Jain Digest 2001 01 Vol 17 No 01

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 31

REGIONAL NEWS (continued)
Gujarat Earthquake: The Jain Society members have started a fund raising campaign among the whole Gujarati community and already collected over $5,000. Jasvant Mehta and Jitendra Shah also inform the media on community activities with interviews and updates.
2600 Mahavir Kalyanak: The Jain Society will celebrate this day on April 8, 2001 with Puja, Interfaith dialogue on 'Ahimsa & Compassion'. The Jain youth will be actively involved.
TORONTO, ONTARIO:
Gujarat Earthquake: A remembrance meet ing with Shantipath was held at Jain Centre on the evening of Wednesday, January 31, 2001. The horrors of this calamity were briefly recounted before the Shantipath and our members whose families are affected were mentioned. Pritambhai and Manjula Mehta lost their brother-in-law in Rajkot when he was hit by falling debris. More details of other members' families are com
ing in.
The fund raising was begun and the initial collection that evening was over $20,000. A second meeting is scheduled on Sunday, 11th January 2001.
Special General Body Meeting: This was called on Sunday December 17, 2000 at the Jain Centre. Our Society has passed a milestone of quarter century in existence and we now need to revisit our mandate, activities, goals and future directions. One of the issues frequently discussed is the inadequacy of our present premises. The Trustees and Executive asked for and received approval from the members to look for a suitable site for building a new Jain Centre which would include a Sikharbandhi Temple. Incorporation of JSOT: At present Jain Society is a registered organization and title of the property is held in personal names of original trustees. By incorporating the
Society, property title will be held in Jain Society of Toronto's name. The Executive was asked to look into this issue and come back with recommendations. Self-Study School of Jainism: The informally organized Study Group that has run for last few years, has now official sanction from the Executive of JSOT and was formally named 'Self-Study School of Jainism', an adult version of the youth Pathsala. However, the learning process is different in that a 'seminar style' approach is followed. A topic leader for an agreed assignment guides the group discussions to help others understand the subject and promote exchange of ideas. English is the medium of study to ensure that the format remains non-sectarian and the young Jains at college and University can participate. The group meets fist Sunday of every month at 8.30 am at Jain Centre. Everyone is welcome. The current text of study is English translation of Muniji Nyayavijaiji's 'Jaina, Philosophy and Religion'.
South Asian Gallery at Royal Ontario Museum: This was recently opened with financial help from our South Asian Community with significant contribution from Jain Society members and philanthropist Christopher Ondaatje.
The Gallery displays many artifacts from India and its neighbors spanning over 2 million years. The Jain aspect of the display includes the 8th century sandstone sculpture of Jain goddess Ambika from Madhya Pradesh. The ROM collection also includes some of the beautiful objects that were displayed during the Jain Liberators exhibition.
entitled "Did the Tirthankars Cross These Oceans? Trans-national Dialogue and Religious Identity Within the Jain Community of North America". The paper examined some of the issues confronting the Jain community which must, at times, operate within two (or more) environments at the same time: e.g. the religious (with roots firmly planted in India) and the secular (particularly within the context of a globalized North America. With this as its starting premise, the paper focused on the dialogical strategies used by parents, youth and children to both, maintain and re-cre
ate religious and social identity within
Canada and the USA.
SOUTHEAST Surendra Shah, Regional Editor
RALEIGH, N.C
The elections for the executive Committee of Jain Study Center of North Carolina were held in Nov 00. The following were
elected to the executive committee. President: Rekha Banker Vice President, Treasurer: Jagdish Shah Secretary: Heena Mehta Food Coordinator: Sujata Shah Youth Coordinator: Jyoti Shah The members meet every Thursday for swadhyaya at home of Mr. And Mrs. Pravin Shah. Also during their monthly meetings, religious discourses and other religious activities such as pooja are performed. The plan is to have a series of lectures on Nav Tatva by Pravinbhai Shah and Dr. Ramnikbhai Zota. The Mahavir Jayanti is to be celebrated on Sunday, April 8,2001.
Dr.Harish C.Jain was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of Vision TV, Canada's longest-established national nonprofit multifaith television service. Mikal Radford: A Ph.D. candidate of Re- ORLANDO, FL ligious Studies and Social Sciences at McMaster University recently presented a paper at the 27th Congress of the Canadian Anthropology Society in Calgary, Alberta
The Jain Society of Central Florida, Orlando, has selected a new committee for
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