Sam Yebri: Mensch Who Loves to Get Involved

Sam Yebri likes to get involved.

Whether co-founding an organization dedicated to strengthening Iranian American Jewish civic participation, supporting pro bono legal services for those most in need or promoting pro-Israel advocacy, Yebri is a champion of worthy causes and, for young adults hoping to impact their communities, a role model.

Case in point: He’s currently serving as president of the board at ETTA, a nonprofit that provides housing and other services to the developmentally disabled. He’s also on the board of directors at Jewish Free Loan Association and Bet Tzedek, and he serves on the advisory council of the western region of the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem (ACSZ).

On Sept. 7, ACSZ is recognizing Yebri’s dedication to the community during a gala at Sephardic Temple. The event also celebrates Israel’s 75th anniversary. 

In advance of the evening, Yebri discussed with the Journal the important community efforts he’s involved in, the values informing his work and why he’s passionate about improving the quality of life for all people in Los Angeles. 

Yebri, 42, was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was one year old. He was raised in Westwood, where he attended public school before he enrolled at Yale University as an undergraduate. USC School of Law followed. Afterward, a federal clerkship solidified his commitment to public service.

As a community leader, Yebri has attempted to bridge Iranian values, including love of family, tradition and support for Israel with decidedly more American ones, such as progress, openness and a commitment to civic life. 

As a community leader, Yebri has attempted to bridge Iranian values, including love of family, tradition and support for Israel with decidedly more American ones, such as progress, openness and a commitment to civic life. 

In 2007 he co-founded 30 Years After, a nonpartisan nonprofit that promotes public engagement among what at that time had been an unengaged population: Young adult Iranian American Jews.  In doing so, he helped normalize the idea of Iranian Jews holding leadership roles in the organized Jewish world and beyond.

“I believe wholeheartedly that Sam helped Iranian Jews secure a seat at the table of greater Jewish communal life and organizational leadership,” Tabby Refael, a co-founder of 30 Years After, its former executive director and a weekly columnist at the Journal, said. “30 Years After has had a huge impact on a generation of young leaders whose own community still regarded civic participation with apathy at best, and distrust at worst. 

“It wasn’t easy to help convince a community that had been a persecuted minority back in Iran, and had never been afforded a chance to vote, either due to dynastic rule or the current theocracy, that its voice and vote mattered,” Refael said. “Sam managed to do just that.” 

In 2020, Yebri announced his candidacy for L.A. City Council, marking the first time a Jewish Iranian American sought a seat on the city’s main legislative body. Ultimately, he lost in a tough race but said the experience provided invaluable lessons about what it takes to run a campaign for public office.

Presently, Yebri, in addition to his significant non-profit work, is busy as a partner at the Century City law firm, Merino Yebri, which specializes in employment issues along with real estate and general business matters. He’s also busy with his family — he and his wife, Leah, have four young children. 

There are numerous causes — Jewish and not — that are close to his heart, but of the scores of organizations he’s been involved with, those that identify Jewishly while lifting the broader community, he said, resonate most strongly with him. 

“Helping Angelenos of all backgrounds is incredibly meaningful and incredibly important.”