Concealed in a nondescript building in a quiet upper middle-class Chicago suburb, lies a center devoted to one of the most prolific religions in the history of mankind. The movement does not proselytize or advertise, and many residents of Burr Ridge, Illinois may never know that the Zoroastrian Association of Chicago exists in their community.

Toonaripost was invited by prominent member of the ZAC, Rohinton Rivetna, to witness and participate in a ritual gathering. Rivetna is the founder of FEZANA, an organization dedicated to uniting the international Zoroastrian diaspora together; collaborating with organizations in India, Iran, and the U.K.

The ZAC affords its members a traditional forum to practice their beliefs and also functions as a community center. In an effort to cater toward the younger generation of Zoroastrian followers, (not to mention a great way for members to mingle and associate,) a Nintendo Wii was set up for tournament style play.

This advanced technological display was in complete contrast to the scene in the next room. Worshipers are asked to remove their shoes and place a small hat (topi) on their head before proceeding. What is witnessed next is a tradition that has been practiced for thousands of years. The priest, Ervad Jamshed Ravji stands before a flame, his face covered with white cloth.

He chants in ancient Iranian tongue known as, Avestan; the virtues of prophet Zoroaster and the blessings of the only god, Ahura Mazda. Others congregate in a semicircle and quietly observe or pray along from a small book written in Sanskrit. Donations can be made. In return, one receives a small wooden stick that can be placed in the flames.

At the end of the event, the priest goes around, offering ashes to one’s forehead, a tradition shared by the Catholic church. Rivetna is uncertain if there is a link between both theologies on this tradition, and does not know how that custom originated. This is a practice followed by the Parsi Indians only, and not from Iranian devotees.

After the ritual (which is optional to attend) members re-convene in the main hall to watch the Wii tournament be played out. Children run around while the elders chat. Many members are prominent professionals in the community, doctors, lawyers, etc. Several Zoroastrians brought a dish to be shared for lunch, the room filling up with exotic aromas.

Both Persian and Parsi practitioners of Zoroastrianism (also known as Zarathushti) now worship once again and side-by-side in Chicagoland. The Zoroastrian Association of Chicago has been operating for over thirty years and has a membership of over 700 who come together to worship Ahura Mazda.

This is the only congregation in the midwest, one of 27 total in North America. Most are both Parsi and Persian. Some sects in L.A. are exclusively of Iranian dialect (Farsi) so Parsi members might feel uncomfortable, unable to understand the ceremonial chanting.

The movement flourished for over 3,000 years before the Islamic conquests dominated the ancient Persian homeland. Some sects fled into Northern India, where they would be known as The Parsi, and continued to practice the teachings of Zoroaster in peace along their Hindu neighbors. A monotheistic faith, Zoroastrianism had a great impact on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Perhaps the most identifiable trait of the practice is the devotion and reverence of fire. Fire temples used to exist all throughout the middle-east, but most have been either destroyed, or converted into Mosques.
Zoroastrianism can be broken down by the six core attributes (Amesha Spentas) of Ahura Mazda (God)

1. Asha Vahishta – The highest (best) truth and righteousness.
2. Vohu Manah – The good mind. Understanding the nature of our world.
3. Spenta Armaiti – Holy Devotion. The attitude of piety and devotion toward truth and the attitude of benevolence.
4. Kshathra Vairya – Divine strength and power. The ideal social and political structure of the world, an ideal society.
5. Haurvatat – The state of complete well being, physical and spiritual integrity.
6. Ameretat – The state of immortal bliss.

Some components of the theology are no longer practiced; such as leaving bodies of the dead in vast open sarcophagus’ known as “Towers of Silence,” where vultures would swoop down and pick the bodies clean. The Zoroastrians did not want to poison the earth with cadavers. This was known as, “ritual exposure,” and may be the most foreign aspect of an otherwise approachable spirituality.

Zoroastrianism still survives in modern Iran, yet the numbers pale in comparison to the Muslim majority, and the amount of followers has continue to decline since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Bombay, India, remains the capital of Zarathustis, with an estimated 110,000 devotees. The most well known Parsi was former rock-singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury.

According to Rivetna, linguistic evidence estimates that 2012 marks the 3,750 anniversary of Zoroaster’s initial preachings, hailing from somewhere between the Caspian and Aral Seas, perhaps in modern day Uzbekistan.
His teachings gained movement around 550 BC, when Cyrus the Great made it popular under his Achaemenid dynasty. The likeness of Cyrus is celebrated for his bringing of peoples together and being the first true multicultural society.

Many books were destroyed between the conquests of Alexander the Great (known as the Cursed to the Persians) and the invasion of Arabs-Islam , but core-elements continued to this day due to an indomitable oral tradition.

More recently, The Shah of Iran absolved tax on Zoroastrians, restoring equal rights in their homeland and many would return until the 1979 Islamic revolution when persecution resumed.

Today, Zoroastrians are denied government jobs in Iran, and have trouble being accepted into Universities. Only in cities far from their cultural birthplace can the few remaining followers of the prophet Zoroastor find solace.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.zac-chicago.org/

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In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, AJC issued the statement below, and re-released its short film on the Nazi death camp, Belzec. More than 500,000 Jews were slaughtered there in less than a year. Only two Jews survived.  The full text of AJC’s statement follows:

We Remember

In the Jewish tradition, we are commanded to remember (zachor) and not to forget (lo tishkach). On January 27, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this solemn occasion, 67 years after the liberation of Auschwitz:

We remember the six million Jewish martyrs, including 1.5 million children, who were exterminated in the Holocaust.

We remember the entirely new alphabet created by the Nazis for the Final Solution — from the letter “A” for Auschwitz to the letter “Z” for Zyklon-B.

We remember not only the tragic deaths of the six million Jews, but also their vibrant lives—as shopkeepers and craftsmen, scientists and authors, teachers and students, parents and children, husbands and wives.

We remember the richly hued and ancient Jewish civilizations that were destroyed—from Salonika to Vilna, from Amsterdam to Prague.

We remember the slippery slope that began with the rantings of an obscure Austrian-born anti-Semite named Adolf Hitler and led, in the course of less than 15 years, to his absolute control over Germany.

We remember the fertile soil of European anti-Semitism—cultivated over centuries by cultural, political, and religious voices—that created an all-too-receptive climate for the Nazi objective of eliminating the Jewish people.

We remember the courage of Denmark, as well as Albania, Bulgaria, and Finland, for their extraordinary efforts to protect their own Jewish communities.

We remember the courage of thousands of Righteous Persons—whom we call, in Hebrew, Hasidei Umot Ha’olam—who risked their own lives that others might live.

We remember the millions of non-Jews—Poles and Russians, Roma and the disabled, political opponents and homosexuals—murdered under the relentless Nazi onslaught.

We remember the valiant soldiers of the Allied nations who, at such great human cost, vanquished the Third Reich.

We remember the survivors of the death camps, who endured such unimaginable suffering and who have inspired us all with their indomitable courage, spirit, and will to live.

We remember the absence of an Israel in those war-time years—an Israel that, had it existed, would have provided a haven when so shamefully few countries were willing to accept Jewish refugees.

We shall never forget those who perished.

We shall never forget those who saved even a single life. As it is written in the Talmud: “He who saves one life has saved the world.”

We shall never forget the importance of speaking out against intolerance, whenever and wherever it occurs.

We shall never forget the inextricable link among democracy, the rule of law, and protection of human rights.

We shall never forget the age-old prophetic vision of a world of justice, harmony, and peace.

And we shall never forget that each of us, in ways large and small, can help bring us closer to the realization of that prophetic vision.

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The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce a $2.5 million gift from The David Berg Foundation to establish The David Berg Rare Book Room.  This contribution will enable the Center and its partners to realize their longstanding goal of creating a public space that showcases and preserves some of the most important works in Jewish history.

“We are incredibly grateful to The David Berg Foundation for its unwavering commitment to the Center for Jewish History,” says Michael S. Glickman, chief operating officer of the Center. “It is only because of friends like this that the Center is able to ensure that Jewish history remains vibrant—as well as relevant—in today’s world. This rare book room will be part of David Berg’s legacy as an ardent supporter of the Jewish people and their history.”

The room will provide the Center’s partners — American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research — with a state-of-the-art facility in which to house some of their most important printed materials, including seminal first editions and a cross-section of rabbinical literature, Jewish philosophy, and intellectual history that dates back hundreds of years.

Scheduled to open this fall, the public will be able to visit The David Berg Rare Book Room six days a week, reinforcing the Center’s commitment to making information and history available to the thousands of people who visit each year. This glass-enclosed, high-security space—situated adjacent to the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall and the Collection Management & Conservation Wing—will use the latest technology to display and protect the works that have helped establish the Center as a preeminent home for Jewish scholarship.

“Our core mission is to preserve, protect, and present the treasured collections of our partners,” says Center Co-Chairman William A. Ackman. “This project elevates our ability to showcase important works, and we are grateful to The David Berg Foundation and its trustees for this tremendous opportunity.”

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What would you reply to your kid if he wants a tattoo?

Well in Jeremy Bieber’s situation, he not only agree to let his son Justin  get a tattoo, but he did not hesitate to form part of the plan and ended up getting one too.

They both got their tattoo in Israel, which showed the word “Yeshua” written in Hebrew, which means Jesus. They both got the same tattoo on their left torsos, and during the process the father hold tightly Bieber’s hand.

Justin’s manager said that Justin is a faithful believer and that before going onstage he always prays in English and Hebrew. “Justin heard me pray, he gets why I do it and now he does the same,” said Braun.

Bases on some interviews and sources Bieber had always remark the good relationship he has with his father. Last year he told to Seventeen magazine: “”I have a great relationship with my dad, When I was younger, he taught me how to play some songs on the guitar, like ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ by Bob Dylan.”

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The last goodbye for Amy WInehouse will take place today (July 26). The location and time have not been revealed.

Based on some information taken from the music magazine NME: “A spokesperson for the star’s family said the small, private event will be attended by family and close friends.”

The ceremony will be conducted in a London Synagoge. As a Jeweish tradition the ceremony is taking place as soon as possible.

Sharon Osbourne exposed on US chat show The Talk, that the singers friends and family were gathering at the family home as a Jewish grief tradition.“She’s with Amy‘s mum, they’re doing shiva at the house,” she said of her daughter Kelly,. “She’s there with all the girls that used to hang out with Amy”

Mitch Winehouse, said to the fans that were gathered ouside Amy’s home: “Amy was about one thing, and that was love. Her whole life was devoted to her family friends, and to you guys as well. So we’re devastated, and I’m speechless. Also, Mitch make sured that today the only person that would not be welcomed to attend the funeral is Winehouse’s jailed ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil.

Amy Winehouse was being examined and a toxicology test performed, and the results will be known around two to four weeks. But the official cause of death will not be known until October.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/rukes/3240235128/sizes/o/in/photostream/

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Over the years, certain immigrants have always been targeted as scapegoats in America. Ben Franklin thought Germans should not be allowed into the country because of their “swarthy complexion.” Catholics were not well received because they only listen to the pope. Irish were not popular and thought to be just a small step above African Americans.  Southern and Eastern Europeans were hated and prompted the quota laws to be passed. Italians were thought to be violent. Only a small number of Jewish people were allowed into our country even during the Holocaust because of our ongoing xenophobia. We have discriminated against almost all Asians at one point or another because of fears. Our latest target is Mexicans and anyone that looks Hispanic. Although the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, they have always been very selective of who is okay.

The current fear mongering with Latinos is not justifiable.   Every year or so, illegal immigration gets brought up and spun around on all the media outlets by all sorts of politicians but for no good reason. Since 9/11 and the major recession, immigration to the United States is down.   Most undocumented immigrants do not become permanent residents. They come to the U.S. to be with family or to work. They stay a few years and leave.  It doesn’t sound so bad.  But, many people in America still feel that immigration is a problem.

Anti-immigration activist believe that immigrants sneaking over the border are more likely to take part in criminal activities.  It is unclear why someone would take all that time and energy to sneak over a border to get caught for a crime and be deported when they could be criminals in their own country.  Research also indicates that undocumented citizens are not more likely to engage in crime than natural citizens. The exact numbers vary but native born Americans are between 5 and 10 times more likely to be incarcerated than immigrants. In Arizona, state senators used crime to justify their “papers, please” legislation.  The lawmakers claimed that crime in Arizona had increased.  However, crime rates in Arizona have steadily decreased since 2006 for both violent and property crime.  Another reason anti-immigration activists want to seal the American borders is because of the economy.  They claim that undocumented immigrants are not paying taxes and draining the social services.  This again is false.  Immigrants contribute as much as $10 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Legalization of low skilled immigrant workers in the U.S. would result in a net increase in the U.S. GDP of $180 billion over the next ten years. Immigrants, legal and illegal alike, spend their money in the U.S. which is good for the economy.  Most immigrants come to U.S. for jobs so they are working and not using social services. Many are too afraid of deportation to take advantage of any programs even if they needed it.  Others against immigration worry about overpopulation.  They claim that with more and more undocumented immigrants, the public school system will be overwhelmed.  Yet, the U.S. continues to push fertility drugs, glorify families like the Duggars, and many want to outlaw abortion, so it cannot be a concern for overpopulation.

As the state of Arizona pushes a slew of more anti-immigration measures through, you can be sure that immigration fears are alive and well in the U.S.  However, the Hispanic community re-elected Senator Harry Reid during last midterm elections so they might not be such a good scapegoat any longer.

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