Yunus Nazarian, an ardent supporter of education and the arts and a prominent supporter of CSUN’s Yunus and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya), has passed away. He was 91 years old.
CSUN President Erika D. Beck addressed the tremendous impact of the Nazarenes on the university, saying, “Her legacy, represented by The Soraya, reaffirms our inherent connectedness to what really matters – our hearts and minds to our humanity. connects.”
Nazarian’s name is well known throughout the Los Angeles area and in Israel for the many programs established and funded through the Yunus and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundations. In addition to The Soraya, the family helped establish UCLA’s Israel Studies Program and created an endowment that led to the creation of the Yunus and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. The family also founded the Nazarene Pavilion at the Doheny Library at the University of Southern California and helped build Beit Midrash at Milken Community School.
Younes Nazarian was a successful entrepreneur in Iran who founded an import/export company of construction machinery and equipment, which became the largest of its kind in the region. In 1979, he and his wife, Soraya Sarah Nazarian, and their four children immigrated to the United States fleeing the Iranian Revolution and religious persecution. Once in America, he became a co-owner of Stadco, a specialized parts manufacturer in the aerospace industry. He was also an early investor and board member of Qualcomm, a leader in wireless telecommunications research and development.
The Nazarene family’s support for CSUN began in 2014, when their son, David, a prominent businessman, philanthropist and alumnus of CSUN, gave a transformative gift to CSUN’s business college, the David Nazarene College of Business and Economics. recognized as In 2016, Yunus and Soraya donated 50 laptops to business students and were also title sponsors for the 50th anniversary celebrations of Nazarian College, an event that completed a two-year, $25 million fundraising campaign for the college. . In 2017, the Valley Performing Arts Center was renamed The Yunus and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, in honor of the couple’s $17 million gift in support of the center’s programs and operations.
Thor Stingraber, executive director of The Soraya, said: “Younus came to guide a family of Nazarene philanthropists who put their values of education and the arts at the forefront of serving communities that would otherwise lack access. Might be possible.” “What an honor it is to welcome thousands of people each month to work every day at the Center for the Performing Arts in the name of Yunus Nazarian, and to further his vision and legacy.”
In 2016, when Yunus and Soraya came to the campus to donate laptop computers to business students, Yunus happily posed for selfies and shared some of his background with the youth at the event. “My father passed away when I was 2 years old,” he said. “We came to this country in ’79 (after the Islamic Revolution) with zero scratches. [Soraya and I] Wanted to create the best future for my four children and now my nine grandchildren. You too are going to create your own future. So you have to believe in yourself. You have to work very hard. You have to make it yourself.”
Nazarian has also sponsored scientific efforts, including efforts to advance medical education at the Mayo Clinic and at the MSR/Sheba Medical Center in Israel. His philanthropy has also extended to Israel, in support of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the libraries of the Hebrew University, Sapir Academic College and the University of Haifa.
In 2018, the CSU Board of Trustees and CSUN awarded Yunus Nazarian the honorary degree of Doctor of Human Letters; He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa. Yunus received Israel’s highest honor of the torchlight ceremony on Mount Hertz, usually only given to Israeli-born citizens, and was also the recipient of the 2011 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Yunus Nazarian is survived by his wife Soraya; four children David Nazarian, Shula Nazarian, Sharon Nazarian and Sam Nazarian; daughter-in-law Angela and Emina; sons-in-law Fernando and Matt; Eleven grandchildren Ariel, Aaron, Philip, Alan, Sarah, Eli, Layla, Adam, Ella, Mia, Sha; and great-grandson Lev.
