The Iranian-American Jewish Association (a.k.a. SIAMAK Organization), the oldest major Iranian Jewish organization in California, was originally established as the Iranian Jewish Association of California in 1979 during the tumultuous and historical days, which led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The establishment of the Islamic Regime in Iran led to the flight of tens of thousands of Iranian Jews (one of the oldest communities in the Jewish Diaspora) from Iran with a majority of them fleeing to the United States and specifically California.

The founders of the Iranian-American Jewish Association foresaw the huge flood of immigration and played an instrumental role in making sure that adequate resources were made available to absorb the flood of Iranian Jewish refugees fleeing daily from Iran.

Over the years the Iranian-American Jewish Association has attempted to meet the needs of the Iranian-American Jewish community by providing the following services to a community that now numbers close to 40,000 in California and close to 25,000 in New York State:

- Publishing the Iranian Jewish Chronicle (Chashm Andaaz) and distributing it free of charge to close to 10,000 families across the United States and the world and thereby creating a link between Iranian Jews around the world.

- Sponsoring religious services for members of the Iranian Jewish community during the high holy days in a bilingual setting to meet the religious and spiritual needs of Iranian Jews whether they speak Farsi, Hebrew or English.

- Sponsoring seminars that have dealt with a myriad of social and cultural issues of the Iranian-American Jewish community such as: assimilation, acculturation, liminality, inter-marriage, identity, culture, religion, gender relations, domestic violence, inter-generational relations and other topics of importance to the Iranian Jewish community.

- Providing refugee and asylum information to families of would be immigrants and referral to agencies such as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).

- Providing financial assistance, food, shelter and job placement to needy Iranian Jews.

- Providing after school programs to Iranian Jewish teenagers through after school programs such as Teen Angels and Paradise Judea.

- Providing grants to Jewish schools established by the Iranian-American Jewish community and those Jewish schools that have historically accepted financially needy Iranian Jewish students.

- Providing grants in support of research in the field of Iranian Jewish history such as those being conducted by Professor Amnon Netzer at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

- Providing financial assistance to the Central Jewish Committee in Iran.

- Providing intervention to drug addicts and financially supporting them.

- Organizing trips and events for young singles to meet in a healthy environment.

- Organizing events for divorced singles to meet under the auspices of "Another Birth."

- Organizing a Young Professionals Committee to allow networking between Iranian Jewish business and professionals.

- Organizing rallies in support of Jews in custody in Iran.

- Assisting members of the Iranian Jewish community with various social needs on a daily basis.

The Iranian-American Jewish Association is also affiliated with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and maintains contact with various American Jewish Organizations such as: Jewish Family Service, Jewish Vocational Service, American Joint Distribution Committee, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, American Jewish Committee, AIPAC, World Jewish Congress and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

From inception the Iranian-American Jewish Association has been funded by the generous support of members of the Iranian-American Jewish community. The Iranian-American Jewish Association has never requested funding from various governmental branches at state or federal level nor has it ever used funds of various American Jewish institutions or private charitable foundations.

If you are interested in various charitable giving opportunities at the Iranian-American Jewish Association or wish to find out how you can assist the Association with its various mitzvahs please contact us.