Payam Ayazi and Odet Nazarian

[00:02] PAYAM AYAZI: My name is Payam ayozi. I am 36 years old. Today's date is January 19, 2021. It's a Tuesday in Los Angeles and I'm going to be having a conversation with Odette Nazarian, who is a friend and volunteer from MTO.

[00:21] ODETTE NAZARIAN: My name is Odette Nazarian. I'm 52 years old. Today date is January 19th, 2021. We're in Los Angeles, California. I'll be talking to Paya Mayazi and we are family friends.

[00:41] PAYAM AYAZI: Hi, my name is Payam izzy. I am 36 years old. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I'm a small business owner and love nature and the outdoors. And also I'm a student and volunteer at MTO Shamakhsudi School of Islamic Sufism, which is really a huge part of my life.

[01:01] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Hi, I'm oded Nazarian. I'm 52 years old. I live in Los Angeles. I was born in Iran and at a young age I moved with my family to Italy where I went to elementary school there. And a few years later we moved to Los Angeles. We have three wonderful girls and a one year old daughter that brings us smile to my face every day.

[01:23] PAYAM AYAZI: Oh, and you have another grandchild coming, right?

[01:26] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes. She's now six months pregnant and we're so excited.

[01:30] PAYAM AYAZI: Oh, that's so beautiful. I'm excited for you. Yeah. Odette, you and I have been family friends for a long time and we've been working together for quite some time, but I never really got to know you until recently.

[01:46] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes, it's been beautiful knowing you more and working with you and other volunteers at nto. Seriously?

[01:53] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah. NTO Shamah Sudhi School of Islamic Sufism is an international and nonprofit religious organization with centers all around the world. And the aim of the school is to teach Sufism. And Sufism is the path of self, knowledge and discovery through the way of the heart, finding that peace, tranquility and love within. And ultimately our goal as students is to find that connection within ourselves and with that of God in existence. And I've been coming to the school since I was a child. My parents used to bring us. But you were a part of the school before I was even born. When did you start coming and what was your experience like?

[02:42] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Well, way before you, Payam. Way before you. Well, I was around 5 years old when my parents started attending MTO classes in Iran. Actually, my childhood memories of those days are so soothing. Khayyam. I remember sitting next to my mom at MTO sessions at a young Age, the sweet smell of rose water in the air. Very good feeling that I always felt while being there. A feeling of warmth and love. And at that age, the lecture sounded like a very soft melody in my ears. And that's all I remember from my childhood days in mto. But going back in time when my parents were taking us to MTO classes in Iran, it wasn't like today at all. I mean, so Sufism was always practiced behind closed doors. But years after Professor Nadirang opened the door to all students across six continents, which that was time, I think it was the most absolute, beautiful, incredible thing that happened for me at least. And before the pandemic, we were attending weekly sessions, Right. The weekly sessions were taught by Professor Nadiranga, teaching the students how to live a healthy, balanced life through self knowledge. And there were these beautiful zack sessions, which is the remembrance of the beloved by Sufi chanting.

[04:17] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah.

[04:17] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Also Sufi meditation and concentration were offered. It was just so incredible and amazing. You know, the message of charity and hope has always been a part of nto. Hope is a powerful force and probably the most important factor when it comes to overcoming life's biggest challenges. And the students were always encouraged, I mean, always were encouraged to be a part of the community and to volunteer. For example, as you know, different Sufi centers have done many different charity work like helping the homeless crisis, helping with disaster relief for programs and youth support. But I remember MTO centers have been also very active in interfaith communities with different backgrounds and different faiths. Being a part of the kitchen service at mto, I remember MTO hosting many interview interfaith events and you were very much involved in it. How is that like for you?

[05:22] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, I mean, from even a teenager, I was a part of the interfaith events and some of the community events and it was fun. We were part of the young professional group and we would host events or we would attend different interfaith functions and have conversations and you know, practice meditation together with people of different faiths. And so it's been a lot of fun, you know, just connecting and finding the similarities, know, with the different faiths. And I mean, it's been awesome. And with regards to the volunteer work, what does it mean to you to volunteer?

[06:02] ODETTE NAZARIAN: You know, what I've learned from school of Sufism is that the teaching have always been about love, kindness and compassion, right?

[06:13] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah.

[06:13] ODETTE NAZARIAN: And I learned that one of the pillars of Sufism is selfless service and love. I mean, it has been such a great experience for me doing volunteer work. But I always, I Am always constantly remind myself, just because I do volunteer work, the doors of heaven aren't automatically open to me or I don't get closer to God because of that. I know that, and I feel that. I just think for me, just, you know, for me personally, is just something very humane. It. It's just very humbling to me and helps me find balance, actually, in life, in my own life. So I believe this is a selfless service, actually, to myself, myself only. And it's a blessing for me that I. That really, seriously feeds my soul, especially when you see how much love and hope is always in super teaching and how I'm now experiencing with students like you and other volunteers and the teamwork and the charity work. Again, it's just. I feel like charity is a seed of hope. Hope for people to know that they're not alone. I mean, what does it mean to you, Payam I mean, you've been a part of it with us.

[07:29] PAYAM AYAZI: You know, I very much agree with everything you just said. For me, it's very grounding and humbling to be a part of this, to volunteer my time and energy, but it's also. It provides my life with balance, and it's something that I need, so I'm happy to be a part of it. You know, Odette, you know how I'm interested in and fascinated with, like, nature and the outdoors and all that?

[07:57] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes, your me time. Sure. Okay.

[07:59] PAYAM AYAZI: So I look at nature to find the answers and to sort of connect the teachings of Sufism, you know, what I learned in lecture, and I try to connect that with nature. And so just the other day, my brother and I, we went to Sequoia National Park. Have you ever been there?

[08:18] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes, once. And I can't forget the big trees. Yes.

[08:21] PAYAM AYAZI: Okay. It's incredible. Like, absolutely incredible. And then, like, these trees are the biggest on the planet. They're like 250, 300ft tall, and they're just massive. And so my brother and I were just walking around and we're marveling at, like, the sheer size of these trees. And something that we learned was that while we're admiring the size of the trees is that under the surface, all of these trees are connected. Like, all their roots are interconnected under the forest floor. And the forest and the trees do this magnificent thing where if one of the trees or a bunch of trees are, like, hurting or, you know, there's something wrong with it, that the other trees will send its nutrients through the root system to help the trees to benefit the system as a whole. And so, you know, when I was there, I was just thinking about it and just marveling at this. And I think of Professor Sadar Angra's answer when he was asked why nature competes. And in his book the Hidden Angles of Life, he states that the manifestations of beings seem to be living apart from one another, but in fact, they are all connected and that they all rely upon an intellectual and unique agent. And so this puts me in thought. And so I relate this, that we as people, we are also connected on so many levels, whether it's a physical level or a cultural or an emotional or a deeper spiritual level, but that at this time, people are hurting. Like there is so much going on in the world and that people are hurting and that it is our duty to help when we can. And I feel that we do this not just by volunteering or by donating, but by. We do it individually, by finding our own inner balance and peace so that we can share that love and kindness to one another that we're a part of, like a greater balance in this system. Does that all make sense?

[10:33] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes, absolutely. Like, I just.

[10:38] PAYAM AYAZI: I just love finding these connections, you know? So this pandemic has been absolutely crazy, just unreal on so many levels. And MTO has started its global efforts in providing COVID 19 relief by hand, making thousands of personal protective items, like hand, excuse me, face masks, face shields, medical gowns, along with massive amounts of food donations and care packages and other charity work. And this was all advised by our Sufi master, Professor Nader Anga, who encouraged the students and volunteers to participate and to be a part of something like this. And the first several months of this whole pandemic was just. It was crazy. Like, there was a national shortage of personal protective items around the country, and we had to do a lot of research and figure out what to do and how to do it. And I know that you have been personally doing quite a bit of juggling during this whole process, and I've been really wanting to get, like, your take on it. What's this been like for you?

[11:48] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Been quite amazing. Quite amazing. The way it started was quite beautiful, actually. First, the research was done to see what kind of fabrics the hospital are expecting and what kind of food needs to be ordered. Then taste tables were set up and students started working. I mean, seeing all these students from every age group, every age group that wanted to be a part of this amazing global effort brought a smile to my face every day. It was. It was a little bit challenging at the beginning, remember? But very shortly and quiet. I think magically I. The students learn the more effective ways to. Ways to sanitize and package non perishable food items or. And how to distribute them by teamwork. Or students were making face masks on the sewing small sewing machines. Remember in the name of got industrial sewing machines. That helped a lot. Yeah.

[12:50] PAYAM AYAZI: It was awesome.

[12:51] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes. And since then, thousands. I mean, thousands of PPs have been delivered to local hospitals like City of Hope, Kaiser Permanente, Rose Loveless Hospital.

[13:02] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah.

[13:03] ODETTE NAZARIAN: My most favorite. My favorite Children Hospital Los Angeles and you know, thousands of non perishable food bags and school supplies and snack packs. It's just amazing. I mean, I get so excited when talking about it. Have been delivered constantly with so much love and positive energy. For me was about love and hope. It's been so beautiful and such a life challenging experience for me to see this global effort. People who know me know I'm a workaholic.

[13:35] PAYAM AYAZI: Oh, yeah.

[13:36] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yeah. And you know that I like to work alone and I have to myself, otherwise it's not gonna get done.

[13:42] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, you hustle quite a bit.

[13:44] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yeah, yeah. But, but, but. And I used to do everything myself only right. But I learned teamwork. I am. I literally learn teamwork during this time that has made such an amazing effect in my life and my work that I'm really thankful when everybody realizes I'm asking people for help now. I love teamwork. It just changed me so much already.

[14:08] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah. You know, it's so awesome. Okay, so in working together with all of this, I realized that I mirror a lot of people's energy and that while we're working together, it's just everybody is hustling and everybody is working so hard, but then everyone has a smile on their face. Some people are singing while they're working. And it's just this collective energy that just fueled me that just like after a day of hard work, I was just so energized and it was fun. And then like, not only that, it was this really big collaborative effort with the other Sufi centers, you know, around the country or around, you know, in other countries, even that there was sharing information. Like we, you know, like you mentioned the. The hospital material. Like, we had to do our research to be like, hey, what is accepted in the hospital? And we had to find out the name of the material and find suppliers and then, you know, who could sew and how can they sew and like finding templates. And then other people from different centers would find like a better version or, you know, other formats that worked better. And we would share this information. So, like, there was this really amazing collaborative effort. And then while you have been working so hard on, you know, the back end and preparing all these mainly food donations and packages, you know, I was a part of a lot of the door to door deliveries. And I remember the very beginning of the pandemic, this was like when the shutdown was happening was we found one of the senior living centers that was actually near the LA Sufi center. And we went there with several hundred full bags of nonperishable food. And we went knocking door to door, you know, just delivering these. And there were some people who were very reluctant to answer the door. Obviously, like, there was a lot going on. But then there were other people that they opened the door and they saw that we were giving them food and they just like broke down and started crying. Like, they were so happy. And they were telling me, like some people were crying and they were like, we had nothing. Like nothing. And it was just, it was very, very touching to me. And you know, I want to ask you, like, in this work that you've been doing, was there any organization or any family that really touched your heart?

[16:42] ODETTE NAZARIAN: You know, I have so many stories to tell and I got emotionally maybe involved with so many of these organizations. But I tell you one, one of the ones that I could tell you what this could be, one of them is Harvest Homelay. I mean, the Sufi centers are always ready and actively searching for people and organizations who need help the most during these. And I was watching the TV one night and I saw on the news they were talking about Harvard Homily, which is an organization that provides housing and support for homeless pregnant women. The next day I'll call them on behalf of mto. I spoke to Joanna and she was such a wonderful lady. I mean, she explained to me what this non profit profit organization does and how it helps expecting moms who are homeless or those who live in their car during and after the pregnancy. So I asked her, I said, joanna, tell me what can M2 do for you? Your organization? And she goes, you ready to help? I said, MTO is always too ready to help. So she said, okay, I'm going to email you a list. When I looked at the list, I kind of was like, what? It was huge. The list was huge. So my heart was like, oh goodness, they really need help. And until on November 17th, I think we delivered on November 17th over 1500 items to them.

[18:14] PAYAM AYAZI: Whoa.

[18:15] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Including face masks. And she called me the next day and she was like almost in tears. And she's like, Odette, this was amazing. This was just so amazing. And she told me what's going on. And then she said, I have something to tell you. I want to share something with you. I said, okay, what's going on? She goes, we have six newborns in the house now, and we have one on the way. So it was so sweet listening to their stories. You know, being personally in touch with Harvest Home, LA or other organizations makes it very personal in. In a very good way. When you see the hope that M2 is giving them every time, and they are told that there are people out there that care, and it's sweet and very special for people to hear them.

[19:08] PAYAM AYAZI: Well, with this organization that was particularly homeless women, what did that feel like for you, especially being a mother of three?

[19:19] ODETTE NAZARIAN: My heart broke. Being mother of three and having a daughter that is pregnant, it was very hard for me. But I did some research to see what's going on, and I read among young women ages 18 to 25 who experience homelessness, 44% are pregnant or mother.

[19:45] PAYAM AYAZI: Wait, 44% of young homeless women are pregnant or mothers ages to 18 to 25?

[19:53] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes.

[19:54] PAYAM AYAZI: And I have no idea. That's terrible.

[19:57] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yeah. So I tell you, coping with pregnancy and parenthood is very difficult for any young woman, especially if you find. If you find yourself without. With the challenges of being homeless and not having anyone to care for you. I mean, when I want to share something with you. When my kids, our kids were little, much younger, we practically lost everything we had overnight. Nothing. We had nothing left. And things got so bad that we had to borrow money to survive. I remember borrowing money from cousins, and I remember looking at my credit cards to see which credit cards still had available money before we hit the limit. And credit to buy food and milk for the kids.

[20:43] PAYAM AYAZI: To buy milk for the kids.

[20:45] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes. At that time, the powder milk was like about $30 sometimes.

[20:49] PAYAM AYAZI: Oh, my God.

[20:50] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Very expensive.

[20:51] PAYAM AYAZI: I had no idea.

[20:52] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Oh, yeah. So I know how it feels to have small kids. I'm being afraid of tomorrow. I tell you, I know how it feels. I am.

[21:01] PAYAM AYAZI: Wow.

[21:02] ODETTE NAZARIAN: It is one thing to be afraid for yourself to go to sleep hungry, but to know that there is a possibility for your kids to have to go to sleep hungry just breaks your heart. It really breaks your heart. I mean, we. It was so bad, I sometimes don't even want to remember that day. But I learned something. We all fall. We all lose our way. We all have hardship in life.

[21:27] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah.

[21:27] ODETTE NAZARIAN: But hope, which to me is the same as faith and love, that we get that strength from within to stand up once again and to stand up tall and strong and powerful and not allow. And you know, and to know that we will get through the tough times and that these two will pass. You know, that's the saying in mt Learn. I am so grateful for Professor Narda Angle and for all this hope and love and guidance he's given us. You know, I see charity work as a seed of hope that is planted in someone's heart. You know, and one of my favorite quotes that really touches my heart by Professor Narayanga are Sophie Master in the book the Secret World. I know you know that quote. We both love it. He writes, hope is planted seeds in fertile ground that bears fruit. In the land of my heart, the plant of despair never grows. And I live with that growth every day.

[22:39] PAYAM AYAZI: I love that quote. I love that. You know, I feel like to me that for people who are struggling, it must really mean something to receive anything, you know, that it must give them a sense of hope. There's a quote in the Holy Quran that really resonates with me and it says, if anyone saved a life, it would be as if the life of the whole humanity was saved. And so I think about this, and I think about this all the time when I'm working is that if there is something that I can do, I will do something. You know, it's, you know, it's, it's, it's our nature to want to help. Yeah. You know, going back to some of the events that we've had, there were what I believe there was seven major events that MTO held at the La Sufi Center. And two of them were COVID 19 testing sites, pop up testing sites. And this was when there was no other testing sites in that area. And there was a huge response. And then we had an event for Nurses Day, an event for Memorial Day, an event for Homelessness Awareness week. And in each one of these events, they were just amazing displays of, of packages of the nonperishable food or the personal protective items. Everything was beautifully color coded and displayed. And then we held these events with public figures. You know, we had people from the police department, the sheriff of Los Angeles county came, and the mayor's representatives and city council member and firefighters and emergency responders and ER staff and homeless shelters. Like it was. All these people came and it was this amazing scene to see all of this and to see how it all comes together. And then one of my favorites was the kids day event. You know, like that one was awesome.

[24:51] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yeah, I know that was the most beautiful one. How can I even forget that day? Yes. It was Friday, July 31st. Right. And had the kids event that was to give the children a sense of empowerment and hope. I remember that day, actually. MTO delivered over a thousand ppes and onesies.

[25:18] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, the onesies and the toys to.

[25:21] ODETTE NAZARIAN: The Children Hospital Los Angeles also. So that was really.

[25:25] PAYAM AYAZI: That was a children's hospital la.

[25:27] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes. That was amazing. And. And then. But the highlight of that day for me was the 600 backpacks and school school supplies that empty, ordered and delivered to Hamasaki Elementary School. You love that school, huh?

[25:39] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, it was pretty awesome.

[25:40] ODETTE NAZARIAN: And the partnership with the LA County Sheriff, remember? And his deputies were there too.

[25:45] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, that was a great collaboration together.

[25:48] ODETTE NAZARIAN: I. I'll never forget. It was such a hot day that day. Do you remember?

[25:52] PAYAM AYAZI: Okay, that day was brutal. It was unreal. Like I was melting.

[25:56] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yeah. And I remember when we were unloading the van and we put the backpacks in these purple bags and this beautiful line was set up. I mean, hundreds of kids were standing in this line in front of us in the sun and they were sweating and their faces were red. And we're just trying to really run and bring everything out as fast as possible. And they were all looking at the backs to, you know, trying to figure out what's in it, what color backpack they will get. And there was a line of cars also. Not everybody.

[26:30] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, yeah. I remember somebody pointed it out and they were like, look at that. And I look back and there was this line of cars that stretched like two blocks long. And I thought like there was an accident or something. But it turned out to be all families in line to receive their school supplies. And they were like the families with like the kids in the back. And it was just, it. I was blown away by that response. Like, I had no idea that there was going to be any sort of response like that.

[26:59] ODETTE NAZARIAN: And it kept on going and it kept on going. And I remember I was standing in front of the kids in the line and I was just trying, with the help of one of the deputies, to pick up the backpacks and pass them as fast as possible so these beautiful kids can go to the shade and looking at their faces. This little girl came front and she had this beautiful face with, you know, rosy cheeks and she was looking in my eyes like such a hope and, you know, waiting to see what color bath pack she's going to get. And I. And it was. I was really touched by it. So I looked to my side and I told the deputy. Oh, my God, look how amazing. She's so excited. Look at this. And she looked in my eyes. Just that, you know, I understand them. I was one of them growing up. My parents weren't able to buy me backpacks. I never had a backpack. So I fully understand how they feel. Pam. At that time, I think my heart. I didn't know what I'm doing. I didn't know what I'm doing. At that moment, I was just passing the backpacks, but my heart was going inside every backpack that was given to every. It was an amazing experience and I'm so happy. Part of it. It was very touchy and beautiful.

[28:20] PAYAM AYAZI: That was. That was a beautiful experience. That was one of my absolute favorites. And then we had that event for Homelessness Awareness Week. And I believe that was where we had a thousand bags of non perishables going to Salvation Army. And that was the one to the Harvest Home, right? Yeah. And you did this amazing job of color coding all the bags. So we knew, like, where it was all going and we displayed it all before loading it up into the vans for delivery. And I remember there was a lady who came to the gate and what was that? I remember that I saw something from the distance and I didn't know what was happening, but wow.

[29:11] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes, yes, I remember that and probably will never forget. I will never forget the moment we were moving the foods, the bags, and organizing them by color so harvest home la, or people concerned would get a certain color, so it was easier to load them in the van. And one of the students called me and said, odette, Odette, come, come, come. There is someone by the door is asking for food. So right away I grabbed one of the heavy bags. You know, I am sorry it was always heavy for you guys to deliver. But I grabbed one of the heavy bags.

[29:45] PAYAM AYAZI: No worries. It was a good workout.

[29:48] ODETTE NAZARIAN: So I grabbed one of the heavy bags and when I got to the door, I thought, you, lady. That was probably my age. So it was like seeing a mirror image of myself in front of me. And I looked into her eyes and felt like some kind of emptiness, which made me very sad. I asked her, would you like some food? She just nodded her head and she said, you know, and that's it. And I gave her the bag and she kind of tilted to his side because the bag was a bit heavy. And I asked her, are you okay? Is there anything else I can do for you? Can I bring you anything else? She just nodded her head. Her eyes were so close to him at that moment. I just wanted to hug her. I really wanted to hug her and give her more bags. But she just turned around and walk away. And as I was watching her and feeling so emotional, then she turned around just like in movies. It was amazing. She just turned around and I'm not kidding, Payam. I saw like a twinkle of a smile on her face and she turned back and she left. And that meant the world to me that day. It was so touchy.

[31:09] PAYAM AYAZI: Yeah, it's a very touching story. And it's crazy because, you know, we've been doing. We've been doing all of this and there's been so much going on. And it's one thing when we're donating to organizations, but it's another thing when we see the actual people who are needing it and we hand them personally. So it's a whole different experience. Was it something else I've been meaning to ask you is that you were a student of MTO school of Islamic Sufism, but you were also Jewish. What is that like for you?

[31:51] ODETTE NAZARIAN: It has not been easy at all, especially in Persian Jewish community. I tell you the truth. But this is the way I think about it. Many individuals are now willing to learn about different religions other than their own. The reason many of these individuals do not take the time to learn about other religions because probably they feel as if they're betraying the religion they were raised with. Probably. And that's why sometimes we had hard times with family members and friends because I think that's the way they thought. But that's okay because I feel different in reality. The way I see it is that at the end of the day we are all praying to the same God. And the more you learn about God through the perspective of different religions, your clarity on God becomes stronger. Sufism is the path of knowledge and the reality of religion. And it is about knowing yourself and God from within your heart. And it's based on the goal of self knowledge. You know, I was tatayam that Sufism is bridge between all religions. I mean, doesn't matter if I'm Jewish then or what my gender is or my religion is. I don't think so, you know, But I can tell you whatever happened out there with the family and friends, good or bad about the religion, it just made us as a family, a much stronger family. And I'm just thankful to be permitted to attend the Sufi classes. That's how I feel about it.

[33:27] PAYAM AYAZI: It's really beautiful. And I love how you bring up the bridge between religions. And I find that to Be a very meaningful part of Sufism is that it teaches the reality of one's own being and it teaches the reality of the Prophet's teachings in helping each individual attain that inner peace and balance and really their own connection with God and all that exists. Everyone, you, me, everyone, we all have a self. We all have that inner essence. And that no matter what religion, ethnicity, gender or any other social identity we have, we have that true essence that is our direct connection with God. And that being on this path is, you know, we. We learn these things. And there's one saying, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He said, you be you. And this in itself is so powerful and it just. Everything is within it. It's just, it says the world. You know, it's just we need to find that true identity within ourselves, find that stable center. And I heard your mom, I've been also meaning to ask you, I heard your mom has this really beautiful story of how she became introduced to the school or when she first started coming. Would you be open to sharing that?

[35:06] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Yes. She has many stories to tell, but there is one that she let me share before. Someone share that with you. It's very personal and it's very touchy to me. So if I start crying, don't mind me. My mom, coming from a very religious Jewish family. I mean, as religious as you can get. You know, I live with them and I know. Found herself attending Islamic Suf Islam classes in Iran with my dad. She had this mixed emotion. Instead of attending the temple with her parents, now she was sitting in a class that was called Islamic Sufism. So at one of the classes that was taught by Professor Sadaranga, she wasn't feeling well emotionally. So Professor Anga asked her, what is troubling you? She said, I do love being here. I do love Sufism. I love the teachings, but I'm a little bit uncomfortable. I don't know how to tell my father or brother that what classes I'm attending. Professor Nadanga smiled at my mom and my mom says all her worries went away at that moment. He told her, you're not here to change your religion. Work to be a better Jewish person. And when you light your Shabbos candles, don't forget to light the. Light the candles in your heart. And since my mom has been lighting the Shabbos candles every Friday night.

[36:53] PAYAM AYAZI: Oh, that is so beautiful. That's so touching.

[36:57] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Very touching, Very emotional. And it's such amazing teaching to us.

[37:00] PAYAM AYAZI: Oh, I'm so glad I asked that question. Oh, that that quest, that story just really touched my heart. Or that it has been an absolute pleasure being not only friends with you, but working with you and really getting to know you. And I'm very grateful for this conversation and I thank you so much for opening up and for sharing what you did or sharing all that you did. And I'm really also grateful to be a part of this school and to be with you and to volunteer with you during all this. Thank you.

[37:40] ODETTE NAZARIAN: Thank you for taking this time to speak to me. Payam and I like to truly thank NTO for showing me this beautiful journey. Thank you again.

[37:49] PAYAM AYAZI: Definitely. Thank you.