Presented by Ron Lezell and Shahpour (Shawn) Matloob

Click here to register for this in-person event. Seating is limited and open on a first come, first served basis.

The Persian Jewish community is the oldest in the diaspora, dating to biblical times. The vast majority of the nation’s Jews left Iran during the late twentieth century, particularly during the period surrounding the nation’s Islamic revolution. A practicing Jewish population remains in Iran, although it is much smaller in size than that of Los Angeles’s expatriate Persian Jewish community.

This evening will feature two unique perspectives on Persian Jewish life:

Ron Lezell will present photographs, video footage, and stories from the three trips he has made to the Jewish communities in Iran since 2014. This will be an opportunity to learn about the traditions of this ancient community, as practiced today in Iran and in the Persian diaspora.

Shahpour (Shawn) Matloob will reflect on his experience as a Jewish teenager who was smuggled out of Iran in 1987 and how that experience informs the immigration law work he is engaged in today.

Ron Lezell is an independent corporate accounting consultant. He serves on the board of A Wider Bridge and served on the national boards of the Association of Reform Zionists of America and the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Lezell represented the Reform movement as a delegate to the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem. He is a founding member of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, where he has served as an officer and board member.

Shahpour (Shawn) Matloob has been practicing as a U.S. immigration and nationality lawyer with an emphasis on asylum, family immigration, and naturalization since 1999. He is on the advisory councils for the American Immigration Lawyers Association NorCal and the Iranian American Bar Association Northern California Chapter and is a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Public Policy Committee. Matloob is a volunteer mentor attorney and speaker on asylum and other immigration issues. He holds a JD in international law from UC Hastings and a BA in political science and Near Eastern studies from UC Berkeley.

This event is made possible, in part, by Jane and Michael Rice.

Co-presented by JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.