Beloved mentor welcomed Baha'is and those interested in the Faith

Mr.and Mrs. Khadem

Javidukht Khadem was a beloved mentor to many young Baha'is. She opened her home for more than 40 years to those interested in the Baha'i Faith and personally welcomed hundreds of new members to the Baha'i community.

Mrs. Khadem, 94, of Skokie, Ill., died July 1 after a brief illness. In 1960 she moved to the U.S. from her native Iran with her husband, Zikrullah, an international steward of the worldwide Baha'i community.

Mrs. Khadem often accompanied her husband on his international trips to propagate and protect the Baha'i community at the direction of the world headquarters in Haifa, Israel. She undertook similar duties, as an Auxiliary Board Member, on a regional level. She also established a systematic study of the key teachings of the Faith and held regular gatherings to welcome those inquiring about the Faith. Many inquirers were touched and transformed by her insight, empathy and counsel.

Upon her husband's death, Mrs. Khadem wrote Zikrullah Khadem, With Love, a biography of her husband, one of only 50 individuals throughout Baha'i history appointed as a Hand of the Cause of God. This select group of Baha'is, appointed for life, served to propagate and protect the Baha'i Faith on the international level.

Mrs. Khadem is survived by five children: Mozhan, an internationally recognized architect; Jena, a molecular biologist at Rush Medical College in Chicago; Riaz, an international business consultant and author; Ramin, a retired businessman who helped found Inmarsat, a satellite communications company; and May, an ophthalmologist at Northwestern and executive director of Health for Humanity, an international charity headquartered in Wilmette.

Mrs. Khadem and familyMrs. Khadem also is survived by 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and three siblings: Hushang Javid, a retired cardiovascular surgeon at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago; Farhang Javid, chairman and CEO of Acrowood, Inc., in Seattle; and her sister Samin Khamsi, also an author, of Switzerland.

A memorial service open to the public will be held at 3 p.m. July 4 at the Baha'i House of Worship, Sheridan Road and Linden Avenue, Wilmette.

See the website of The Zikrullah Khadem Foundation for a message from the family and remembrances from admirers of Mrs. Khadem from around the world.