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UCLA YOUNES & SORAYA NAZARIAN CENTER FOR ISRAEL STUDIES TO HONOR AUTHOR AMOS OZ AND YOUNES AND SORAYA NAZARIAN AT FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY GALA
Special Guest Host, Ari Shavit
Los Angeles, CA (April 23, 2015) – Internationally renowned Israeli author, Amos Oz will receive the “UCLA Israel Studies Award” and philanthropists Younes and Soraya Nazarian, the inaugural “Visionary Award” at a gala evening celebrating the five-year anniversary of the UCLA Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The center promotes the study of Israel as a modern Jewish and democratic state.
The evening’s program, followed by an elegant dinner, will include a special conversation with Oz by celebrated Israeli journalist, writer and television commentator, Ari Shavit. The Honorary Committee is helmed by Janet Napolitano, President, University of California and Gene Block, Chancellor, UCLA.
“The Y&S Nazarian Center is thrilled to present the UCLA Israel Studies Award to Amos Oz, a giant of Israeli literature,” said Yoram Cohen, interim director of the center and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and adjunct professor at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. “We are equally delighted to honor the couple for whom our center is named, whose visionary leadership has made it the premier Israel Studies center on the West Coast,” he added.
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The “UCLA Israel Studies Award,” which includes a $10,000 prize, was created to recognize individuals of extraordinary character and merit in their chosen fields – whether in academia, public service, business or the arts – who have contributed to a greater understanding of Israel or have made outstanding contributions to Israeli society and/or culture. The prize has only been awarded once previously, to former President (Chief Justice) of the Supreme Court of Israel, Aharon Barak, in 2007.
“UCLA is deeply grateful to Younes and Soraya Nazarian for championing Israel studies through their generous gifts and leadership,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who will present the award to the Nazarians. “Their dedication to community and scholarship has helped make the Y&S Nazarian Center a unique academic hub that gives our students exposure to the latest research on Israel, offers scholarships to study and conduct research there and hosts leading Israeli scholars and public figures to speak at public events on campus.”
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One Israel’s best-known and most revered contemporary authors, Amos Oz is the author of over 41 books, including 14 novels and 4 collections of short fiction, together with children’s books and numerous works of nonfiction, and is also a regular commentator in the Israeli and world press. His many novels have been translated into 43 languages and include: My Michael, The Hill of Evil Counsel, A Perfect Peace, Panther in the Basement, Scenes from Village Life, Judas and his acclaimed memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness, which has sold more than a million copies worldwide. A recipient of the Israel Prize for Literature in 1998, the highest honor of the State of Israel, Oz has received countless awards for his work including The Kafka Prize, the Prix Méditerranée Étranger, the Primo Levi Prize, the Heinrich Heine Prize, the Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt and the U.S. Jewish Book of the Year Award.
Younes and Soraya Nazarian are universally recognized for their remarkable professional accomplishments and outstanding humanitarian endeavors. A well-respected philanthropist, industrialist and businessman, Younes Nazarian is a prominent leader in the Persian Jewish community in both Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. Soraya Nazarian is an internationally acclaimed artist and sculptor. Together, their extensive philanthropic work, conducted through the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation has benefitted a host or worthy causes in the fields of academia, public policy and community-based social and artistic programs.
The UCLA Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies promotes the study of Israel as a modern Jewish and democratic state. Through teaching, scholarship and community programs, the Center fosters a deep and nuanced understanding of Israel’s rich history, multi-ethnic society, vibrant culture and role in the Middle East and the world. The Center is quickly becoming an international leader in the burgeoning field of Israel Studies. www.international.ucla.edu/israel
Tables begin at $10,000; individual tickets, $1,000. For further information, please call Grant Associates at (323)904-4400 or email rebecca@grantevents.com.