News

9 Days Left to Avail Early Bird Pricing.

HAVE YOU REGISTERED ??

Did You Know ?

A thousand Zarathushtis from all over the world are planning to gather in NYC in about six months.

New York City....the capital of the world is the host city.

And the Congress Venue is a block away from Times Square: Crossroads of the World.

Registration opened in December and folks from all over the world have started to register.

Early Bird Rates are till January 31st, 2022 ONLY. Then we revert to normal rates. Do NOT miss out.

On our registration portal you will find all the information you need to register yourselves and also book the hotel rooms that we have negotiated at an incredible discount.

If you have any questions regarding registration, send a email to: register@wzc2022.nyc

Register Now

The Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) and the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation (OZCF) is seeking your help and support for the following appeal by WZO requesting urgent assistance for Er. Jehanbux Chhitiwala, Boywalla at Banaji Atash Behram.

All donations of $25 and greater made through the ZSO website will receive a donation receipt and we will send the collections to WZO.

We thank you for your continued support and generosity!

Donate ONLINE

World Zoroastrian Organization, U.S. Region Ltd.
6943 Fieldstone Drive, Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527-5295

Phone: (630) 654-8828   Fax: (630) 654-8838   kayomehta@aol.com

Request Urgent Assistance for Er. Jehanbux Chhithiwala, Boywalla at Banaji Atash Behram 

Ervad Jehanbux Chhithiwala, a full time Mobed 52 years of age, married with a wife and college going daughter, practicing at Banaji Atash Behram suffered a brain stroke and was hospitalized on December 26, 2021 at Saifee Hospital, Mumbai.

We were informed that the hospital has asked the family to deposit Rs.1,800,000 (approximately USD 24,000), as Er. Jehanbux Chhithiwala needs to undergo emergency surgery for placement of a stent in his brain to save his life.

Er. Jehanbux Chhithiwala and his family is in great distress and needs our help. With your assistance, we can help them meet his Medical Expenses in his hour of  need. We request your generous Donations to help him recover from his current condition. Please donate generously to WZO US Region to provide the much­needed help.

Kindly make your donation checks payable to "WZO" with a reference to "Er. Jehanbux Chhithiwala" and mail them to WZO US Region address (6943 Fieldstone Drive, Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527-5295). Please make sure to provide your email address, and phone number to facilitate sending a tax receipt for your kind donation.

Thank you very much for your Zoroastrian Spirit.

MEDICAL APPEAL FOR NUSHAFREEN PALSETIA

Nushafreen Palsetia (daughter of Katy and Dara Palsetia of Mumbai, India) has a Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, double express or phenotype, an aggressive form of cancer. Last year, FEZANA donors generously contributed towards Nushafreen’s extensive treatment.
 

An update from her family:

Nushafreen is currently undergoing the third cycle of the treatment regimen to put the disease in remission. She is having regular blood tests and doctor's follow up. The disease is responding to the treatment as per the blood reports and her overall health is fairly good.

PET CT scan is scheduled for 29th October 2021. If she is in complete remission based on the scan, the doctor has advised to move forward with Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant to take advantage of the remission period and achieve the best possible outcome of complete cure.

Fortunately, Nushafreen's elder sister who is with her in Israel is a fully matched (100%) sibling donor.

The hospital requires a deposit of $200,000 before hospitalization for the Allogeneic Transplant. 

Our family earnestly requests your kind help for financial support for the transplant to the extent possible so that she has the opportunity to receive the curative treatment in a timely manner.

Thank you very much for all your help and support throughout her treatment.

We urge our generous community to support this family with any financial contributions they can afford. A tax receipt will be issued from the US on behalf of FEZANA. 

You can donate online using a credit/debit card on the link below. Select "Nushafreen Palsetia Medical Appeal" from the pulldown menu.

Donate ONLINE

Or you can send a cheque to:

Rooky Fitter
FEZANA Treasurer
PO BOX 266
SUNSET BEACH, CA 90742

Please Note: In case the family’s needs are met, then the additional funds collected will be used towards similar future appeals.

May Ahura Mazda bless you for your generous support, always.

Thank you.

Houtoxi Contractor, Sanaya Master, Hosi Mehta
Co-chairs, FEZANA Unity and Welfare Committee

The California Zoroastrian Center (CZC) presents 2022 Essay Contest.

The province continues to remain in Step 3 of the Roadmap to Reopen. We are happy to share that by following the reopening timelines and changes under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) for places of worship the Mehraban Guiv Darb e Meher (MGDM) will continue to remain open for drop in visits with additional number of days per week. All public health measures will continue to follow including capacity limits, face coverings, physical distancing and environmental cleaning and disinfecting. 

As promised and communicated earlier, our approach to re-opening the MGDM will be "slow and steady" and "data driven, not date driven". This will be based on a number of factors:

• Vaccination rates, mandates and requirements
• Case counts
• Impact of variants
• Government Protocols

 As we cautiously and gradually plan the re-opening, The MGDM revised hours of operations starting, November 1^st, 21 are as below:

DAY OF THE WEEK	TIME
Monday	4pm – 8pm
Wednesday	4pm – 8pm
Saturday	9am – 12pm(noon)

All visits to the MGDM will continue to be by appointment only and MUST be booked in advance, a minimum 24 hours prior to the day of the visit, by completing the online booking request form or by contacting Hoofrish Patel (email EVP@zso.org  or 647-313–9805) and receiving her confirmation. Please note if you do not have an appointment/confirmation, your entry will be denied.

When planning a visit to the MGDM please be sure to follow the mandatory requirements and guidelines:

• Use the online self-assessment tool before every visit to the MGDM

• Complete the covid screener on the day of visit and show it to the volunteer who will be on-site ( https://covid-19.ontario.ca/screening/customer/ )

• Wearing a non-medical mask/face covering is mandatory

• For COVID-19 contact tracing purposes, you will be required to provide your name and contact details which will only be kept on file for 30 days.” 

• Bring your own prayer book , head covering, sandalwood or other prayer related items

• Maintain a social distance of two meters/six feet

• Follow entry and exit signs

• Avoid opportunities for the virus to spread through touch, either directly or indirectly through surfaces and objects, including objects that may be used in rituals or ceremonies

Suspended Services

• Consumption of food and drink remains restricted

• Indoor singing and choir service

• Sharing and distribution of materials and objects such as books, scarves, caps, water, etc.

We are grateful to all our donors and well-wishers and request everyone to donate generously by visiting our website (zso.org/donate).

Cash Donations

Cheque Donations

Drop off in the ZSO safety deposit box

DO NOT drop off any cheques in the safety deposit box Make Cheque payable to ‘Zoroastrian Society of Ontario’ Complete the donation form and attach it with your cheque Provide your email address if applicable to ensure timely and accurate issuance of donation receipts. Deliver the cheque and completed form together to our custodian or send it by mail NOTE: Cheques made payable to ZSO are not acceptable by the bank and rejected

Lastly, we want to take this opportunity and remind everyone that vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect you and those around you from serious illnesses like COVID-19.  Aligning with the Government’s announcement as of September 22, 2021, you will need to provide proof of vaccination to access MGDM as required helping further protect our community from COVID-19 and the Delta variant.

We continue to review the in-person visit and event guidelines as the Pandemic and the Government related directives evolve. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we gradually, and safely reopen, keeping the safety of our custodian and the community at large as the top priority. 

Disclaimers and resources: 

• “All visits to the MGDM are voluntary and at the visitor’s own discretion. Visitors must comply with applicable guidelines including limits on numbers, wearing of masks and physical distancing. All visitors are responsible for their own health & safety as well as respecting the health & safety of those around them.” 
  

• Click here for more details on reopening of Faith Based Organizations in the City of Toronto

• Click here for more details on proof of vaccination Guidance for Businesses and Organizations under the Reopening Ontario Act

NAMC Institute of Zoroastrian Studies Discussion Group - Zoroastrianism outside the Box Sunday, October 24, 2021,  at 2 pm Eastern Time, 11 am Pacific Time Topic: Vendidad – A Book of Prayers and a Book of Laws Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82255067379?pwd=VkI2VDlJa1hyVzdKNUZoRjFsYWxzUT09 Meeting ID: 822 5506 7379            Passcode: NAMCIZS           Are purity laws and instructions prescribed in Vendidad relevant today? Would our secular society tolerate the punishments prescribed in this ancient document? Should these ancient laws and instructions in an ancient language be revered as prayers or should they be studied in their historical context. Should these laws be updated to suite our current circumstances?

Presenter: Ervad Jal Panthaky Jal has combined his profession of engineering with his passion for Zoroastrian studies. Amongst other Zoroastrian scriptures, he has studied and transliterated the entire Vendidad. He has trained young Mobeds to recite and perform Yasna and Vendidad ceremonies as a part of their initiation of Navar and Martab. As a Mobed, Jal provides religious and spiritual services to Zoroastrians throughout North America. This event is facilitated by the NAMC Institute of Zoroastrian Studies to promote knowledge through free but respectful discussion and debate.  The views and opinions expressed during the discussions are those of the presenter and participants and do not reflect the official policy or position of the NAMC. For more information, please visit http://namcmobeds.org/izs-events/