Exploring Judaism at Nessah Educational and Cultural Center

An accomplished entrepreneur, David Raminfard is president and CEO of Kaslen Textiles and New Point Fabric in Southern California. Outside of work, David Raminfard gives back to his community through his ongoing support of Nessah Cultural and Educational Center. This religious organization was created to support the Iranian Jewish population of Los Angeles.

Nessah provides the members of its community with a number of different ways to nourish their faith and explore their religion, especially through various classes. Every Monday night, the organization offers Tefila classes with Jack Maghen. Meant to explore the wisdom and power of Jewish prayer, the instructor addresses common questions like how to concentrate Tefilot most effectively with the right Kavanah, or inner intention. 

Another powerful class, offered by Eliza Ness on Mondays and Tuesdays, focuses on Jewish spirituality through the lens of psychology and Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. The Monday course is offered in English and intended for people in their 20s. The Tuesday courses are taught in Farsi and meant for people of all ages.

The organization also offers Nageela, or Jewish education classes, for children between third and eighth grade. In these sessions, young students learn the Hebrew language as well as prayers and Jewish values.

A Brief Overview of NBA Dynasties

David Raminfard has served as president and chief executive officer of Kaslen Textiles in Vernon, California, since 2010, and as president and chief executive officer of New Point Fabric since 2011. David Raminfard is a fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA), particularly during the NBA Finals.

The first NBA Finals series took place after the 1946-1947 NBA season and featured the Philadelphia Warriors winning a five-game series over the Chicago Stags. Over the last seven decades, the Finals have been dominated by championship dynasties, dating back to the Minnesota Lakers franchise, which secured five championships in the six years between 1948 and 1954. Only two seasons passed before the Boston Celtics established the most extensive dynasty in NBA Finals history; between 1957 and 1969, the Celtics played in 12 of 13 NBA Finals and won 11. The team added two more titles in 1974 and 1976.

An era of historic rivalry between the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers emerged in the 1980s. Boston won three championships in five NBA Finals appearances over the course of the decade, while Los Angeles took five titles in eight attempts. As both franchises receded from the championship circle, a new dynasty immediately took shape. The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, won six championships over eight seasons without an NBA Finals loss.

Since the turn of the century, the NBA Finals have seen more parity. However, there have still been notable runs of dominance. For example, between 1999 and 2014, the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs have each won five championship titles, and the Miami Heat have won three of the five championships they have participated in since 2006.