Sharona Nazarian: First Iranian-born Jewish female mayor in US, vocal supporter of Israel

A Jewish woman from Iran? An Israel-supporting mayor in California? Dr. Sharona Nazarian might sound like a string of contradictions, but her life makes sense when you hear her story. 

Iran was once home to a large Jewish community, ever since the Babylonian exile well over 2,000 years ago. Today, there are very few Jewish people left in the country, as most have fled to Israel and elsewhere. Nazarian was born into a Jewish family in Iran but fled when the country during the Islamic Revolution.

“I’m an immigrant. English is my third language,” she told a crowd at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. “I came to this great nation fleeing religious persecution.” 

Despite her difficult background, Nazarian was elected to the city council and was recently sworn in as mayor of Beverly Hills in southern California. She is the first Iranian-born Jewish woman to ever become mayor of an American city, a position she will hold for four years.

“No one spoke for me and it wasn’t easy – but I refused to live with a victim mentality,” she said. “I believe in hard work and dedication and I promise to work hard for you.”

Right from the start, Nazarian made her support for Israel very clear. In an interview, she told Ynet News, “I’m proud to serve as a voice for our community, especially in these difficult times. From the moment I was elected to the city council, I made it a priority to stand with Israel.”

Now a trained clinical psychologist, Nazarian and her family initially spent time in Israel together with her mother and younger brother after fleeing from Iran.

“Israel was our safe haven,” she said. The family settled and learned Hebrew, but due to her father’s struggle with the language, they all made the move to the United States, where he had lived as a youth. However, her family still visits Israel every year, and Nazarian has taken bold steps to support the Jewish state from her position in California.

“I’ve spoken at every rally and used every opportunity to condemn Hamas and support Israel,” she said. “There’s so much divide in the world right now and people don’t understand the role Israel plays in the lives of so many.”

She continued, "If it wasn't for the state of Israel, I would not be here today. My family is so grateful – whether they experienced the Holocaust, exile from their homeland, or basic hatred, our community understands the importance of standing together in solidarity.”

Thanks to Nazarian, Beverly Hills City Hall now projects the message, “Bring them home now!” along with a yellow ribbon, and hosts rallies and visual presentations – such as empty chairs at a Shabbat table – to raise awareness about the hostages. She has also condemned the silence of women’s organizations that refused to speak up about atrocities perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women. 

“We witnessed one of the most tragic massacres of Jews since the Holocaust,” she said. “And we saw that women were used – that angered me beyond belief. Women should never be victimized, whether it’s women from the Zan Zendegi Azadi [women, life, freedom] movement or what happened to women in Israel.”

Even as a city councillor, she led the Beverly Hills City Council in passing a unanimous resolution supporting Israel and its right to defend itself soon after the Oct. 7 attacks.

“It was the first declaration of its kind in the U.S. We were clear in our condemnation of Hamas and unwavering in our support for our strongest ally – Israel,” she said.

Now, as mayor, Nazarian's priorities include combating discrimination and antisemitism, expanding access to mental health services, supporting local businesses, and promoting women’s empowerment and international relations. 

Speaking of her achievement, Nazarian said, “For my dad, it was a very proud moment. Where else can an immigrant accomplish so much? This is a humbling moment for me and my family. I don’t take it lightly – I’m honored to serve this beautiful country and community and to work with great leaders to build a safer, stronger, more united Beverly Hills.”