In addition to running a real estate
company with substantial residential, commercial and land assets across the
nation, SMA Equities Managing Principal and Co-Founder Samy Mahfar is a
philanthropist of note. Influenced early on by the generosity of his father, Siyoun Mahfar, he was already actively involved
in charitable endeavors through his synagogue, as a boy.
As a young
businessman, Samy Mahfar became actively involved with the Maccabee Foundation,
a non-profit organization his father helped found in 1995 to promote social
equality and achievement through education. The organization
focuses primarily on Jews of Iranian descent, promoting their cultural heritage,
especially those who have made “Aliyah” to Israel. In the ensuing 20-plus
years, the foundation has awarded over $15 million in scholarships to more than
10,000 students to help with their studies in medicine, law, engineering,
chemistry, science, and myriad other
subjects.
Another
organization that Mahfar remains passionate about is the Friends of the Israeli
Defense Forces (FIDF). Started by several survivors of the Holocaust in 1981,
its mission is to help ensure the well-being of those who serve in the Israel
Defense Forces, both women and men. It
has programs for education and socialization,
and provides recreational facilities. FIDF also has a support division for the
widows, widowers, and orphans of soldiers who have died while in service.
Headquartered in New York City, its Real Estate division
hosts an annual gala, held at such venues as the New York Public Library on
Fifth Avenue. For many years, Samy Mahfar was a member of the Real Estate division and sat on the board of directors. In
his early year in the organization, he participated in the Young Leaders
division. Since then, he has been actively helping through donations of funds,
as well as his time.
Besides Maccabee
and FIDF, Samy Mahfar has been active in other non-profit organizations, such
as UJA, AIPAC and ISEF. Moreover, he
continues to be a generous supporter and benefactor of the Lower East Side
Chabad, donating classroom and event space in several of his buildings in the
neighborhood for this revered organization, as needed. His non-secular
charities are mostly focused on the Lower East Side community, helping local
artists by providing free event space, donating funds to the New York Police
Department’s 7th Precinct for its holiday toy drive, and giving much-needed
funds to the Bowery Mission.
