Saturday, February 21, 2015

About me

The Jews of Mashhad were forced to practice Islam for one hundred and fifty years. They kept their Judaic traditions in hiding.  My parents were married in Mashhad then moved to Tehran where I was born.  In 1951 the entire family immigrated to Israel. The Mashhadi community in Israel kept their specific traditions for decades throughout the world: New York, London, Milan.
I was a quiet shy girl always curious and studious.  I excelled in school and were fascinated by the laws of nature as early as second grade.  Growing up in Tel Aviv we lived with both my grandparents and three uncles in one small house for eight years.  I started reading books when my uncle bought his first set of books.  My high school teachers were the ones who guided me throughout my studies and ultimately my future career as a research biochemist.  I married a man from California who had a similar background of the Mashhadi community.  We raised our two sons in California, while our respective parents had the continuous influence of keeping the Mashhadi traditions. To this day I am the only scientist in my extended family.

This is the story of my journey from the Jews of Mashhad to the study of protein chemistry.   Proteins that pump acid into your stomach, balance sodium and potassium in your kidneys, proteins that control your metabolism and proteins that turn into amyloids and cause neuro-degenerative diseases.

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