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Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Public Affairs Officer Natalie Sanandaji was honored by the Sephardic Heritage Alliance (SHAI) on Wednesday with the “Young Leader” Award of Merit in recognition of her advocacy for the freedom of the Iranian people.
“Persian Jews are living proof of the deep, beautiful history between the Jewish and the Persian peoples,” Sanandaji said in remarks at the SHAI annual gala at Temple Israel in Great Neck, New York. “And that’s why this moment in history feels so extraordinary to me. For the first time since the 1979 revolution [in Iran], we’re seeing something that many of us never thought would be possible — open unity between Iranian people and the people of Israel, standing together against one common enemy, a regime that has oppressed both of them.”
“As a Nova survivor, as a Persian Jew of Iranian descent, and as a woman, I feel a responsibility to speak up and to help the world better understand what this war is really about, and to open people’s eyes to the fact that this unity between our peoples is not surprising at all,” she added. “It is rooted in thousands of years of shared history.”
Watch Sanandaji’s remarks HERE:
A native of Long Island with Iranian and Israeli roots, Sanandaji worked in real estate in New York City before October 7th, 2023, when she attended the Nova music festival with friends during a visit to Israel for a wedding. Upon her return to the United States, the trauma of her narrow survival led her to switch her career path to Jewish advocacy and fighting antisemitism, and she joined the CAM professional team.
At CAM, Sanandaji does speaking tours to share her experience and leads the Iranian Coalition — a network dedicated to promoting freedom and justice for the oppressed people of Iran.
Read more:
Nova Music Festival Massacre Survivor Brings Firsthand Testimony to University of Wisconsin
Nova Music Festival Survivor Reunited With Man Who Heroically Saved Her on October 7th
