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During the lifetime of Baha’u'llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha had bought some properties at His direction near the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. In one of His Tablets Baha’u’llah, in referring to these properties, speaks of them as forerunners of “noble and imposing structures” to be dedicated “to the worship and service of the one true God”.’ One of the properties was an area of 140 dunams (a dunam being one fourth of an acre) registered in the name of Zikrullah (Dhikru’llah), a descendant of Baha’u’llah’s faithful brother Musa. ‘Abdu’l-Baha told him never to parcel out or sell this land because one day it would be a holy place. Zikrullah left the property to his eldest son, also a trusted Baha’i.
During the war between Israel and the surrounding Arab states that followed the declaration of statehood, the Jewish forces were able to withstand the invading armies. When a truce resolution was adopted by the United Nations, more than half a million Arabs fled the land and settled outside Israel. Among those who fled was the Baydun family whose abandoned property eventually reverted to the State.
The Zikrullah property near Galilee happened to be on the immediate border of Syria with Transjordan in the demilitarized zone, and the State of Israel was very anxious to acquire that land. Officials approached the Zikrullah family to buy their property, but when the Guardian was asked, he said no, the Master told you to keep the land; it cannot be sold. Then someone had the idea of trading this property for the Baydun land around the Shrine of Baha’u’llah. The Guardian approved of this being done and Larry Hautz, the first American to come on pilgrimage after a ten year hiatus due to the troubled conditions in the country, remained in the Holy Land to begin the negotiations. On his departure, Leroy carried the lengthy transaction to its conclusion.
The trade of land was finally accomplished, the Baha’is transferring 140 dunams of land in the city of Ein Gev in the Galilee in exchange for some 160 dunams of land surrounding Baha’u’llah’s Shrine. The head office of the land development department was in Tel Aviv and there, on November 12, 1952, at nine in the morning, Leroy signed the contract for the land with the Government.
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In his message the following year to the Intercontinental Conference in Chicago, Shoghi Effendi again spoke of this precious land: “The stupendous process of the rise and consolidation of the World Administrative Center has been accelerated through the acquisition, in the Plain of ‘Akka, of a one hundred and sixty thousand square meter area, surrounding the Qiblih of the Baha'i world, permitting the extension of the Outer Sanctuary of the Most Holy Tomb — to be designated henceforth the Haram-i-Aqdas . . .” This is when the term came into Baha’i usage.
There is a building alongside the Mansion of Bahji in which the worst remnant of the Covenant-breakers lived. On one of the Master’s darkest days caused by this man’s scheming, ‘Abdu’l-Baha told him that he would live to see the collapse of everything he had done. When the Baydun land was transferred, he still lived on as the Master had predicted, nearly one hundred years old, paralyzed, unable to speak, but looking out as the Guardian’s handiwork took form: the magnificent gardens, the great park, all of it illuminated at night because the Guardian associated light with the Baha’i Manifestations.
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Second only in importance to the acquisition of the Baydun land was the purchase of the twenty thousand square meter site for the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkar on the crest of Mt. Carmel. “It is truly in an imposing position”, wrote the International Baha’i Council in 1955.
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A few days later the Guardian called Leroy over to the Master’s house and said he wished to go up and look at the land for the Temple. During their drive up the mountain the Guardian said: This is a historic day because today we are going to select the site for the Temple. He walked over the entire area, indicating which plots were essential and which were not. He chose the most difficult area to acquire, on the highest point of the mountain, and indicated the exact spot where the heart of the Temple should be; Leroy marked it with a large stone. Today a marble obelisk has replaced the stone. They returned to the car and drove back. Now, the Guardian said, you must get busy and buy that land.
It took two years of effort to acquire it. During the protracted negotiations there was not one person who thought it could be done; everywhere he went, Leroy was told it would be impossible. (Shoghi Effendi once asked, What do you think, Leroy, when these people say you cannot have something you want? Leroy answered: When I know Shoghi Effendi wants it, I just don’t hear their “no”.)
Investigation revealed how involved the question of ownership was. In fact Leroy felt this might facilitate its acquisition, as only God could disentangle such a web. The property had been owned by the Carmelite Order for nine centuries, but during the Mandate the British War Office wanted it for military purposes as it commanded the whole harbor. The Carmelites sold the land to the British with the understanding that they could one day reclaim it. When the Mandate ended, the British agreed to resale of the property but the Carmelites could not pay in hard currency so the contract was never concluded, and both claimed ownership. The State of Israel also claimed ownership through a law that returned to the State any land registered in the name of the British that had not been transferred. Finally, the Israeli defense ministry requisitioned the land stating ownership was immaterial, they needed it, no doubt for the same reasons the British had.
…the defense department occupied the land and difficult negotiations continued with them for many months. One branch of the services was adamantly opposed to relinquishing the land and Leroy requested a meeting in the Defense Minister’s office. ‘The Minister was out of town but a brilliant young deputy chaired the meeting, who, as it turned out, had attended a seminar at Harvard University with one of Leroy’s long-time railroad colleagues. A warm relationship was immediately established and Leroy left the meeting with a letter of intent favorable to releasing the land to the Baha’is. But three persons still objected and it took more lengthy negotiations before they would agree to the release. When it was thought everything had been decided, the official representing the State Domain stood in the way of final settlement, as he would not agree to include the essential plot on which the Guardian had centered the Temple.
Leroy had what he called a “spirited discussion” with him. It centered on two points. One, the suggestion that you put “your building” somewhere other than the area Shoghi Effendi had designated for it. What is so particular about this spot? he asked; we just will not give it to you. Leroy said this is the spot we must have because it 1s a holy place. Leroy asked him why they didn’t move their Wailing Wall [in Arab-held East Jerusalem] over to New Jerusalem; why didn’t they use a wall of the King David hotel? You won’t do it, Leroy said, because the ‘Temple of Solomon was built right there and the Wailing Wall is one of the walls of the Temple. This is our holy place and we don’t move a holy place any more than you do.
Then came the reaction that “because you have dollars” you feel you can buy anything you want, but I am going to prevent the sale of this piece of land to you. Leroy answered that yes, he had dollars, but the Baha’is don’t use money to force people to do things. What have the Baha’is forced you to do? We are building parklands and gardens for you, we are erecting beautiful buildings for you, we use money to serve society. You are a Jew, Leroy said, and if ever a people in history learned what the hand of God can do, it is the Jewish people. I tell you that we are going to have this land because God wants us to have it and no force on earth can stop it.
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…the property was registered in the name of the British War Office it had to be transferred from them to the Carmelites, who then transferred it to the attorney, who then-transferred it to the Baha’is. The Government agreed to a single transfer, so the property was finally passed from the British War Office directly to Shoghi Rabbani in a single transaction.
After the land had been acquired Milly Collins one night asked the Guardian if in future the Temple land and the Shrine properties, two kilometers distant, would not be joined together with gardens. The Guardian said yes, and we will have our own road between the two, but we have to purchase the intervening land where houses are now built.
(Leroy Ioas - Hand of the Cause of God by Anita Ioas Chapman)
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