YOUNES NAZARIAN
(Z”L, OF BLESSED MEMORY)
FOUNDER
Younes Nazarian was born in Tehran, Iran, where he built a career as an entrepreneur and industrialist before relocating his family to the United States via Israel in 1978, ahead of the Iranian Revolution. Together with his wife Soraya, he founded the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation in Los Angeles and its regional office in Israel, the Ima Foundation — named in loving memory of his mother, Golbahar, known affectionately as "Ima." Today, the Foundation's legacy continues under the leadership of Soraya, their daughter Sharon in the role of President, and their other children, who serve as trustees. Younes was widely recognized as a philanthropist, industrialist, businessman, and a leader in the Persian Jewish communities of Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. Although he moved his family to Los Angeles, his devotion to the Jewish people and the State of Israel never wavered. His deep commitment to philanthropy was reflected in his passionate support of a wide range of educational, cultural, and medical /health initiatives in both the United States and Israel.
In the United States, Younes received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2011 for outstanding citizenship, individual achievement, and dedication to cultural unity, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 2018.
In Israel, he was selected in 2009 as one of twelve individuals honored with Israel's Torch Lighting Ceremony on Mount Herzl, one of the nation's most distinguished honors, and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Haifa in 2007.
Younes' business ventures, beginning in Iran and continuing in the US, have included the founding and development of numerous manufacturing, technology, and real estate enterprises. In Iran, he was a major contractor in the 1950s, working on roads, sewage, water infrastructure, and manufacturing projects. He also co-founded Techno-Is (Technology Israel) Commercial Corporation in Tehran, which became one of the region's largest import/export companies for construction machinery and equipment, manufacturing and exporting to many Gulf nations.
Upon arriving in the United States, Younes' entrepreneurial acumen led him to become co-owner of Stadco, a tool and die manufacturing company specializing in aerospace components. He was an early investor in and served on the Board of Directors of Qualcomm, Inc., a global leader in wireless telecommunications. He also served as Chairman of Nazarian Enterprises, which focused on diversifying assets across private, public, and real estate markets, with interests spanning aerospace, manufacturing, logistics, technology, hospitality, and alternative energy. In addition, he served as Secretary on the Board of Directors and was a major shareholder of ANG Inc., headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, a manufacturer serving military, commercial, and industrial markets.
Younes and Soraya's philanthropy has centered on education, the arts, health, empowering women and supporting Jewish and Persian institutions. Their 2017 gift to California State University, Northridge led to the renaming of the university's performing arts center as The Soraya, a lasting tribute to their shared commitment to the arts. At UCLA, they established the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and provided a substantial capital gift to the Hammer Museum's campus-wide renovation, for which the museum's lobby was named in their honor. At USC, the Nazarian Pavilion at Doheny Library honor their philanthropy and their giving also supported the Beit Midrash at Milken Community School, the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles through the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Cayton Children's Museum. Through the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, they created the Nazarian Iranian Young Leadership Initiative.
In Israel, Younes served on many distinguished boards and supported institutions across the country. He was Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governors of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance — home to the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Building and the Navon Performance Hall. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Haifa, and the Foundation established the Haifa University Memorial Scholarship Program and the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Library there. He also served on the Board of Directors of Sapir Academic College, home to the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Academic Library of the Ima Foundation. A special focus was placed on academic libraries in Israel, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Israel's National Library, as well as supporting, through capital gifts, the WIZO Younes & Soraya Nazarian Day Care and Early Childhood Education Center in Tel Aviv, and projects with Technoda, the Israeli Medicine and Science Museum.
Younes served as an Advisory Board Member of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy and the Foundation supported RAND's Israel Program focused on energy alternatives and long-range planning for the Israeli government. Under his leadership, the Foundation also partnered with the Mayo Clinic (USA) and Sheba Medical Center (Israel) to advance medical education through simulation-based curriculum development. Closer to home, Younes served on the boards of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and LA Opera.
In his memory, UCLA established the Younes Nazarian Medical Humanitarian Prize, awarded annually to a UCLA Health practitioner whose clinical care, research, and innovation advance humanity. The Younes Nazarian Annual Memorial Lecture also honors his legacy at the Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA. Cedars-Sinai similarly honors his extraordinary contributions through the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Clinical Scholar Award.
Younes resided in Los Angeles with Soraya, his beloved wife of 61 years, and was the proud father of four children and grandfather to eleven grandchildren.