Izak Parviz Nazarian ( ''Is'ḥaq Parvêz Nazariyân''; February 24, 1929 – August 23, 2017) was an Iranian-born American billionaire, businessman, investor, real-estate developer, and philanthropist. He was the managing partner of Omninet Capital, an investment vehicle and the first major investor in

Qualcomm Qualcomm () is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4 ...

Early life

Izak Parviz Nazarian was born to a Persian-Jewish family in 1929 in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

.Tel Aviv University American Friends: "Passing the Torch: Izak Parviz Nazarian"
July 3, 2013Niv Elis
How an Iranian changed Israel’s electoral laws
''The Jerusalem Post'', 03/12/2014Araleh Weisberg
Nazarian’s mission
''

Israel HaYom ''Israel Hayom'' ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם, lit=Israel Today) is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper. First published in 2007, ''Israel Hayom'' is Israel's most widely distributed newspaper. Owned by the fam ...

'', June 24, 2012Humanitarian Award Recipients: Mr. Izak Parviz Nazarian
, Magbit Foundation, April 21, 2013 His father died when he was five years old.Tom Tugend
Iranian Jews struggle with segregation, presumption and assimilation -- how the stranger became the Angeleno
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', February 22, 2007 His mother opened a sewing shop. He has a brother,

Younes Nazarian Younes Nazarian (January 26, 1931 March 18, 2022) was a Jewish Iranian-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. An early investor in Qualcomm, he was the Chairman of Nazarian Enterprises. He was also a major donor to charitable caus ...

.Yoav Yitzhak
Nazarian family negotiating to acquire Discount Bank
''

Globes A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe of ...

'', 01/02/2004 He grew up in Tehran, where he was educated at the Alliance Israelite Universal Elementary School and the Technical High School. In 1943, in the midst of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he worked as a waiter's assistant on a United States Army base in Iran. At the age of eighteen, Nazarian moved to Italy, where he became a member of the

Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

in 1947. On 17 May 1948, three days after Israel had become an independent nation, he moved to Israel, where he served in the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

as a member of the 7th Armored Brigade. He was wounded in a mining explosion and stayed in hospital for five months. Unable to fight, he resumed his service in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

and became Israeli Foreign Minister

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and ''kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1 ...

's chauffeur.

Career

Nazarian started a gravel transportation business shortly after his service with the IDF. He acquired trucks and hired drivers to move gravel to construction sites in Israel. He also owned a cement factory in

Yarka Yarka, officially Yirka ( he, יִרְכָּא, ar, يركا), is an Israeli Druze village and local council in the Northern District of Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 17,171, 98.8% of them members of the Druze community, with a small M ...

. He returned to Iran in 1957, where he expanded his construction business and oversaw the construction of many government buildings. He enjoyed close ties with the Shah,

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...

. During the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

of 1979, his name was on the kill list. He went into exile in the United States, settling in Los Angeles. By 1985, he co-founded Omninet with Irwin M. Jacobs and

Andrew Viterbi Andrew James Viterbi (born Andrea Giacomo Viterbi, March 9, 1935) is an American electrical engineer and businessman who co-founded Qualcomm Inc. and invented the Viterbi algorithm. He is the Presidential Chair Professor of Electrical Engineeri ...

, initially to track the flow of trucks from one construction site to another. The start-up, which merged with

, became one of the world's largest chipmakers. As Nazarian was a major shareholder, he became a billionaire. Nazarian served as a managing partner of Omninet Capital, "a diversified investment firm in the fields of private equity, real estate and venture capital", and managing partner of Omninet Ventures.Izak Parviz Nazarian
''

Bloomberg Business ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

'' He was also the chair of Stadco, "a leading producer of high-precision tooling and parts for the aerospace industry."

Philanthropy

Prior to 1979, Nazarian was an advocate of women's rights in Iran.American Friends of Tel Aviv University: Passing the Torch
/ref> Once in the United States, he worked with

Armand Hammer Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist" by the press, ...

to help Soviet Jews emigrate to Israel in the 1980s. He is a co-founder of the Iranian American Jewish Federation, headquartered in Los Angeles. Nazarian was the founder of the Magbit Foundation, a non-profit organization which gives scholarships to university students in Israel. He has made charitable contributions to

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

(where he endowed the Chair for Modern Iranian Studies),

Ben-Gurion University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ( he, הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion ...

and the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...

. He was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University, where The Pouran and Izak Parviz Nazarian Building is named in honor of Nazarian and his wife.Tel Aviv University: Pouran and Izak Parviz Nazarian Building
/ref> Moreover, he was recognized as one of four "philanthropic visionaries" alongside

Guilford Glazer Guilford Glazer (July 17, 1921 – December 23, 2014) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist. Early life Glazer was born to a Jewish immigrant family Jona Goldrich Jona Goldrich (born Jona Goldreich; September 11, 1927 – June 26, 2016) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist. Born in Lviv, he emigrated to Israel in the midst of World War II, where he served in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War ...

and

Max Webb Max Webb (March 2, 1917 – October 23, 2018) was a Poland, Polish-born American real estate developer and philanthropist from Los Angeles, California. A Holocaust survivor born to a Jewish family, he was the co-founder of one of the largest real ...

by the American Friends of Tel Aviv University at the

Beverly Wilshire Hotel The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, commonly known as the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, it was completed in 1928. It has ...

in 2013.Ryan Torok
Philanthropists honored for lifetime of giving
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', June 27, 2013 In 2003, Nazarian founded the Citizens Empowerment Center in Israel (CECI), a non-partisan organization which promotes election reform in Israel.Tom Tugend
Israel’s electoral vote revision got boost from Los Angeles philanthropist
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', March 14, 2014Tom Tugend
L.A. philanthropist gives boost to Israel’s electoral vote revision
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', March 19, 2014 In 2009, he published an opinion piece entitled 'Israel must address flawed electoral system' in the ''

Jewish Telegraphic Agency The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) is an international news agency and wire service, founded in 1917, serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world as well as non-Jewish press, with about 70 syndication clients listed on its web ...

''.Izak Parviz Nazarian
Israel must address flawed electoral system
''Jewish Telegraphic Agency'', February 27, 2009

Personal life and death

Nazarian was married to Pouran Nazarian. They had a son and three daughters, and they resided in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

. His brother

was also a businessman and philanthropist, an early investor in Qualcomm, and Chairman of Nazarian Enterprises. Nazarian died on August 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

References

External links

Ominet CapitalMagbit Foundation
{{authority control 1929 births 2017 deaths American billionaires American company founders American construction businesspeople American investors American manufacturing businesspeople American people of Iranian-Jewish descent American transportation businesspeople American venture capitalists Businesspeople from Los Angeles Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Haganah members Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian Jews Iranian philanthropists Israeli people wounded in the 1947–1949 Palestine war Jewish American philanthropists

Izak Izak (or Izaak also Izhak, Itzchak, Itzik, see more options below) is a given name which is an alternate spelling for Isaac. Online sites, such as "Think Baby Names" state that: :Izak \i-zak\ as a boy's name is a variant of Isaac (Hebrew), and the ...

People from Tehran People from Beverly Hills, California Philanthropists from California Tel Aviv University people