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(15 percent), and New York (12 percent), with significant representation in Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Texas.
By the mid-1990s there were 55 Jain socio-cultural associations /societies/centres in the U.S. catering to a wide variety of community needs. Currently such associations may number more than one hundred. The Harvard University's Pluralism Project had identified 107 Jain centres/societies in the U.S. by 2007, including about two dozen Jain temples. In order to co-ordinate the activities of a certain number of these associations the Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) was formed in 1981 "which had more than 6,000 participants in their ninth biannual convention in 1997" (Shah 1998: 82). The 15th JAINA convention was held at Los Angeles during July 2-5, 2009, and the next one is scheduled at Houston, Texas in July 2011.
JAINA is a non-sectarian federation of 65 Jain organizations representing more than 140,000 Jains living in the USA and Canada. It was initiated at the first Jain Convention in 1981 in Los Angeles under the guidance of Shri Chitrabhanuji and the late Acharya Sushil Kumarji and formed at the second Jain Convention in New York in 1983. Since that time JAINA has striven to foster brotherhood, friendship, and unity among various Jain communities and to preserve, protect, and promote Jain heritage. JAINA has also been very active in forging relationships with interfaith and multi-faith organizations. JAINA headquarters are located in Getzville, New York, but Jain centres can be found in over half of the 50 states. JAINA functions through more than 300 volunteers from all corners of North America. The Executive Committee of JAINA is elected every two years from a group of Directors nominated by member organisations.
Lately JAINA has been very active in developing and publishing educational materials for Jain children so that they are able to fully understand their Jain heritage. The organization is also working to create liaisons with academic institutions in North America to expand the scope of Jain studies. They supported the formation of the Ahimsa Centre at California State Polytechnic University and are
100 | Jains in India and Abroad
