فارسی
A pioneering figure in Iranian Jewish history, Nahid Pirnazar’s journey spans academia, cultural advocacy, and women’s rights. From Tehran to UCLA, her work bridges Iranian heritage and Jewish identity, leaving a permanent mark on both communities, especially when it comes to women’s rights.
Early Life and Education
Up to Bachelor’s
Nahid Pirnazar, the daughter of Eliyahu and Monir Pirnazar, was born on December 6, 1944, in Kermanshah, Iran. She completed her primary education at Ferdowsi Primary School and her secondary education at Reza Shah Kabir High School in Tehran. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Tehran in 1965.
Master’s and PhD
Nahid received her first Master’s Degree in 1976 in Teaching Languages as a Second Language with honors from the Faculty of Education at the University of Tehran. Later, she moved to the United States, where she earned her second Master’s Degree in Iranian Studies in 1998 and her Ph.D. in 2004 from UCLA, focusing on the history of the Jews of Iran and Farsi-Yahud literature (Persian written with Hebrew letters). Her doctoral studies were supervised by Professor Hussein Ziaei, Professor William Schniedewind, and Professor Amnon Netzer from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Overview
During her high school years, Ms. Pirnazar was selected by the Ministry of Education and sent to the United States for one year through an American Field Service scholarship, where she completed her high school diploma. After returning to Iran and completing her Bachelor’s Degree, in addition to teaching at the University of Tehran, she was employed in the Office of Scholarship in Iran. From 1965 to 1972, she was part of the team responsible for selecting Iranian students to be sent to the United States on scholarships and for supervising American students who were guests in Iran.
Nahid Pirnazar consistently excelled throughout her educational journey, from primary school to university. When she received her Master’s degree from the University of Tehran, she was recognized as the top student in the Faculty of Educational Sciences and received a cultural award from the Ministry of Higher Education, presented by the Shah of Iran during the opening ceremony of the 1976 academic year at the University of Tehran.
Academic and Professional Career
After obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree, Nahid taught English at various faculties at the University of Tehran, including the Faculties of Literature, Fine Arts, Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering, and Sciences, from 1965 to 1976. During her time in the United States as a student, she continued her academic career as a teaching assistant at UCLA and Santa Monica College. After earning her Ph.D., she continued teaching in the Iranian Studies and History departments at UCLA. In the summer of 2006, she was invited by the Yeshiva University in New York to teach the history and culture of Iranian Jews.
Cultural and Social Contributions
Nahid’s involvement in social and cultural activities began in 1963 when she joined the Organization of Iranian Jewish Students. She continued her cultural work in the United States by helping to establish the Iranian Jewish Women’s Organization in Los Angeles in 1976, where she served as president for three terms (1978-1980 and 1986-1990). She remains an active senior member and cultural advisor.
Habib Levy Foundation
Among her other activities in the United States, Nahid Pirnazar has been a member of the Executive Board of the Habib Levy Cultural Foundation. Since the foundation’s establishment in 1997, she has held the position of Cultural Advisor, and since 2004, she has served as the Head of the Cultural and Publishing Department. Additionally, she has overseen the editing and publication of all the personal writings of Dr. Habib Levy.
Society of Scholars
In the United States, Nahid Pirnazar was also one of the founders and initial members of the Executive Board of the Society of Alumni, later known as the Society of Scholars, and subsequently the Foundation of the Society of Scholars, from 1991 to 1998. During her time with this group, she served as the Cultural Liaison of the Society of Scholars with Professor Amnon Netzer, the editor of the three-volume research series “Padiyavand”. In the first and second volumes of this series, she briefly adapted and added content to the book “Women and Jewish Law” by Rachel Biale, and in the third volume, she adapted and reported on the book “Judaism in Persia’s Shadow” by Jon L. Berquist in both Persian and English.
HJPM
In 2000, Nahid established the House of Judeo-Persian Manuscripts, a non-profit foundation dedicated to collecting and transcribing Judeo-Persian manuscripts – Persian texts written in Hebrew letters. These documents were transcribed into modern Persian script, lightly edited, compared with similar available manuscripts, and published to make them accessible to future researchers and scholars.
Farhang Foundation
In 2008, Nahid co-founded the Farhang Foundation, a non-political cultural organization in Los Angeles dedicated to promoting Iranian culture to the second generation of Iranian-Americans and non-Iranians. She served as the Secretary of the Executive Board from 2008 to 2010 and continues to be active in its committees.
Advocacy for Women’s Rights
Nahid has always paid special attention to women’s issues, particularly those of Iranian Jewish women. In 2000, she oversaw the creation and publication of a pictorial book titled “Faces of the Organization of Iranian Jewish Women and the Organization of Iranian Jewish Women Living in Southern California” in English and Persian. Her commitment to women’s rights is also reflected in her work on Jewish divorce laws, specifically Get (Jewish divorce document).
She worked closely with American Orthodox Jewish authorities, specialized lawyers, and the Iranian Rabbinical Court in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Imma organization in New York, to advocate for reforms that would ensure fairness for women in religious divorce proceedings. As part of her efforts, under the banner of the Iranian Jewish Women’s Organization, she organized various group meetings and seminars, inviting and involving leaders from the American Orthodox Beth Din, Iranian rabbis, specialized lawyers, and a representative from New York. She edited a special issue titled “A Solution for Religious Divorce: Get and Agunah” in 2006, highlighting her dedication to this cause.
Academic Publications and Honors
Dr. Pirnazar has participated in many international conferences and published several scholarly articles on culture and society in English journals such as Irano-Judaica and the Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Her Persian-language publications have appeared in Iran Shenasi Quarterly (Iranology), Rahavard, Shofar of Los Angeles, and Cheshmandaz.
Personal Life
In 1977, Nahid Pirnazar married Geoffrey Oberman, a lawyer. They have two daughters: the social worker Shireen, and the lawyer Yasaman.
Timeline of Dr. Nahid Pirnazar’s Life
1965: Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Tehran.
1965: Began teaching English at the University of Tehran and started selecting Iranian students for U.S. scholarships.
1976: Master’s Degree in Teaching Languages as a Second Language from the University of Tehran.
1976: Moved to the United States, co-founded the Iranian Jewish Women’s Organization in Los Angeles.
1977: Married Geoffrey Oberman.
1998: Second Master’s Degree in Iranian Studies from UCLA.
2000: Founded the House of Judeo-Persian Manuscripts.
2004: Ph.D. in Iranian Studies from UCLA, Head of the Cultural and Publishing Department at the Habib Levy Cultural Foundation.
2006: Guest lecturer at Yeshiva University in New York; edited the special issue “A Solution for Religious Divorce: Get and Agunah.”
2008: Co-founded the Farhang Foundation.