universe. Yehuda Bower was speaking in his most brilliant way and his knowledge of past history was so valid and vivid, that we followed him. He talked to me and he said “how would you like to be involved in creating a center for the study of anti-Semitism.” So I said, could we also include other related bigotries (to study) because you’re trying to fathom the mind and hate of humanity and not just Jews. So this was a man that had great appeal, dynamic energy, and I was fortunate to meet him. I was also fortunate considering my background where I came from to have the necessary finances to help create the center. The center has grown extraordinarily. Yehuda Bower is close to 80, he still lectures but he is not in charge of the center anymore. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way the center is going and I’ll be visiting it in May.

Can you tell us a little bit about the North American Conference for Ethiopian Jews which you’ve become involved with?

It’s quite wonderful. We are developing programs where the money goes partly for education and partly for sports because the health body and healthy mind is were it’s at. Many people are involved; it’s really an honor to be a part of this. You know there’s something (the author) Camu said that has stuck with me all my life and it’s “too many people have forsaken generosity to practice charity”. I hate the word “charity”. The generosity of soul, if you give, you’re giving because you’re pleasing your own soul. The word charity means something totally different, “oh those poor people over there let’s do something for them”. Generosity is the spirit that is within you and I love the way Camu put it.

What advice do you have for young young Jews living in the U.S.?

It’s hard to give advice. There are so many people, how do you give major advice to a group of people, it’s very presumptuous. If you look into yourself as an individual, find your strength, and work on your weaknesses, have courage of your convictions…what more can you do. Feel a sense of pride, not false pride but a sense of pride in the extraordinary production in every area that the Jews have given to civilization.

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April 3, 2012 | 5:55 pm

New Iranian Jewish art gallery shines light on Jewish artists

Posted by Karmel Melamed

During the last ten years a growing number of young, educated and successful Iranian American Jews have ventured into the arts and entertainment industry as their primary profession. The sense of sharing their creative energy and aspirations has been attractive to young Iranian Americans Jews living in L.A. who are now wanting to break with their community’s traditions of going into the classic professions of medicine, law or business. I have had the special pleasure of witnessing the new generation’s attraction to the art world and even interviewed Iranian Jewish art curator, Shulamit Nazarian in 2010 following her exhibition of the art works of several contemporary Iranian Jewish artists in L.A..

More recently, I was delighted to attend the grand opening of the “Illoulian Contemporary” art gallery in West Hollywood headed by another up and coming Iranian Jewish art curator, Candice Illoulian. Last week I caught up with Illoulian who was featuring the unique art work of William Benhamou, a 24-year-old well-known French Jewish artist. The exhibition was abuzz because of Benhamou’s very interesting “pop art meets street art” style of work as well as the large crowd of young Iranian Jews drawn to the gallery. For his part, Benhamou was excited to have his work which combines photography, video, writing and painting on display in Los Angeles as well as the support of young Iranian American Jewish art lovers.

The following is a portion of my interview with Illoulian regarding her new art gallery, her attraction to a career in art and her involvement of with Benhamou….

Can you share a little with us about your background as an art curator and interest in the field?

Art has always been a passion of mine. I was an Art History major and Business Administration minor at USC, anticipating a career in the art world.  Upon graduation, I held positions working at Christie’s Auction House in New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and a few art galleries both in Los Angeles and New York.  I am a member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern Art, and the American Friends of the Israeli Museum.  I also serve as the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood.

What motivated you to open your own art gallery?

Opening an art gallery has been a life long goal of mine and around the High Holidays last year, my dream came true and I opened my gallery. I am always on the search for new talent and not looking for any particular style. However, it is important for me to be deeply moved by the artist’s work. I seek artists who demonstrate depth and range in their artistic expression, who are unafraid to be controversial and avant-garde, and who have the power to shake your core. My aim is to find captivating and thought provoking artists who can rattle both art lovers and non-art lovers alike; these are such artists whom I am looking to exhibit.

How did you get involved with William Benhamou and why did you choose him for your grand opening exhibition?

In the beginning stages of my gallery, I spoke to a mutual friend, Sarah Hart, and she raved about William and insisted that we meet. She introduced us on Facebook, where we consequently arranged to meet via Skype, since I was in Los Angeles and he was in Paris. William Benhamou’s genius lies in the fact that he can create art that plays on pop-culture and are very light upon first glance, but bear a much deeper meaning pertaining to contemporary social and politically charged issues. Every time I see any of his given work, I find a new meaning, new symbolism, and some perverse play on society that makes me laugh out loud even when I am by myself. I chose William as my opening show because his work is extremely vibrant, energetic and tantalizing, which is how I wanted to introduce myself to the art world.

Are you looking to exhibit more work in your gallery from Iranian Jewish artists?

Of course I would love to have the opportunity to display Iranian-Jewish artists! As I said before, if I connect with the artist and believe in his or her work, I would love to display their art. I already work with an Iranian Jewish sculptor, Angela Larian, whose sculptures are absolutely exquisite, heartfelt and multifaceted, all the while celebrating human nature in its most organic form. I am looking forward to presenting her new body of work in the near future.

What do you think our community as Iranian Jews in L.A. has to contribute to the art scene in the city and in the U.S.?

We as a community harbor great talent which we have to support in order for them to shine in both the national and international art arena. I would love to use my gallery to help pave the road for these aspiring artists seeking recognition in the art scene.

 

The following are paintings created by William Benhamou….

 

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March 8, 2012 | 7:17 am

Q&A: Iranian Jewish author Angella Nazarian’s new book makes splash!

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Two years ago I had the special pleasure of interviewing Angella Nazarian, one of the Iranian Jewish community’s best-selling authors and award-winning poets. Her last book “Life As A Visitor” was indeed powerful because it revealed the difficulty she and her family faced as Jewish immigrants fleeing Iran during that country’s 1979 revolution. Nazarian is among the emerging group of highly educated and influential female writers in Southern California’s Iranian Jewish community who are making waves not only within her own community, but also beyond to other groups.

With the recent release of her new book “Pioneers of the Possible: 20 Visionary Women of the World”, Nazarian profiles some of the most incredibly powerful women of the last century. Her book takes an in depth look at how each of these women from different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds overcame greater difficulties to transform the lives of others for the better. While “Pioneers of the Possible” does feature a Jewish woman— Golda Meir, I think what is one of the most remarkable things about the book, is the author herself. Nazarian, who despite originally coming from a country like Iran where women are today treated like second class citizens, has had the courage to compile this very honest collection of stories about incredible women worldwide. For that reason, I recently sat down with her to chat about her new book…

Your last book focused on sharing your personal experience as an immigrant from Iran to the U.S. three decades ago. What motivated the shift in the focus of your current book which profiles 20 incredible women of the modern era?

As a psychology professor, who has been leading personal development groups for women, visionary women from different backgrounds have always intrigued me. Before I knew that I would be writing this book, I found myself on a quest to discover what the essential ingredients were in making a person extremely fulfilled and successful. My passion has always been to encourage women to lead their best lives, so I started with reading biographies of inspiring women from all around the world who changed history. My notes were voluminous, and then it clicked—I found myself with the makings of my next book. “Pioneers of the Possible: Celebrating Visionary Women of the World,” was born.

How exactly did you select the ladies for your book? And have any of them had a particular impact on your career or life?

I first started reading about the women I’ve always been more curious to learn about. But I also had a system to my research: all these women must have hurdled gender or ideological or creative barriers and should have been from different cultures.  Also, these visionary women should have radically changed the landscape of their discipline, whether it was dance or architecture, or being an entrepreneur or leading a country.  I am happy to say that I found that women all over the world have had a tremendous impact on their community and culture at large.  The past year I had the great privilege of being inspired by their lives and I hope to share their stories with everyone else.  These stories of course had a positive impact on me. One thing that it validated in me is the whole idea of “following your bliss.” One of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to listen closely to what makes us happy and keep doing more of it. Following that path will surely lead us to places that we would have never known but will nonetheless bring us a sense of discovery and aliveness.

During your research into each of the women featured in the book, were there any ladies in particular that you were especially impressed with and if so, what specific facts about them really stood out for you?

All the woman featured in the book are extraordinary, but for me discovering heroes and pioneers that I had not known before was very exciting. Helen Suzman, a Jewish woman who was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace prize, was an incredible inspiration to me. For 13 years she was the only member of South Africa’s parliament who openly challenged Apartheid policy. Nelson Mandela was deeply indebted to her for visiting him while he was in prison so many years—while she fought their shared cause. On her final visit to Victor Verster Prison, six months before Mandela’s release in 1989, the world’s most famous political prisoner asked Suzman to autography a book she had brought him. He, in return, autographed “Fear No Evil”, a book by Natan Sharansky, the famous Russian dissident and activist, who was sent to the Gulags for nine years. Sharansky indeed is a hero in Israel and that I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting. How interesting to see that the biggest activists are connected in such a way.  Suzman’s life much like Mandela’s or Sharansky’s—was a message for all the world to see: to stand up for your convictions, even if you are alone. Master Cheng Yen was known as the Mother Theresa of the Far East. Here was a nun with just a primary school education and five disciples in a poor, remote corner of Taiwan. She suffered from a heart condition that did not allow her to fly outside her country yet she dreamed of building hospitals and helping the needy all over the world. Today her Tzu Chi organization has 10 million members and is one of the largest non-profit organizations, with an endowment of $850 million.  When asked how she could build a global organization, she calmly smiled and responded, “When the time comes, I will know exactly what to do.” She embodies the message of hope and faith to believe in our dreams. Certainly faith in our abilities is one way of combating self-doubt.

You seem to paint a very raw and realistic picture of each of these women and their power/influence in the world. I found this particularly to be true of your section on Golda Meir. Can you please shed light on the portrayal of each woman and also the section on Golda Meir?

It is easy to write a biography of people listing their accomplishments and awards but somehow I feel we miss on the true spirit of the person.  The deeper lesson for me was to probe and ask: what motivated each woman to commit such a large part of their life energy to a field, who was there support them, how did they manage to succeed against such odds? Answering these questions seemed to paint a more humanistic picture of these women. Golda has always been a hero of mine and an entire country. I found that her magnetic leadership was really based on her being able to connect to ideas and people on an emotional level.  She once said, “It’s not accident many accuse me of conducting public affairs with my heart instead of my head. Well, what if I do? Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.” Golda led a country through war and one of her sparring partners was Anwar Sadat. But when one watches clips of her talking to Sadat in 1977, on the cusp of signing a peace treaty, she approaches him on a human level.  She first starts out by saying how they are both grandparents, she gives him a gift, she makes him laugh, she pokes fun of her age, admonishes him in gest.  But then she also tells him, with serious intent, of the importance of meeting face to face, of dialogue and the hope for having peace in the region.  That clip captures it all.  What the viewer sees is two real people who happen to be people interacting with each other. In a world where so much is scripted and rehearsed, polished leaders run the risk of appearing two dimensional—not resonating on a human level to people they serve. Golda had the gift of doing things wholeheartedly, but also making sure she had a human touch, or should I say, a woman’s touch.

What was your overriding objective in creating this particular book?

Our purpose in life may be large or small. In most cases, it’s multi-leveled. But no matter where we are headed, learning about the lives of other women is an inspiring way to honor who we are and to encourage each other toward greater and deeper lives.

You’ve seemed to cover significant women from various regions, cultures, religions and ethnicities. Was there a specific purpose to make this a multi-cultural focused book for everyone? Or were these women just chosen for the merit of their works?

The saying goes, “we live in a global village”. So, it was important to me to write about women from different cultures because often times books and magazines tend to have a more Western focus. And, all these women deserve recognition especially because of what they have accomplished against all odds.

Both you and your husband come from families with very strong women and female role models. Can you please share what if any of them have had an impact on your life?

I take great pride in being raised in a family where I was encouraged to pursue my love for learning. I can say that my gratitude for my mother deepens with every year.  I see that she has a tremendous spirit and resilient nature.  It is as if she has a commitment to being happy and there is nothing more empowering to see a mother happy in her life—it gives the message of the sweetness of life to her kids. I am also extra lucky that I have spent the past 23 years in my husband’s family.  When I was thirteen years old, I once saw my future mother-in-law at a party and I was dazzled by her.  I thought to myself right then and there that I one day I would like to be gracious and warm like her. Little did I know that she would become my mother-in-law.  She has shown me that it is possible to nurture one’s own gifts while keeping up with a family life.  She is a talented sculptor and she works with a great deal of love and passion.  Last year, in her gallery exhibition she said something to an audience that has stayed with me ever since. She told a group of young women that “being feminine and soft spoken is not a sign of weakness but can be our strength.”  These are just two examples of women in my family and I can list more.  I think the single most important inspiration comes from personal examples of those around us and I am lucky to have so many around me.

Iranian Jewish women of the last century seem to have a tremendous amount of inner strength. Where do you see the next generation of women from the Iranian Jewish community going?

There is tremendous potential and opportunity for the next generation of Iranian Jewish women.  I see so many who are striving for higher education. There are women who are now surgeons, consultants, and attorneys. There are also those who are in some way committed to their growth as a person. It is not that every woman needs to work outside of the house.  I think what is more important is that every woman needs to feel that she is a positive force in the life of her family and community.  As much as there are opportunities around us, great distractions abound. It is up to each and every one of us to make growth and learning a priority in our lives, and it is up to all of us to support one another towards that path.  The more important question is how I, as a parent or a friend, support other’s dreams and needs.  Because we come from a traditional and collective culture, we tend to have a harder time supporting those who have different ideas for a vocation, or time of marriage, etc…  Not everyone can be fulfilled by one path set out before them.

With the current poor status of women in Iran, can you please comment on the significance of the fact that you as an Iranian woman have featured a book containing another well-respected Iranian woman and other women of prominence in the world?

From what I understand, more women in Iran nowadays go to college than their male counterparts.  And yet, they lack many human rights.  In doing my research on the brilliant and pioneering poet, Forough Farrokhzad, so many writers referred to her need to express her personal feelings as a form of unveiling.  Forough paid a high price for her brilliance indeed, but she felt that pursuing her quest for her deeper self was not a choice; she had to surrender to it.  In her poems she discovered herself, and in her poems she craved understanding and through the process she became a giant in Persian literature.  All the women that I have showcased in the book have had to face many challenges and yet they were driven by the pure fire of a calling.  Forough serves as an example for all of us, that our work in life can serve a higher purpose.  There are women now in Iran who tread the same path as Forough but in a different way. I just met the brave Sussan Tahmasebi, who led the Million-Signature Campaign in Iran to ask for women’s greater rights.  She too is a pioneer in the symbolic unveiling of women.

You don’t have daughters of your own, but what message would you like young women today to be left with after reading your book?

I love this question Karmel. It is true that I don’t have daughters of my own, but I hope this book is an inspiration to my sons as well. Just recently my son, Phillip came back from college and was excited to tell me that he was reading the works of “Simone de Beauvoir”—another woman I have showcased in the book.  I feel that the world is a better place when men respect and support the efforts of the women around them as well. But the overriding message of the book is that as women, we need to first look at our talents and strengths and not focus as much on our weaknesses. We are not supposed to be perfect in everyway…none of the women I have read about had a perfect life.  But what research has shown me is that the most effective and successful women have managed to tailor a life that is based on their strengths and talents. Vibrant and happy women chose activities that bring meaning to their lives and nourish their inner needs.  There is no true definition of the right path for we all have our unique calling and we are all capable of being pioneers in our own lives!

 

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March 5, 2012 | 6:52 am

Why did President Obama not condemn bible burning in Iran?

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Many Iranian Americans of the Christian and Jewish faiths this week were shocked and baffled how President Obama publicly apologized recently for the inadvertent burning of Korans at an American base in Afghanistan, while just a year ago the President said nothing when the Iranian government officially burned thousands of bibles in a Nazi-like campaign of book burning. In recent years the evil fundamentalist Islamic regime of Iran has burned countless bibles in Iran for fear of the “spread of Christianity” among the youth in Iran. Countless Americans who are of the Judeo-Christian background cannot understand how President Obama has repeatedly expressed the need to be “sensitive” about the Islamic faith and have respect for this religion, while at the same time the President has failed to condemn radical elements in Iran and the Islamic world who show no sensitivity nor respect for religions other than Islam. Why do you have such a double standard Mr. President? Are not burnings of all holy religious scriptures by anyone a horrendous act?

What is completing idiotic about this foolish act of bible burning by Iran’s government officials is that in Islam and in the Koran, Jesus is considered a disciple of God and followers of Islam are called on to respect Christianity. The recent burning of Korans in Afghanistan were no doubt wrong. At the same time, two wrongs do not make a right— and the Iranian government’s burning of bibles does not justify burning Korans anywhere. Any kind of holy book burning for that matter should be condemned because it is a barbaric act of intolerance and those who love freedom must speak out against it.

Yet I am not at all shocked at President Obama’s silence on the Iranian government’s burning or bibles last year because it was yet another prime example of his indifference to the plight of religious minorities suffering at the hands of Iran’s regime and the President’s shameful lack of courage to speak out against heinous human rights violations committed by the Iranian regime. When the people of Iran in 2009 began marching in the streets demanding for greater freedoms, democracy and an end to the brutal dictatorship of Iran’s notorious mullahs, the President for several days did not utter a word of backing for their cries for help nor did he condemn innocent civilians being slaughtered in the main cities of Iran. Finally, following a week or so after the protestors were killed, beaten and imprisoned, President Obama gave a watered-down weak speech asking for the Iranian regime to “allow for greater freedoms” for their people. The people of Iran were disappointed with the President’s catastrophic failure to back them and their quest for true freedom. The people of Iran then showed their disappointment when they chanted in the streets; “Obama you are either with us or you are with them!” The President did nothing when he could have more vocally stepping onto the world’s stage in support of Iran’s people. The President wanted to “make nice” with the mullahs ruling Iran in an effort to lure them to the negotiating table on the nuclear issue. Well this approach clearly failed and the regime’s leadership spat in his face and refused to negotiate. What amazes Iranian Americans is the fact that the President has very vocally supported protestors demanding greater freedoms in the Arab countries of Libya, Tunsia, Egypt, Syria and Yemen and he has demanded the ouster of their dictator leaders— yet he fails to act the same when it comes to the people of Iran who are protesting against the brutal dictatorship of the mullahs in Iran! Again why is there a double standard Mr. President when it comes to the freedom loving people of Iran? Is their yearning for freedom and desire not to be killed by their oppressive regime less important than that of individuals living in the Arab world?

As Americans go to the polls this November, they need to ask themselves whether they want a courageous leader with a strong moral conviction who will speak out against intolerance and stand up to evil in the world coming from Iran’s leaders— or if they prefer a passive leader who sits on the sidelines quietly while this type of evil continues growing. I for one hope President Obama wakes up soon and strongly condemns the hate spewing from Iran’s regime and changes his policy to that of regime change in Iran before this current fundamentalist radical Islamic government in Iran spreads its evil through out the world.

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March 3, 2012 | 12:55 pm

Remembering Ebrahim Yahid

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Earlier this week, Southern California’s Iranian Jewish community said goodbye to one of their most respected and dedicated leaders, Ebrahim Yahid who passed away at age 90. Yahid was one only three individuals from the older generation of Jewish leaders from Iran who had pulled himself up from poverty, helped the Jewish community prosper and aided Israel in every way possible from age 22 to the last days of his life. The man’s accomplishments for this community and for the State of Israel were nothing short of remarkable.

I had a close friendship with Yahid over the last 12 years and interviewed him frequently for articles I was working on regarding the lives of Jews under the “Pahlavi Dynasty” in Iran. This time period was by historical standards a “golden age” for Jews in Iran who gained greater personal freedoms, achieved educational and financial success and enjoyed substantial tolerance as minorities living in a country of Muslims in the majority. Contrary to their current second class status which has been in place since the 1979 revolution, Jews under the Pahlavi dynasty thrived and were able to help Iran modernize and develop rapidly because of their contacts in trade and commerce. In fact, a select few Iranian Jews helped gradually foster and forge the significant ties between Iran and Israel during this time period— a relationship which benefit for both countries. Yahid was one of those special Iranian Jews who promoted trade and political cooperation between the two countries. With both Israel and Iran sharing mutual enemies about the Arab countries in the region, their alliance was only natural. In one interview Yahid informed me how the city of Qazvin in Iran was destroyed following a horrible earthquake in the 1960s and how the Israeli government donated pre-fabricated homes for the residences of Qazvin to live in afterwards. That goodwill gesture between the two countries was brought about because of individuals like Yahid who saw the larger geo-political and trade importance of the Israeli-Iranian alliance. Interestingly enough Israeli engineering firms later helped modernize Qazvin under new urban development programs put in place by the Iranian government. More significantly, Yahid informed me that Israeli civil engineers even discovered a sweet water lake meters under the surface in Qazvin and they helped put in place a remarkable irrigation and water usage system for the city that is still in use to this day in Qazvin. This project was just one of hundreds in place between Israel and Iran during the late Shah of Iran’s reign that helped modernize Iran’s agriculture, technology, infrastructure and commerce. While the mullah’s who rule Iran today with an iron fist condemn the Iranian-Israeli relationship during the Shah’s reign as evil, historians will eventually look back on the ties between the two nations more favorably because of the substantial benefit to both countries that came about.

Yet trade was not the only contribution Yahid made to Israel and Iran. At the start of World War II, Yahid volunteered to serve in the British army based in Iran and was later promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the military intelligence. During the course of his work in the British military, he was responsible for protecting the vital oil pipelines in Iran that were used by the allies against the Nazis. Yahid was also a member of the Jewish Brigade and was key in helping to transport Jewish soldiers from Poland and the former Soviet Union onto oil carrying ships from Iran that were headed for Israel. In his military capacity, Yahid was also one a small group of Iranian Jews who aided in the transport hundreds of orphaned Jewish children known as the “Tehran Children” who had fled Nazi Europe via Iran and were later sent to Israel. A true Zionist through and through, following World War II and the establishment of the State of Israel, Yahid worked voluntarily and tirelessly to support the new Jewish state as a liaison between the Israeli embassy in Tehran under Israeli Ambassador Meir Ezri and the Iranian foreign ministry. During the early 1950’s when Jews were fleeing or exiled from Iraq and traveling to Iran, Yahid was among a group of Iranian Jews who helped the Iraqi Jews immigrate to Israel. In addition, Yahid spearheaded fundraising efforts in Iran on behalf of countless Israeli non-profits including the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency that was promoting Iranian Jewish emigration to Israel.

During the last 30 years a retired Yahid dedicated his life to countless causes in Southern California’s Iranian Jewish community and numerous non-profit groups based in Israel. He was one of the founders of both the “Iranian American Jewish Federation” and the “Nessah Israel Educational & Cultural Center”. He continued his fundraising efforts among local Iranian Jews on behalf of the Jewish National Fund and even into his 70’s and 80’s he was taking large tourist groups of Iranian Jews to visit Israel. He was a tremendously knowledgeable resource that I tapped into on many occasions to shed light on how Iranian Jews have changed since their arrival to the U.S. from Iran.

In the end Yahid’s impact on Iranian Jewry during the last century and support for both Iran and Israel were monumental. His loss to the Iranian American Jewish community is substantial and his void will no doubt be felt. What is more heartbreaking about the loss of Yahid is the fact that there are not very many couragous, dedicated and heavily involved leaders in the Iranian Jewish community today who are taking bold actions to strengthen the community in the U.S. and unselfishly give to the cause of Israel. Sadly most of our older leadership in Los Angeles seem to be more interested in their own private business pursuits and involvement with social gatherings rather than doing anything substantive for the community. Likewise as Israel and Iran are today on the brink of war, the warm relations which once existed between the two countries from the 1950’s to 1979 should stand as an excellent example of how countries in the Middle East of different backgrounds can prosper together and also what happens when radical fundamentalist Islamic forces, that have no tolerance for others, can do the opposite in the region.

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January 9, 2012 | 7:13 am

Lalezary is what is right about L.A.’s Iranian Jews

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Southern California’s Iranian Jewish community has been abuzz this week after a recent press conference held by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca who announced that Iranian Jewish volunteer deputy Shervin Lalezary was responsible for the arrest of an alleged serial arsonist in the Hollywood area. The 30-year-old Lalezary, who is also a real estate attorney, spoke humbly at the press conference about his detection and arrest of the suspect in the case. To say that local Iranian Jews are thrilled and proud of Lalezary is an understatement. Community leaders and members I have spoken to this past week have all demanded that I give proper coverage in the L.A. Jewish Journal to Lalezary because they believe he is one of the great examples of what is right about Southern California’s Iranian Jewry.

Following last year’s conviction of former local Iranian Jewish banker Ezri Namvar and the recent arrest of Iranian Jewish radio talk show host John Farahi, many in the community have been disappointed with the lack of good news coming from those within their ranks. So this story of Lalezary comes at a great time when L.A. Iranian Jewry can proudly point to one of their own as an example of our generosity to the greater community in L.A. and our desire to bring about “Tikun Olam” or healing of the world. Iranian Jews live in a very insular and tight-knit community, often not allowing outsiders to really understand them. Sadly as a result, sometimes a few individuals from outside the community are often quick to write-off or judge the entire community based on a few rotten apples. Yet every once in a while a great example of our community’s giving nature, love of community and desire to help others shines— such was the case this week with deputy Lalezary. He is not only an educated productive contributor to the economy of L.A. but also volunteers his free time for the benefit of law enforcement and protection of all Angelinos. This blog salutes deputy Lalezary and congratulates his family for giving us an individual who has given back to the larger community unselfishly and with bravery.  Again, he is what is truly right about L.A.’s Iranian Jews and a fantastic example that the new generation of young Iranian Jews can emulate.

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January 3, 2012 | 7:13 am

World says nothing after Christians jailed on Christmas in Iran

Posted by Karmel Melamed

More than two dozen Christian men, women and children celebrating Christmas earlier this week in their church located in the southern Iranian city of “Ahvaz” were promptly arrested and hauled off to a local jail. The small evangelical congregation was hauled into two buses that were waiting for them in what local witnesses described as a planned raid by the local police. What was their supposed crime? Well accordingly to Iranian officials, these families were allegedly proselytizing Christianity among Muslims in Iran which the current government considers illegal and is punishable by death! While the worshipers of this Iranian church were eventually released, their pastor, Farhad Sabokrouh and his wife still remain in jail and are being held on crimes against Islam.

This horrid Christmas day raid and arrest of innocent Christian families in Iran is yet another prime example of the pure evil nature of Iran’s regime, which despite its propaganda machine, has zero tolerance for individuals who are not from the Shiite Islamic faith. It’s a travesty that the news media in the West have given no coverage to this story and governments in Europe and the U.S. have remained silent while the Iranian regime commits this unspeakable crime on Christmas, a day of peace and holiness for billions of people worldwide. What amazes me the most is how the depraved Iranian police can handcuffed and hauled off to jail innocent children! How can this heinous Iranian regime accuse children, of all people, for proselytizing Christianity?!

What is most hypocritical of this entire fiasco is the fact that just a day earlier the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani sent Christmas greetings to Pope Benedict XVI. The audacity of the Iranian regime to attempt to curry favor with the Pope and attempt to “improve their tarnished image” in the world while at the same time persecuting innocent Christian families in their own country is just remarkable! Where is the outage from the international community and the Vatican for this crime against innocent Christian families in Iran? Why hasn’t the current Pope denounced the Iranian regime for this unspeakable crime committed on Christmas against families in Iran? It seems as if while Pope John Paul II had the courage to speak out against the evils of Communist regimes in Russia and Eastern Europe more than 30 years ago, the current Pope Benedict XVI lacks the same courage to speak out against the evils of Islamo-fascism spewing out of Iran.

The Christmas arrest in Iran is not the first incident of Christian persecution by the Iranian regime. The government in Iran since 1979 has systematically persecuted non-Muslims in Iran (especially Jews, Bahais and Zoroastrians) including Christians. Individuals from the Christian faith have typically been imprisoned or executed— and of them, many were former Muslims who converted to Christianity or encouraged other Muslims to convert to Christianity. For instance, in October 2009, an Iranian Christian Evangelical pastor, Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in his home by Iranian police in the city of Rasht after seeking to register his house church. In September 2010, Nadarkhani, who is married with two children, was found guilty of abandoning Islam and sentenced to death. While his case is pending appeal, the Iranian judiciary has offered to spare Nadarkhani’s life if he denounces Christianity and returns to Islam. To the contrary, Nadarkhani has refused to leave his faith and remains imprisoned as the Iranian regime attempts to use whatever means possible to force his conversion back to Islam.  Nadarkhani’s case has uniquely gained international attention with media coverage of the story in Europe and the West which has placed some pressure of Iranian’s leadership. Yet the case remains unresolved and just before Christmas this year, an Iranian court ordered Nadarkhani be imprisoned for another year before being executed.

The millions of practicing evangelical Christians and other Christians in the U.S., Canada and South America must demand that their governments and the U.N. hold Iran’s regime accountable for their Christmas crimes against innocent Christian families in Iran. The world cannot continue to remain silent while the Iranian government continues to persecute peoples of others faiths and blatantly violates human rights. What should scare the international community is the clear fact that the same Iranian regime that abuses and threatens its own Christian population would not hesitate to do the same to other countries in the world if their regime ever obtains nuclear weapons.

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December 27, 2011 | 6:52 am

Hillary Clinton’s speech fails to call out Iran for its LGBT abuses

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience of diplomats at the United Nations in Geneva that “gay rights are human rights” and that “it should never be a crime to be gay”. Yet what was surprising about Mrs. Clinton’s gay rights speech for many of us who have been following the Obama administration’s foreign policy on human rights was its lack of real substance. She stated the U.S. would make decisions on asylum and aid to countries based on their record of human rights towards LGBT but nothing more. Why wasn’t there a bold call to rally western nations to pursue a tougher “no nonsense” stance against regime’s who abuse or kill LGBT because of their sexual orientation? There seems to no “bite” to the Obama administration’s supposed support for human rights for LGBT around the world. Moreover Mrs. Clinton’s speech failed to mention the serious violators of LGBT rights in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and Iran where homosexuals are routinely executed for their sexual orientation. Iran’s government follows Sharia or Islamic law that prohibits any type of sexual activity outside the realm of heterosexual marriage, and homosexuality is considered “a violation of the supreme will of God.” Specifically, in Islamic law homosexuality is referred to as “lavat,” which is Arabic for sodomy and in Iran is punishable only by death.

Those interested in reading about the Iran government’s significant human rights abuses against LGBT in Iran, can read my recent article about it in the Advocate magazine.

One is left wondering why Mrs. Clinton and the Obama administration for that matter are shying away from or frightened to call out the Iranian regime for their unspeakable crimes against LGBT living in Iran? One would think that the current U.S. administration would make sure to use almost every opportunity they come across to single out and isolate Iran’s fundamentalist Islamic regime. While many nations around the world may be swayed into believing Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, the majority of them cannot deny that Iran’s policy of executing LGBT is utterly horrid. So why isn’t the Obama administration trying to win world support against Iran’s regime for their human rights violations instead of the nuclear issue? This move would no doubt more easily isolate Iran among the countries of the world. And if would seem that once Iran is isolated to a greater extent, it could potentially change its behavior when it comes to the nuclear issue. But it seems as if the Obama administration is fine with not doing anything of the kind when it comes to isolating Iran internationally on all issues. Yes one can argue that there are many violators of LGBT rights in the Middle East and Africa— but are any of them actively pursuing nuclear weapons and calling for their neighbors to be “wiped off the map” like Iran’s leadership has? The crimes against LGBT and humanity in general committed by Iran’s current leadership during the last 32 years are some of the most horrendous to date and cannot be ignored! For this simple reason alone, Iran must be singled out from the family of nations for their human rights abuses. And for Mrs. Clinton to avoid mentioning Iran in her very important speech, yet again I believe shows weak leadership by the Obama administration when it comes to the issue of Iran policy by the U.S.

I hate to admit it but it seems as if Mrs. Clinton’s speech was nothing more than a 2012 election ploy by the Obama administration to fire up her party’s support among LGBT in the U.S. for President Obama. If there was more substance in her speech and if she had made a real effort to call out Iran’s regime for its LGBT abuses, it would have revealed Mrs. Clinton’s true courage to stand up for real human rights and stand up to Iran for its failed human rights record. In the coming 2012 elections those who truly care about LGBT human rights should call out the Obama administration for their failure to do and say nothing about the unspeakable LGBT abuses occurring in Iran today.

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