Omar Sharif Jr. has joined Holocaust Museum LA as the new chief advancement officer, announced by Beth Kean, the museum’s CEO.
For the last five years, Sharif Jr. served as a leading fundraiser for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, completing the museum’s $388 million capital campaign. Previously he was a vice president at JP Morgan Chase and a national spokesperson for GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization.
In his new role at the oldest survivor-founded museum in the United States, Sharif Jr. will lead the development and communications strategy.
“He will play an integral part in the museum going forward,” Kean said, as Holocaust Museum LA breaks ground later this year on a major campus expansion that will double the institution’s existing footprint and allow it to accommodate greater numbers of students and visitors.
Sharif Jr. is the grandson of award-winning Egyptian actor Omar Sharif on his father’s side and Holocaust survivors from Poland on his mother’s.
“Omar’s mix of professional experience in media and entertainment, advocacy and global philanthropy—combined with his personal experience as the grandson of Holocaust survivors and as an activist and champion for LGBTQ rights and social justice—make him uniquely qualified for this chief advancement officer role,” said Kean.
Sharif Jr. earned his Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and a Master of Science from London School of Economics, U.K. He speaks fluent Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Spanish and French and volunteers as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and the Human Rights Foundation.
He is also an actor appearing in the hit Israeli television series “The Baker and the Beauty,” and he recently published “A Tale of Two Omars: A Memoir of Family, Revolution and Coming Out During the Arab Spring.”
“Holocaust education and remembrance is integral to my being,” said Sharif Jr. “This opportunity truly represents a generational responsibility for me and one that I do not take lightly.”