Younes Nazarian (January 26, 1931 March 18, 2022) was a Jewish
Iranian-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. An early investor in
Qualcomm, he was the Chairman of Nazarian Enterprises. He was also a major donor to charitable causes in California and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
Early life
Younes Nazarian was born in Iran on January 26, 1931, the son of Golbahar and Davoud Nazarian.
[Briefs: Scholarships memorialize fallen Israeli troops, Prizant and Federation settle suit, Teriton residents block evictions](_blank)
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', August 9, 2007 His father died when he was three years old. After losing his fortune amassed as a construction contractor during the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
of 1979,
[Bloomberg: "Sam Nazarian Wants You to Sleep with Him" By Karl Taro Greenfeld]
December 01, 2011 he immigrated to the United States with his brother
Izak Parviz Nazarian
Izak Parviz Nazarian ( ''Is'ḥaq Parvêz Nazariyân''; February 24, 1929 – August 23, 2017) was an Iranian-born American billionaire, businessman, investor, real-estate developer, and philanthropist. He was the managing partner of Omninet Capit ...
, settling in
Beverly Hills, California.
Career
Upon arriving in the United States in 1980, Younes Nazarian's entrepreneurial acumen led him to become co-owner of Stadco, a tool and dye manufacturing company in the aerospace industry.
He bought into Omninet, a technology company that had developed a wireless protocol that enabled trucking companies to keep track of their vehicles.
By recognizing its potential, he presented the technology to
Qualcomm founder
Irwin M. Jacobs who offered Nazarian a major stake in Qualcomm in exchange for Omninet.
As an early investor, he served on the Board of Directors of San Diego-based
Qualcomm, a leader in wireless telecommunications, R&D, and the largest fabless chip supplier in the world.
Younes Nazarian was the Chairman of Nazarian Enterprises which focuses on the diversification of assets across a variety of interests in the private, public, and real estate markets.
Key industries include aerospace, manufacturing and logistics, technology, hospitality, and alternative energy, among others. He also served as the secretary of the board of directors of ANG, Inc., a manufacturer of military products headquartered in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...
.
Philanthropy
Younes Nazarian was the founder of the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation and its Israeli sister organization, the Ima Foundation.
[Ima Foundation Israel: Founders](_blank)
/ref> His daughter, Dr. Sharon Nazarian, serves as the foundation's President.
Younes Nazarian was the former chairman of the board of governors of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Haifa Foundation. /sup> He served on the board of directors of the Sapir Academic College
Sapir College ( he, המכללה האקדמית ספיר, ''HaMikhlela HaAkademit Sapir'') is a college in Israel, located in the northwestern Negev desert near Sderot. It is the largest public college in Israel, with an enrollment of 8,000 stude ...
, where the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Academic Library is named in his honor. The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Pre-Academic Library Of the Ima Foundation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is also named in his honor.
In 2007, he donated $119,000 to the University of Haifa
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming ...
in the form of 119 scholarships of $1,000 to commemorate the Israeli casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War. That same year, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the university. Additionally, he served as a member of the "Public Standing from abroad" on its board of governors.University of Haifa Board of Trustees
/ref> In mid 2017, Younes donated $17,000,000 to the Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge. The performing arts center will have a name change in honor of Younes' wife, Soraya (it will also be known as "The Soraya").[Valley Performing Arts Center](_blank)
/ref>
Younes Nazarian endowed the Beit Midrash Fellowship at the Milken Community High School in Bel Air. He has also endowed the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(UCLA). The Nazarian Pavilion in the Doheny Library on the campus of the University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
(USC) was also built as a result of a charitable gift from Nazarian. In 2017, Nazarian and his wife donated $17 million to the California State University, Northridge, where the Valley Performing Arts Centre was renamed the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts.
Younes Nazarian was the former chairman of the Habib Levy Cultural & Educational Foundation. He served on the board of trustees of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Television Network. He has served at the Sinai Temple, a Conservative synagogue in Westwood.
Younes Nazarian served on the Advisory Board of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation. He served on the board of directors for the Friends of IDF, a fundraising non-profit organization for the Israel Defense Forces.
Younes Nazarian obtained honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Haifa and California State University, Northridge.
Younes Nazarian received Israel's highest honor of the Torch Lighting Ceremony on Mount Hertzl, generally only given to Israeli-born citizens, and was also the recipient of the 2011 Ellis Island Medal of Honor
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...
.
Personal life
Younes Nazarian was married to Soraya Sarah Nazarian, for 61 years. They have four children David Nazarian, Shulamit Nazarian, Dr. Sharon Nazarian, and Sam Nazarian. Additional family members include daughters-in-law Angella Nazarian and Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian, sons-in-law Fernando Flint and Matt Oshinski.
Younes and Soraya Sarah Nazarian have eleven grandchildren Ariel, Aaron, Phillip, Elan, Sarah, Eli, Layla, Adam, Ella, Mia, Sha; and great-grandson Lev.
Death
Nazarian died on March 18, 2022, at his home in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, at the age of 91.
References
External links
The Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA
The Younes and Soraya Pre-Academic Library of the Ima Foundation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation
Ima Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nazarian, Younes
1931 births
2022 deaths
American billionaires
American company founders
American construction businesspeople
American investors
American manufacturing businesspeople
American people of Iranian-Jewish descent
American transportation businesspeople
American venture capitalists
Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Conservative Jews
Iranian emigrants to the United States
Iranian Jews
Iranian philanthropists
Jewish American philanthropists
Younes
People from Beverly Hills, California
People from Tehran
Philanthropists from California
RAND Corporation people
University of California, Los Angeles people
Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States