Dad – you are the most stubborn man I know.

Your stubbornness has never been one of ego or pride; it's been one of faith. Of irrational hope. In the darkest and most uncertain moments of your life – of which you've had more than your share – when no person, no circumstance, no deity gave you reason to believe, you still did.

Last week, as the twenty living hostages began to return home to Israel, I thought about you constantly. I saw your spirit in the families who refused to give up.

For two years they prayed into silence.
Whispered names into the dark.
Set one more place at the table.
Loved, without knowing their love was being received.
Wept, and then believed again.

With the world watching – and their worlds on the line – they kept humanity's quietest power alive: the courage to endure without reason. To still believe.

Today, on your 70th birthday, it is my honor to donate $25,200 in your name – $1,260 to each of the twenty hostages and their families. Several of the families have heard your story. Soon, you'll hear from them.

I love you endlessly. May you continue to be a blessing to all who cross your path.

A very special thank you to Benjamin Anthony and Rozita Pnini of The MirYam Institute, who are personally seeing through the distribution of these funds to the families now.

October 21, 2025

← 2024's donation

From my earliest memories, my dad spoke of Israel not just as a homeland but as a sanctuary – a place of hope, resilience, and unity for our people, wherever they may be. Growing up under the weight of persecution, he understood more deeply than most the necessity of a land where Jews could stand tall, unafraid, and united.

The atrocities of October 7th laid bare the cruel cost of freedom and the ongoing threat faced not only by Israel but by Jews around the world. A year later, the danger persists. Yet so does the heroism of those who stand on the front lines, sacrificing everything to defend Israel and its people.

This year, it is my honor to donate $25,000 in my dad’s name to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces to help ensure these heroes receive the unwavering support, resources, and care they need – both during their service and beyond. May it help ensure a future where Israel remains a beacon of hope, strength, and refuge for generations to come.

October 21, 2024

2025's donation →

← 2023's donation

Unlike my dad, I've never known the feeling of needing to hide my identity. Thanks to a lifetime of his sacrifices, I have been blessed to grow up in peace and security. In the full warmth and embrace of our Jewish faith. This year, I am reminded of how fragile that blessing is.

Exactly two weeks ago, the world witnessed an atrocity in Israel so evil and inhumane that it still remains difficult to comprehend: the barbaric slaughter of 1,400 innocent men, women, grandfathers, grandmothers, boys, girls, and infants in the name of their Judaism. In the state that was born to assure such tragedies could never happen again.

On Tisha B'Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, we recount the destruction of the Second Temple. Ancient Jewish commentary teaches that the destruction of the Temple by the Romans was caused by “sinat chinam”, or “baseless hatred”. So too was the attack on Israelis this month and the wave of anti-semitism around the world that followed. But it also teaches that what can be destroyed through baseless hatred can be rebuilt through "ahavat chinam", or "baseless love".

This year, it is my honor to donate $25,000 in my dad's name to Magen David Adom – the singular organization in Israel responsible for life-saving medical disaster response – so that we may begin to spread baseless love once again, as my dad has always practiced.

October 21, 2023

2024's donation →

← 2022's donation

"Knowledge is power." Of the many Dad-isms of my childhood, none stand out more today.

My dad's story is one of defying great odds: through a sheer force of will unfamiliar to most. But, perhaps most importantly, through the recognition that only one thing stood in between his homelessness in Manhattan's subway stations and his most improbable dreams: an education.

For far too many years, he broke his back as a dishwasher, busboy, and deliveryman to make his college education a reality. If there is one gift I know he would most deeply appreciate given to a stranger in his name – so they too could own their destiny – it is the power of knowledge.

This year, it is my honor to donate $25,000 in my dad's name to Scholarship America and specifically its Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which ensures children of parents lost or severely affected by the 9/11 attacks are able to fulfill their educational dreams and become every bit the person they were meant to be.

October 21, 2022

2023's donation →

← 2021's donation

From my earliest years I've felt a profound appreciation for the United States. That was undoubtedly inspired by my dad and his journey.

As a kid born to the slums of Iran, beaten for being Jewish, governed by zealots who saw citizens as dispensable martyrs, and yet hopeful for his future, America represented the best of mankind. A human experiment founded upon a declaration that all men are created equal, born with the unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

There is no cause more fitting to honor my dad than to support those that defend these unique, fragile values with their own lives every day. They are the greatest among us.

This year, it is my honor to donate $25,000 in my dad's name to Semper Fi & America's Fund: an exceptional organization founded and run by military spouses to support our service members and families – from every branch of the United States Armed Forces – as they return home from duty. In supporting these heroes, may we allow the next generation of hopeful immigrants to realize their God-given potential.

October 21, 2021

2022's donation →

← 2020's donation

It's fitting to begin this initiative in a year of anguish for many. An unimaginable 37 million people in this country – including 11 million children – who were already food-insecure now face the economic effects of a global pandemic.

This year, it is my honor to donate $25,000 in my dad's name to Feeding America and provide 250,000 meals to those that need it most.

October 21, 2020

2021's donation →