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Celebrate the ancient tradition

The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy's annual Mehregan celebration will take place in the beautiful persian gardens on Sunday, September 14, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The night will feature lavish Persian food, music, poetry, and dancing, and will culminate in a traditional fire ceremony. 

During the evening, we will present the Samuel Untermyer Award to Nazanin Boniadi, an accomplished actress who has dedicated her life to advocating for human rights. Read below to learn more about our esteemed honoree.

Benefit Co-Chairs

Sayna and Nima Ameri

Katy Palizban and Cyrus Amir-Mokri

Tara Emrani and Mehdi Ansari

Diana and Frederick Elghanayan

Patricia and Alexander Farman-Farmaian

Marjan Ghara and Ali Granmayeh

Nazee and Joseph Moinian

Nassrin Iromloo Zahedi

Meet the honoree:

Nazanin Boniadi is an internationally known actress and human rights advocate. Born in Tehran, she and her family were forced to flee Iran shortly after her birth, ultimately finding political asylum in the UK. She earned a degree in Biological Sciences before shifting her focus to acting. Her television credits include Homeland, How I Met Your Mother, Counterpart, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. On the big screen, she won acclaim for Bombshell and Hotel Mumbai.

Nazanin is a tireless advocate for the rights of disenfranchised populations across the world, especially the unjust treatment of youth, women, and prisoners of conscience in Iran. Since 2022, she has been a leading global voice for the “Woman Life Freedom” movement. She has addressed legislatures and international forums including the U.S. Congress, the UK, German, Australian, and Canadian Parliaments, and the United Nations.

She is the recipient of the Freedom House Raising Awareness Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Sydney Peace Prize, and the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Defending Democracy Award. Nazanin is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Tables and Tickets: Tables of ten $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 and $25,000; Tables of four $6,000; Individual tickets $1,000 and $1,500.

Untermyer Gardens Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $200. Dress: Jacket and tie, shoes appropriate for grass and gravel.

Mehregan is a benefit for the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, a nonprofit organization founded fourteen years ago to restore Untermyer Gardens, which is home to the finest Persian garden in the Western Hemisphere. Overlooking the Hudson River in Yonkers, 40 minutes north of New York City, the garden is open free to the public and enjoyed by more than 300,000 visitors a year.