A Place for all of us
About Us
Our Founding
In the early days (the late 1960s) it was Keki Gandhi who sent handwritten invitations to Zoroastrians in the area and made arrangements to meet at convenient Los Angeles restaurants for Navroze and Pateti. The word soon spread and as more people were immigrating to Southern California, the group grew in number. Later, these events were held at the Dastur residence. Naju and Furrokh were gracious hosts to the celebrations in their Brentwood home. In 1974, they decided to organize and Armaity Irani became the first President of ZAC. As the numbers became even larger it became obvious that it should be formalized. Zoroastrian Association of California, (ZAC) a non- profit, religious organization, received it’s 501 (c) (3) Corporation status in 1978. ZAC members continued to meet in clubhouses, halls, parks, and did two social events and two General Body Meetings every year.
When the California Zoroastrian Center was available, we would use their hall. As the years went by and membership increased, the need for a place of our own grew with it. Efforts were made at fundraising events like Nataks, Youth Shows, walk-a-thons with high sponsorships to enable this. The movement gained traction when Purin Boman donated $150,000 for the sole purpose of buying our own center. Our dream became a reality and the 9000+ sq.ft. ZAC Center (our own diamond in the rough) was purchased and opened on July 18, 2010. ZAC is indebted to a lot of our members for their selfless dedication to this endeavor. Our property is now taking shape with lots of improvements done over the years and will be a constant work in progress. Our Center will continue to be a house of worship and social gathering, there to serve our community in every way.
July 18, 2010, marked a momentous day in the lives of Southern California Zoroastrians: the grand opening of our new hall and finally, a sense of “belonging”.
In February 2010, a few members saw what seemed to be the right place. The center, originally a church built in 1972 is an L-shaped 9,400 sq. ft. building on a 2-acre lot in the City of Orange, CA on a beautiful tree-lined street in a quiet residential neighborhood. This property is situated almost exactly in the center of the 400-mile radius area populated by the community. On April 18, 2010, at a special meeting of the general body, the purchase was approved. On May 20, 2010, the Zoroastrian Association of California closed escrow and gained ownership of the property.
ZAC expressly wishes to thank all who worked tirelessly and relentlessly in the sole pursuit of finding a structure suitable for the needs of the community.
Zarathushtra preached the monotheistic religion of the one supreme god Ahura Mazda (wise Lord). His message is a positive life-affirming one, which demands reason and action with belief on the part of every individual. His was not a prescriptive ethic, based on obedience, fear, or love only, but rather, an ethic of personal responsibility. Zarathushtra asked his listeners to think with a clear mind and choose a life of intelligent reflection and active benevolence.
A Zoroastrian is taught to lead an industrious, honest, and charitable life. The generation of wealth is part of the ethos, as long as it is achieved honestly and used for good and charitable purposes.
The quintessence of his teachings is embodied in the Triad Humata (good thoughts) Hukhta (good words) Hvarashta (good deeds). The loftiest ideal for man is to emulate the Amesha Spentas or attributes of Ahura Mazda.
The Zoroastrian Association of California’s mission is:
- To promote brotherhood and unity among all Zoroastrians.
- To encourage the performance of religious ceremonies.
- To promote the interest and welfare of, to render assistance and services to needy Zoroastrians and those newly arrived in the area.
- To promote, arrange religious, social, and cultural activities and seminars.
- To encourage and perpetuate the Zoroastrian faith amongst the current community and future generations.
- All policies of the Association shall be based on the concept of benevolence, love, goodwill, implicit trust, and respect for each other’s views within and outside of the community.
Our vision is:
- To preserve the past.
- To congregate and practice our social and religious customs on all occasions of joy and sorrow.
- To help celebrate and support one another and to make our youth aware of their heritage with pride and understanding.
Our goals are:
- To protect the present and the future.
- To grow and flourish as a community and be able to sustain the needs of future generations with a legacy for Zoroastrians to always support the less fortunate Zoroastrians worldwide that can be achieved by the generosity of all members of this dedicated and engaged community.
- To provide the funds, labor, and the knowledge to forever sustain this growth and this, in turn, will help everyone be a living embodiment of Humata, Hukhta, Huvarashta.
General Policy:
- The Zoroastrian Association of California (ZAC) recognizes the importance of protecting information we may collect from visitors to our site.
- Our policy is to use the information we acquire from visitors to our sites for internal purposes only.
- We maintain appropriate security measures to keep this information private.
- ZAC uses SSL encryption for all financial transactions to protect personal information.
- If you provide an email address or other personal information (excluding financial information) when you visit our site, we may enter such information into one of our data bases so we can contact you to ask your input, provide information about our programs and events, and request contributions.
- ZAC takes precautions to keep the user information disclosed to us secure, and such information will not be disclosed to third parties for commercial purposes. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and to ensure the appropriate use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.
User Agreement:
If you have any questions about this User Agreement, contact ZAC. If you do not agree with these terms of this User Agreement, you may not use the site. ZAC reserves the right to change this User Agreement at any time without notice.
Our Timeline
Pre ZAC Era
Keki Gandhi took the initative and send handwritten invitations to Zoroastrians to meet up in LA for Navroze function.
Late 1960s
Establishment of ZAC
Armaity Irani became the first President of ZAC.
1974
Formalization of ZAC
ZAC a non-profit, religious organization, received it’s 501(c)(3) Corporation status.
1978
Initial Donation for Center
Wonderful lady by the name of Purin Boman made the initial donation with the express wish that it be used towards the purchase of a hall.
2003
Formation of Hall Committee
The goal of this committee was to search for properties, raise more funds and establish a center for ZAC.
2007
ZAC property was found
The center, originally a church built in 1972 is an L-shaped 9400 sq. ft building on a 2-acre lot in the City of Orange, CA.
February 2010
Grand opening : ZAC Center
Dogdoe and Tehemtan Arjani planted a pomegranate tree in the garden near the main door. The Arjanis have worked conscientiously and faithfully for years and the acquisition of this hall is testament to their dedication and generosity.
Jul 18, 2010
Atash Kadeh Ground Breaking
Jashan was performed for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Atash Kadeh by our community Mobeds Zarrir Bhandara, Zerkxis Bhandara, Jehangir Dastur and Arda-e-Viraf Minocherhomjee.
Oct 18, 2015
Opening of Atash Kadeh
ZAC Atash Kadeh is our prayer room and was built solely by donations received from the community at large. The building was sanctified for 48 hours by prayers offered by Mobeds Zarrir and Zerkxis Bhandara.
Nov 13, 2016
Past Boards
Receive regular email updates from us. We keep you in loop so you won’t miss it out!
