July 2015 D♥S Zoroastrian Society of Ontario Volume 42, Number 1 Events for the months ahead… Wednesday, July 1 11:00am Tiregan (F) Wednesday, July 1 12:00pm Maidyoshem Gahambar (F) Friday, July 3 11:00am Seniors Yoga by Zubin Dotiwalla Friday, July 3 6:00pm Avesta Classes Saturday, July 11 10:30am Scouts 25th Anniversary Awards & Picnic* Friday, July 17 11:00am Seniors Games Sunday, July 19 11:00am ZSO Annual General Meeting Friday, July 31 11:00am Seniors Event Friday, August 7 6:00pm Avesta Classes Sunday, August 9 TBA Darbe Mehr clean-up August 13-17 Muktad Days Tuesday, August 18 6:30pm Navroze (S) Saturday, August 22 7:00pm Joint Navroze & Pateti Ball** Sunday, August 23 10:30am Khordad Sal (S)*** Friday, August 28 11:00am Seniors Event Friday, September 4 6:00pm Avesta Classes Saturday, September 5 10:30am Fravardegan (S)*** Sunday, September 6 10:30am Dastoorji Kookadaroo Baj (S) Sunday, September 13 11:00am Paitishahem Gahambar (F) Saturday, September 19 7:00pm Scouts Lagan Patraa Nu Bhonu* Sunday, September 20 2:30pm Religion Classes Self-Healing PALM-5 YOGA, Integrated Mind-Body Wellness Therapy classes will be held Wednesday, July 8, 15, 22, and 29 evenings at the Darbe Mehr from 6:30 to 8:15pm. For further information, please call Zubin Dotiwalla at (905) 629-2985. *See attached flyer for more information on the Scouts 25th Anniversary Awards & Picnic and Lagan Patraa Nu Bhonu. **See attached flyer for information on the ZSO & OZCF joint Navroze & Pateti Ball. ***Those interested in joining for lunch or dinner after Shahenshahi (S) prayers or ceremonies, please provide your name to Pervin or Fredoon Khory at (905) 669-5037 or [email protected] at least 4 days prior to the event. Note: All events will be held at Mehraban Guiv Darbe Mehr unless otherwise specified. ZSO, as publisher, is not responsible for content and support of any flyers not issued by them. Mehraban Guiv Darbe Mehr Hours Monday Closed Tuesday – Sunday 9:00am to 12:00pm; 4:30pm to 8:00pm MEHRABAN GUIV DARBE MEHR Telephone: (416) 225-7771 Address: 3590 Bayview Avenue North York, Ontario M2M 3S6 www.zso.org “Zoroastrian Society of Ontario – ZSO” Board of Directors Corner As another year draws to a close, this is the final communication to the membership of your current Board of Directors. The new Board will be elected at the Annual General Meeting on July 19, 2015. While a lot more work needs to be done, the Board has accomplished much during the past year. Some of the achievements include: successfully implementing the major kitchen and washroom renovation project, which presented ongoing challenges due to the age and lack of repairs and maintenance of the basic infrastructure and the requirement to upgrade to current building code requirements; bringing about greater harmony within the community; building a closer working relationship with our sister organization to the west; making continued improvements to the property; installing the artifacts donated to us by the Royal Ontario Museum fully funded by donations; introducing the renewed and more user friendly ZSO website; improving the system for sending announcements and urgent messages via voice, text, email, and Facebook; migrating to a fully computerized membership database with storage of all data on the cloud; making constitutional amendments; and renewing and enhancing the monthly newsletter. The Board has also commenced the upgrades to carpeted rooms on the main floor and has plans for improvements to the main hall. It is the Board's mission to encourage increased participation and involvement by our youth. The recent successful youth movie night held at the Darbe Mehr, managed and run by our youth, is testament to their eagerness and abilities. We thank the membership for your trust and confidence in the Board to manage the affairs of the Society. Little would have been accomplished without the unwavering support of the countless volunteers and well-wishers to whom we bow our heads with gratitude and to whom the entire community will remain indebted. Our best wishes to the new Board for the upcoming year. Have an enjoyable and safe summer with family and friends. Religion Classes The Religion Education Classes held its year-end Annual Day function on May 30th. Family and friends gathered to watch the religion class students display their religious knowledge. Presentations included plays on topics such as the Amesha Spentas and the Creation Story, as well as songs from our youngest students. Trophies were presented to the winners of the Elocution Competition held earlier in the year. As well, each participant in the contest received a medal in recognition of his or her effort. These awards were presented to students by our guest of honour, ZSO President Bina Behboodi. A delicious lunch was catered by Nancy Patel. Registration has begun for the following year. Religion Classes provide a unique opportunity for our community’s children not only to meet, but also to learn about the Zoroastrian religion and its traditions. Our goal is to promote an understanding of the religion and to foster a sense of Zoroastrian identity among our students. We hope to see all of our current students and many newcomers in the fall. Please refer to the enclosed enrollment form for registration information. ZSO Constitution Copies of the updated ZSO Constitution and By-laws are now available to members (maximum one copy per household). A copy of the new Code of Conduct is enclosed with this edition of the newsletter. The Constitution, By-laws, and Code of Conduct will also be posted on the zso.org website for members only to view and print. Those members who would like a copy mailed to them may please contact the ZSO Secretary by email at [email protected] or the Vice-President Dara Panthakee at (416) 826-3298. Please include your cheque payable to ZSO for $5 to defray the costs of printing and mailing. We thank the Constitution sub-committee for all their hard work in updating the Constitution and By-laws. July 2015 Page 2 of 6 Page 3 of 6 July 2015 Birth Announcement Samir Roshni Jussawalla, daughter to Firoza and Malcolm Jussawalla and sister to Zarina Kaia Jussawalla of Markham, was born on May 24, 2015. Congratulations to the happy family! ZSO Scholarship Program The application for the ZSO Academic and Community Service Excellence Award for High School Students is available on the ZSO website, and is due by July 10th. Students are highly encouraged to apply. For information about the scholarship, eligibility criteria, and the application, please access the application th at 18 North American Zarathushti Congress http://zso.org/images/Downloads/ZSO_Applic The 18th North American Zarathushti Congress will be held onboard a ation_for_Scholarship_2015_2016.pdf cruise ship between Vancouver and Alaska in July 2017. Subscribe to the mailing list to receive up-to-date information on the Congress: Interfaith Symposium http://www.zsbc.org/cms/nazc2017/subscribe. An Interfaith Symposium, “Religious Founders and their Teachings” was Zoroastrian Unity Cup Soccer Tournament organized in early June by the Ahmadiyya Registration for the 9th Zoroastrian Unity Cup Soccer Tournament opened Muslim Community in Windsor. Our thanks on May 20th. The event will be held in Redondo Beach, California on to Ervad Tehemton Mirza of London, Labour Day weekend (September 5-6, 2015). More information can be Ontario who spoke on behalf of the found at www.zathletics.com. Zoroastrian community and helped raise awareness of Zoroastrianism. ZSO Logo In previous newsletters, members were invited to submit designs for a Climate March new ZSO logo. The winning logo will be decided at the Annual General On July 5, a coalition of faith communities, Meeting. Several submissions were received and were all sent to Indigenous communities, social justice members in the separate mailing of documents for the AGM. Please note organizations, environmental groups, the that the present logo is also part of the competition. Please come to the labour movement, scientists, and the public, AGM prepared to cast your vote for the logo of your choice. If you are will take part in a March for Jobs, Justice unable to attend, you may send in your ballot by proxy. We ask that you and the Climate. For further information, consider the choices carefully, as the logo is a symbol of our identity. please contact Ervad Jehan Bagli at We thank all those who have submitted their uniquely designed and [email protected] or (647) 344-3531. artfully presented logos. For purposes of the competition we have not disclosed the names of the entrants. We will reveal the names of the individuals in our next newsletter. Condolences Ms. Homaji Beji Dubash, mother of Nina Homi Ghadially; sister of late Homi and Hoshi Patel; grandmother of Behramjee Ghadially, Rovina Zubin Sethna, and Saneeya Hormazd Kanga, passed away on June 8, 2015. Our condolences to the bereaved families. World Zoroastrian Council Scholar Program of Mastering in Religion The World Zoroastrian Council accepts volunteers (between 20-40 years old), from all around the world, in order to educate a new generation of experts and masters in religion and to train them in various modules such as ancient texts, din-dabireh (Avestan alphabet), Gathas, prayers, rituals, celebrations, Zoroastrian ceremonies, etc. The Hirbadi program will be running for a year; the first session will be held in Paris for two weeks (September or October 2015), afterward, the next sessions will continue by distance and through internet. For more information and inquiries, please contact the course director, Mobed Kouroh Niknam, [email protected]. For admission procedure and to receive the application form, please kindly submit your request by email to: [email protected] by July 31, 2015.