The Terraces in the Jerusalem Post
There was an article in the Jerusalem Post a couple of days ago about things to do in Haifa and, consequently, the Baha’i Gardens. It also has numerous references to trains. The author really seems to like trains…
Since the extended terraces and gardens of the Baha’i world center were opened to the public in June 2001, there have been close to 2.8 million visitors, says Murray Smith, deputy secretary-general of the Baha’i International Community. Of these visitors, some 80 to 90 percent were Israeli, and the remainder foreign tourists.
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Aside from their breathtaking beauty, the gardens attract group visits by families, schoolchildren, members of the Israel Defense Forces, etc., because people are curious about Baha’i history - and because there is no entry fee. For a large family seeking an activity of mutual interest, this is a real boon.
Link (free registration req’d)
May 18th, 2005 at 1:33 pm
>Although many of the Baha’i’s expatriate community, including Smith, have >lived in Israel for upwards of a decade, there is no such thing as a Baha’i >local community. Under the agreement that Baha’i has with the government >of Israel, it does not engage in proselyting activities. That agreement has >been scrupulously honored.
Just for the sake of accuracy, it should be noted that there is no such agreement with the government of Israel, this is actually misreporting. Bahá’ís do not teach in Israel because of a verbal command of Bahá’u’lláh, which was upheld by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then Shoghi Effendi and now the Universal House of Justice.