About the Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco

An accomplished textile professional, David Raminfard serves as president and CEO of both Kaslen Textiles and New Point Fabric in Vernon, California. An avid traveler, David Raminfard has visited a number of European destinations and has also spent time touring Mexico.

One of the most culturally significant places in Mexico is the area of Sierra de San Francisco, where there are rock paintings dating back to 100 BC. For approximately 1,400 years, the residents of this area created these artistic expressions of their early civilization, which also depict the unique relationships they enjoyed with their surrounding environment and one another. The region's temperatures and relative lack of humidity have prevented these paintings from decaying over time, giving the visitors of today the opportunity to look through a window in time at human life dating back more than 2,000 years, and to see how a culture developed over many centuries.

These paintings are one of numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites that can be found across the globe. Passing through an exhaustive and varied selection criteria, many sites are chosen for their creative genius, representation of important moments in human history, local cultural significance, and their testament to human diversity.

A Brief History of the Nessah Educational and Cultural Center

David Raminfard, the president and CEO of Kaslen Textiles and New Point Fabric, possesses more than 30 years of business leadership experience. Also dedicated to his community, David Raminfard is a longtime member of the Nessah Educational and Cultural Center in Beverly Hills, California.

The Nessah Center was founded in 1980 by Rabbi David Shofet. When Shofet immigrated to Los Angeles from Tehran, he recognized that Iranian Jews would need a place to worship and pray while maintaining the traditions they enjoyed in Iran. This realization inspired Rabbi Shofet to establish the Nessah Center as a home away from home for Iranian Jews.

The first group of Nessah worshipers consisted of just nine individuals who met at Beth Jacob and had to borrow a congregant from the Orthodox congregation to pray. The group more than doubled by the second Shabbat, and over the next few weeks, close to 300 people were meeting to pray.

Before long, the Nessah Center found its own location and continued growing. The synagogue placed a heavy emphasis on education and helped members of its congregation learn Iranian Jewish history and traditions. A nursery and school were later added as the congregation continued expanding.

In 2002, Nessah made its move to Beverly Hills. The center now offers three Torah classes every week along with daily prayer services and a variety of programs.