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Zoroastrian Association
of Metropolitan Chicago
Hamāzor Hamā Ashō-bēd

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Posted by ZAMC 
· November 18, 2020 
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Aug-Nov 2020 Newsletter

An Attitude of Gratitude Brings Great Things!

Dear community members and friends,

It’s hard to believe it has been over 3 months since our virtual AGM, where our community ‘virtually’ connected for the first time ever. I am grateful to everyone who was able to attend. It was a grand success as we had over 75 members participate, the most I have experienced in my 15+ years of being involved with ZAC. I am thankful to our past and continuing board members for their selfless commitment towards serving our community, and am excited to welcome our newly-appointed board members. We are fortunate to continue to have a magnificent group with bright ideas, high energy, and great dedication to ZAMC!

The pandemic slowed our ability to host events earlier this year and we greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding. In the spirit of maintaining an attitude of gratitude, I would like to point out that though there have been many challenges in this past year, there is still a lot to be grateful for.

After the virtual AGM, regained momentum by hosting our first-ever virtual Muktad Prayers. The prayers were well-attended by our community members (50-75 attendees daily!) and it was exciting to see our children participate too. We would like to thank all our Priests for conducting these prayers. Similarly, virtual Jashans and Gambhars have also been conducted and we are grateful to the leadership of Ervad Pesi Vazifdar in orchestrating these ceremonies. Ervad Jamshed Ravji and Ervad Pesi Vazifdar continued the Daily Priest services despite our center being closed due to the pandemic. We thank them for their dedication to the spiritual well-being of our community.

On the education and social fronts, our monthly Children’s Religious Class is still being virtually conducted and we are grateful to Zenobia Damania, Persis Driver, Persis Guard, and Khursheed Ichaporia for their continued leadership with this initiative. We also thank Yazmin Rustomji for organizing and facilitating the Bingo event for our Senior citizens and the Kids Game Night.

As we understand the importance of community connectedness, especially during such challenging times, ZAC now has our own Zoom subscription which allows us to maintain regular community connections. We are working diligently to find ways to virtually connect and engage our community more frequently. I urge and encourage all of you to share any event ideas that will bring our community together and keep us connected during these unprecedented times.

While we are certainly experiencing some challenging times, I truly believe that tough times don’t last forever, but the tough do! Let’s stay positive, cherish every moment, and never forget to offer our gratitude to Ahura Mazda!

Hamāzor Hamā Ashō-bēd! May we all be united in strength and righteousness!

Atha Jamyad Yatha Afrinami! May we achieve what we have prayed for.

~ Afshan Barshan – ZAMC President

Read more in the complete August-November 2020 newsletter

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Tags : aug-2020, newsletter, nov-2020, oct-2020, sep-2020
Posted by ZAMC 
· November 9, 2020 
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Dadabhai Naoroji and the Global Zoroastrian Community

ZAC virtual event

Dinyar Patel, Ph.D.

Please join us via Zoom for a presentation on Dadabhai Naoroji and the Global Zoroastrian Community, by Prof. Dinyar Patel, on Saturday, November 14, 2020, at 9:30am CT.

Dinyar is the author of “Naoroji, Pioneer of Indian Nationalism”, a brilliant biography of the “Grand Old Man” of Indian nationalism and the first Indian elected to the British House of Commons.

Please click here to RSVP for the event

For security reasons we will only send Zoom links to those who have RSVP’d prior to the event.

Dadabhai Naoroji and the Global Zoroastrian Community

Dadabhai Naoroji was arguably the most significant Indian nationalist leader before Gandhi. Naoroji was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress, became the first Indian elected to the British Parliament in 1892, and, 1906, declared swaraj or self-government to be the policy of the Indian National Congress.

Naoroji was also an extremely significant leader within the global Zoroastrian community. His community-related activities spanned three different countries. In India, Naoroji played a pioneering role in Parsi social and religious reform, especially regarding women’s equality. He also helped orchestrate a much more long-term process of scholarly exchange between Zoroastrian scholars in Europe and Parsi scholars and priests in Bombay and western India. In the United Kingdom, Naoroji helped lay the foundations of the British Zoroastrian community, giving it an institutional basis (the modern-day Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe), mentoring new arrivals from India, and educating the British public about Zoroastrianism. Finally, Dadabhai Naoroji maintained a lifelong interest in the affairs of the Iranian Zoroastrian community. He contributed to that community’s rising fortunes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by lobbying the shah of Iran and other Iranian officials to crack down on discriminatory policies.

Please join us as Dinyar discusses the life of Naoroji, his significance to the global Zoroastrian community, and lessons from his life. 

About Prof. Dinyar Patel

http://www.dinyarpatel.com

Dinyar Patel is an Assistant Professor of History at the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) in Mumbai. Previously, he taught in the Department of History at the University of South Carolina. He teaches courses on modern South Asia, the Indian nationalist movement, and the British Empire. Most of his research has focused on the life and career of Dadabhai Naoroji. In 2015, Dinyar received his Ph.D. in History from Harvard University. His biography of Dadabhai Naoroji, “Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism”, was published by Harvard University Press in May 2020.

Dinyar’s academic research focuses on the Indian nationalist movement, the city of Bombay/Mumbai, and the Parsi Zoroastrian community. He has received two Fulbright fellowships and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for his research. In addition to his academic writing, he has contributed pieces to BBC News, the New York Times online, the Hindu, the Indian Express, and Scroll.in.

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Posted by ZAMC 
· July 1, 2020 
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June/July 2020 Newsletter

Believing in the Promise of a Brighter Tomorrow

Dear community members and friends,

As we journey through 2020, easily one of the most challenging years we have ever faced, we write to you with the promise of a brighter tomorrow. Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana each have opened their economies with precaution, and we are pleased to announce that we are actively reimagining and planning the reopening of our beloved ZAC in the coming months.

Your board of directors is working hard to enable a gradual and safe reopening of ZAC that is in keeping with State of Illinois guidance. In the coming weeks, we will announce new standard operating procedures and a lineup of activities – mainly outdoor – that will help us reunite safely with the implementation of temperature scans, facial coverings and social distancing as core tenets of our new normal. 

In August, we will hold our first virtual AGM and Muktad prayers, and will begin live streaming our daily prayers. The collective ‘we’ have proven that our resilience and religiosity can not be deterred by a virus, and have provided a hand up to those struggling through our welfare fund. Until a vaccine is available, we will be challenged to balance in-person and online programming to help stay safe, connected and united. 

Until then, be aware, stay smart, and always believe in the promise of a brighter tomorrow. 

Hamāzor Hamā Ashō-bēd!
May we all be united in strength and righteousness!

Read more in the complete June/July 2020 newsletter

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Tags : jul-2020, jun-2020, newsletter
Posted by ZAMC 
· May 3, 2020 
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April/May 2020 Newsletter

Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Well!

Social distancing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and a little Faith and Patience are Keys to Survival in the ‘New Normal.’ 

Dear community members and friends,

We write to you with hope, belief and faith as the world and life as we once knew it has changed with the onset and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This ‘new normal’ of life is with us until the global community of scientists, doctors and public health leaders produce a vaccine. Even then, the economic, psychological and emotional toll of this pandemic will take years if not decades to heal. 

Before we heal, however, we take a moment to feel the weight and gravity of the lives lost both around the world and here at home. As of this newsletter’s publication, more than 211,000 souls have been lost to COVID-19. 

We take this moment to mourn their loss, honor their lives, and send our deepest condolences to their families.

“There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.” ~Mother Theresa

Until there is a vaccine, we will likely see our children continue eLearning from home; those in non-essential jobs will continue to work from home; the demand for PPE and health care workers will continue to skyrocket; and social distancing will remain the norm. 

The impact from jobs lost, businesses bankrupted, and the looming threat of an anticipated resurgence of COVID-19 this fall/winter, will continue to slow the economy’s return and markets will open gradually. 

What we have is each other. We have our Vohu Mana, our good mind, and are empowered now more than ever to use our head to make righteous and purposeful decisions. The power of Good Words, Good Thoughts, and Good Deeds has never shone more brightly as mindfulness, kindness and self-sacrifice emerge as part of a new norm for our sensibilities and the way we treat one another. 

Our air is cleaner, our environment is greener, our family units are stronger, our health is front-and-center, and our wellbeing is dependent on our ability to work together – to cooperate and to build bridges for a better tomorrow. 

Thanks to modern technology we remain more interconnected with one another than ever before. Our re-awakening as a society means we will: 

  • improve our preparedness for future pandemics; 
  • build more effective crisis and contingency plans; and 
  • honor and care for our front line work force. 

Specifically: doctors, nurses, patient care technicians, janitorial staff, paramedics, police officers, mass transit workers, trash haulers, and postal and grocery store workers, to name a few true heroes.

Despite rescue lifelines from federal governments, many businesses will sadly go bankrupt; new markets will be created; new skill sets will be learned; and yes, PPE will continue to be in very high demand.

Our children will be shaped, motivated, educated and  impacted by these events. Many of our children will look back at this time and say they found their calling in life following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we should be honored when they tell us they want to serve on the front lines. 

In the true Zarathushti spirit of philanthropy, we are pleased to report our Welfare Committee has raised more than $7,000 to aid and assist those in our community who are economically disadvantaged from the pandemic’s dangerous impact on the economy. 

We also have a team of volunteers ready and able to assist those in need, particularly our elderly, in getting groceries and performing tasks to help ease their burdens, driven mainly by anxiety and isolation. 

Through it all, we will continue to focus on WE and not ME, strengthening our interconnectedness and being there for one another. TOGETHER we will realize our common calling: to spread light and goodness throughout an increasingly complex and challenging world.

Hamāzor Hamā Ashō-bēd!
May we all be united in strength and righteousness!

Read more in the complete April/May 2020 newsletter

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Tags : apr-2020, may-2020, newsletter
Posted by ZAMC 
· March 17, 2020 

COVID-19 Task Force

Call for Volunteers

Dear fellow community members and friends,

We hope and trust you are coping well given the significant disruption to life and impact on health created by the ongoing public health crisis known commonly as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. 

The purpose of this post is two-fold:

1. To advise that all ZAC events planned for April and beyond have been postponed until further notice. In keeping with our stance on protecting the health and well-being of our community, ZAC has to err on the side of caution and to ensure proper precautions are taken. We will be communicating with you frequently and will update you with new developments and announcements as events warrant.

2. Call for Volunteers | ZAC COVID-19 Task Force: we are pleased to announce that we have formed a special COVID-19 Task Force aimed at helping the most vulnerable members of our community with the help they need, and ultimately reducing the risk of exposure within our small but resilient community. 

If you have the ability and interest to volunteer, even in a small way, please send an email to zamc@zamc.org with your name, the town/county you live in and your mobile phone number. We will register you as a volunteer and will reach out to you with next steps. 

Following are ways in which Task Force volunteers can provide critical assistance:

  • Making trips to/from grocery stores or pharmacies to safely pick up and drop off food, household necessities or medication for those, mainly our elderly, who are compelled to stay home and avoid the risk of being exposed to the virus.
  • Well-checks: from moms and dads working from home with young children to our single populations and elderly living alone who can not even visit their grandchildren, we would like our Task Force volunteers to pick up the phone and see how they are doing. Sometimes just a 15-minute conversation can bring joy to someone’s life! Now is the time to show you care, to be a Zarathushti, and call on your fellow community members who you think may be in need. 
  • Donations: Visit our web site and donate to the Welfare fund – please list COVID-19 in the memo section and we’ll make sure those dollars are used toward helping and supporting those in need. Donating starts with a visit to: www.zamc.org/donate

Thanks for your time and attention to this matter. Together, we will make a difference in the lives of those in need, and reduce the many risks associated with this virus.

Read more for more information about the virus, risks, symptoms and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

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Categories : All posts
Posted by ZAMC 
· March 11, 2020 

All events for March 2020 are cancelled

Dear fellow community members and friends,

We are sorry to report that all March events scheduled at ZAC have been cancelled due to the ongoing health threat posed by the COVID-19 virus, more commonly known as the Coronavirus. 

As there is no known cure for this virus, and as the medical community, local, state, and federal government officials manage this crisis, it is incumbent on those of us in local leadership positions to act swiftly and proactively to reduce the spread of this unknown and dangerous disease. 

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that has now spread to every continent. It is particularly dangerous for the elderly and those afflicted with pre-existing medical conditions and weaker immune systems. It is spread from person to person (close contact with one another within six feet and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes), as well as through community spread, meaning some people have been infected who are not sure how or where they became infected. 

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

There is currently no vaccine to prevent Coronavirus disease. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

  • Avoid close contact with people
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds 
  • Monitor local news and visit www.cdc.gov for tips on effective handwashing and other preventive measures

IF YOU FEEL SICK:

If you start feeling sick with fever, cough and shortness of breath, please do the following:

  • Immediately contact your doctor’s office by phone – do not go in to your healthcare provider without calling in first
  • Stay home and do not go to work
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes
  • Clean your hands often


A NOTE ABOUT HOARDING SUPPLIES:

Please do not hoard items essential for medical professionals, like hand sanitizer and face masks. Face masks in particular are only effective in preventing the infection from passing from you to others. Hoarding such supplies can in fact increase the chances of someone else passing the virus on to you because they were unable to procure face masks for themselves.Moreover, medical professionals need these critical supplies. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMON SENSE SOCIAL DISTANCING:

In daily life we urge you to exercise caution and common sense social distancing: avoid unnecessary travel, both personal and business, and avoid places where large groups of people might congregate, such as malls and sporting events.

As board members, it is our highest duty to ensure the health and safety of our membership. ZAC remains a safe and clean venue and we expect to keep it that way. Making small adjustments to our daily lives helps keep us all safe, and postponing all March ZAC events is an important measure toward that end. 

We will continue to keep you advised and invite you to send any questions or concerns to us at zamc@zamc.org. 

For the latest on the Coronavirus we encourage you to monitor local news and visit www.cdc.gov

Hamāzor Hamā Ashō-bēd!
May we be united in strength and righteousness!
~ ZAC Board of Directors

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