Mayor Nazarian to YU Students: Jewish Leadership Requires Showing Up and Speaking Out
On Oct. 20, Yeshiva University students filled a conference room on the Beren Campus to hear from Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian. Hosted by the Lieberman-Mitzner Center for Public Service, the event featured Nazarian’s story from being an Iranian immigrant to a public servant and her vision for Jewish leadership in the modern world.
Sharon Poczter, program director of the Lieberman-Mitzner Scholars Program, opened the evening by introducing YU President Ari Berman. She began by reflecting on the importance of leadership role models. Poczter urged students to recognize civic engagement as part of their responsibility as Jewish student leaders.
Berman, who had just landed from Israel, spoke about the University’s two-year efforts in advocating and praying for the return of the hostages held in Gaza. The return of all of the living hostages to Israel happened while Berman was in Israel, so he took a moment to reflect and thank Hashem. In discussing the halachic implications of making a bracha on the return of the living hostages while there are still Jewish bodies held in Gaza and much uncertainty on the stability of the peace plan in Israel, Berman looked to Pirkei Avot. He explained that “even when there is pain mixed with joy we still have an obligation to mark the good.”
Turning to the civic landscape, Berman noted the mayoral election and reminded students that democratic participation is a key expression of Jewish leadership. While as a representative for a university Berman is prohibited from explicitly telling students who to vote for, he remarked “as a university our job is to educate, and there is an anti-Zionist who is running for this election.” He continued with “We must be clear: Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” With that, he closed and again encouraged students to get out and vote.
After Berman’s remarks, Poczter returned to the podium to share the purpose of the Lieberman-Mitzner Center, founded shortly after Oct. 7 in partnership with the late Sen. Joseph Lieberman. The center, she explained, was established to “empower the next generation of Jews to seek public office, to engage civically and lead with faith.” She echoed Berman’s call to action, encouraging students to take voting seriously as a first step toward civic leadership.
Poczter then introduced Mayor Sharona Nazarian, Psy.D., who began her address by declaring herself a “proud member of Am Yisrael.” As the first Iranian, American and Jewish woman to hold such a high-ranking position, she shared how deeply personal her leadership journey has been.
Nazarian described how she has made visible displays of solidarity for Israel and Jewish life in her city. For two years, she lit the walls of Beverly Hills City Hall with a yellow ribbon and the words “Bring Them Home.” She set shabbos tables outside City Hall with empty seats for all of the hostages being held in Gaza and created the “Never Again is Now” initiative. She explained the importance of the initiatives saying “we are at a pivotal moment in our history. Silence is a space that is loved to be filled by hate, so we need to speak up with the truth and fill it ourselves.” Like the speakers before her, Nazarian urged students to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
Nazarian then sat down for a moderated conversation with Lieberman-Mitzner Scholar Daniella Landau (SCW ‘27). When asked about her background, the mayor recounted her family’s escape from Iran at age five, their year in Israel and their eventual move to America. “English is my third language,” she said. “As immigrants, we were taught to keep our heads down and move forward.” And she did. Mayor Nazarian pursued psychology, earning a Psy.D. to help others. Her community involvement grew organically from that desire. She began joining commissions, volunteering and eventually was convinced to run for office by her neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a tight race, Mayor Nazarian came in second by just six votes, giving her a significant amount of time to be mayor through Beverly Hills’ rotating mayorship. “Every door opens for a reason,” she reflected.
Speaking under the cloud of the upcoming mayoral election in New York City, Mayor Nazarian shared some insight into her job. She emphasized that her priority is to make sure that the city runs smoothly — potholes get filled, her constituents are safe and the garbage is picked up. Beyond the day-to-day, the Mayor reflected on her personal call to stand up for all marginalized groups, encouraging students to not just stand up against injustice when it affects them. Her perspective is that a mayor is meant to build bridges with all of their constituents, seeing all sides of an issue. With that, she motivated students to reach out to and call their elected officials, ensuring their voices and perspectives are heard.
Mayor Nazarian also spoke about balancing motherhood and public life. “Raising children is world-building,” she said. “You don’t need to be everything on day one. Find a supportive partner, call on your networks and community, take baby steps and remember that there’s strength in numbers.”
Students in attendance were deeply moved by the event. “It was amazing to hear from Mayor Nazarian about her role as mayor,” said Jared Kinches (SSSB ‘27). “It deepened my understanding of what the role entails, especially as NYC is on the cusp of electing a mayor who hates Jews and Israel.”
Lizzie Kohl (SCW ‘28) added, “it was especially interesting to hear how Mayor Nazarian tries to make every person in her city feel represented. Instead of dividing along partisan lines, she attends every event she’s invited to and advocates for everyone.”
As the evening closed, Poczter offered a reflection that captured the event’s spirit: “We can’t be what we don’t see.” The night’s message, rooted in faith, unity and civic courage, showed YU students exactly what Jewish leadership can look like.
Photo Caption: President Ari Berman and Mayor Sharona Nazarian
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University
