Canucks in France: Canucks in Israel

Most of you know that we are Bahá’í, but for those of you who don’t, it means that we believe that the promised one of all past religions has already come. A man whom we call Bahá’u’lláh (The Blessed Beauty in Arabic) brought in 1863, what we believe to be, the latest message from God. I’ll leave it at that but if you want to know more, just let me know and we can chat or I can send some info.

So anyways, as a Bahá'í, it is a duty and privilege to visit the holy land at least once in our lifetime. It used to take six years between an application and an acceptance to go on Pilgrimage but we were lucky and received our letter after 4 years. This meant that Alex would be at a perfect age to not just enjoy the beauty, but also the spiritual aspect of this Pilgrimage. Mauri and I had also been looking forward to some spiritual revitalization.

Bahá’u’lláh and his family had spent most of their lives in exile and imprisonment, from Tehran, Constantinople, Baghdad and then on to the prison city of Akká, all because the message of peace and friendship they shared, made them more popular with the people than the officials of the area wanted them to be. The holy family spent their last days in the area of Akká and Haifa, and is buried here. So, many of the places that they spent time in, have now become holy places for Bahá'ís. There are two Shrines that are most important, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, where all Bahá'ís around the world turn to when they do their obligatory prayers, and is considered the Most Holy Place; it is in the Akká area. In Haifa, the Bahá'í Gardens are seen down Mount Carmel with the Shrine of the Báb, the Golden Domed Building, separating the top and bottom terraces. The Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is, at this time, is in the same building as the Báb until it has one of its own. The Báb (the Gate in Arabic) is also considered a messenger of God, by Bahá'ís. He was here for a very short time to prepare the people for a great messenger, Bahá'u'lláh. 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Servant of Bahá in Arabic)was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh.

I’ve decided to do a few entries about our trip since it would be too long in one go, and I wanted to keep the Pilgrimage separate from our thoughts on society, culture and food. I even have a recipe or two to share. Check back in a few days as I sort through the thousand or so photos to add to my entries.

Shalom,

Julie

p.s. Here are just a few photos of us for now.