On Sunday, May 24, the Cotler Institute was honored to host Dr. Sharon Nazarian, an Iranian-American academic and international affairs expert, who spoke with the Fellows about Iranian Jewish identity and the future of the Islamic republic.

Born in Iran and raised in the United States following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Dr. Nazarian has dedicated much of her academic and public work to combatting antisemitism and extremism, Middle Eastern politics, Jewish identity, and intercultural dialogue. She has played a leading role in promoting Israel studies and educational initiatives in both the United States and Israel.

Dr. Nazarian began her lecture with a lively historical overview of the Jewish community within Iranian society, tracing the political and social developments that shaped it until the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Addressing issues of identity and belonging, she explored how Iranian Jews in the diaspora have maintained and navigated their identities and analyzed the complicated realities faced by Jews who continue to live in Iran today. She then provided an assessment of the contemporary geopolitical landscape.

Dr. Nazarian’s talk concluded with an engrossing Question and Answer session with the Cotler Fellows on the Iranian Jewish community, Islamist antisemitism, gender rights, and what’s next for Iran. The fellows, who found the 90-minute lecture exceptionally topical and inspiring and had many more questions, continued the discussion with Dr. Nazarian over pizzas at lunch.