Bahai Support And Financial Assistance Tax For Israel  :

Earlier references had been made to the frequent contacts between the Baha’is and heads of the Israeli government but Showqi Afandi’s cable to the American circle of the Baha’is on April 24, 1953is an open example:

“The contents of the ‘blessed’ statement in Persian is as follows: Foundation of an independent government in the holy land  (Israel) and centralization of the administration of the world embodying rules of the Excellency Bahaullah, the first manifestation of which is the formation of the international Baha’i council and construction of the holy center,…is now possible, thanks to the recent changes ushered by the newly established government. But, it still is in need of new developments and financial assistance due from national and local funds by Baha’i societies in the East and the West.”(1)

Following is the text of Showqi Afandi’s cable to the American Baha’i circle on September 24, 1951:

“Inform all the national clerical circles of the Baha’is throughout the world that agreements have been reached after lengthy negotiations, with the finance and religious affairs ministries, as well as the Haifa municipality, for the purchase of a plot of 22,000 square meters land valued at about 118.000 U.S. dollars on the slopes of Jabal Karmal in an area overlooking the holy place of the Excellency (Bahaullah) and the eastern margins of the holy center.

The purchase and possession of such a holy territory would help preservation of principles of the holy faith in organizing its followers, and would also enlarge the Baha’i administration coming up in the international center for the divine rule in the holy territory. There is a possibility that Israeli heads of state would drop the planned construction of a highway… I intend to transfer some of the documents of the said areas from American and Indian national circles to Israel…”(2) The text of Showqi Afandi’s cable to the American Baha’i center on April 3, 1952 is as follows: “Give this good news to the national circles in the East and the West that final formalities for the purchase of 18 plots of lands measuring about six acres beside the holy center have been completed with the Israeli government in return for 118,000 U.S. dollars… Hereby I deem it necessary to appreciate the indefatigable efforts of Mr. Lorenz who was the first pilgrim after the opening of the holy shrine and whose endeavors speeded up the talks...” ( 3)

In the book Historical Places of the Baha’is in the Holy Land of Israel it has been mentioned: Finally, the Israeli Treasury issued an announcement which was printed in the country’s official magazine according to which all those who possessed buildings along the holy shrine were divested of their ownership (and ail have been given to Abdul Baha) and it has also been said: “On the occasion of the 135th birthday anniversary of Bahaullah, hereby all eastern and western Baha’i societies are informed that lengthy discussions which started two years ago led to the signing of an agreement according to which officials at the Ministry of Development of the Israeli government have transferred large estates located in the vicinity of the holy place of the founder of the Baha’i order (Bahaullah), officially to the branch of the national clerical circle of America in Israel, in order to preserve that holy place and its adjacent palace for the future generations to come. These estates which increased the Baha’i property in Akka from 4,000 to 150,000 square meters we re-exchanged with an estate offered by the Baha’is.

References:

1. ibid , 1951

2. ibid , 1952

3. ibid , 1952

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