Most of the members of the second NSA of Baha’is of Iran belonged to the Jewish heritage.

Second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in Iran

December 28. Today is the 37th anniversary of the execution of the second National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in Iran. Their crime : their belief in the Bahá’í Faith and serving the Bahá’í community in Iran!

Their names are as under:
1. Prof. Manucher Hakim
2. Mr. Mihdi Amin Amin
3. Mrs. Zhinus Mahmudi
4. Mrs. Giti Vahid
5. Mr. Kamran Samimi
6. Mr. Jalal Azizi
7. Dr. Mahmud Madjhub
8. Mr. Sirus Rawshani
9. Mr. Qudratu’llah Rawhani

Mrs. Jinus Mahmoudi, was the first Iranian woman to be appointed as the head of the National Meteorological Organization. She was educated, devoted to her husband and her three children, superbly kind, funny and humble.

Jewish Baha'i Tahereh Berjis Missaghi served humanity as physician & educator for BIHE

Tahereh Berjis Missaghi’s passion for service to humanity ran as a thread through varied pursuits: as a pediatrician in Tehran, caring for many regardless of ability to pay; as an educator in the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education, mentoring Iranian students barred from formal university study; as a champion of women’s rights and conflict resolution, in family counseling and seminar settings; and as a promoter of the Bahá’í Faith, in personal teaching and in media presentations.

She passed away on September 19, 2016, at age 72 in Scottsdale, Arizona. She lived all but a few years in Iran.

In a letter of tribute, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States wrote, “[S]he served in the Cradle of the Faith for many years, resolutely and enthusiastically, in the face of grave and constant difficulties. Upon moving to the United States, she also contributed to the defense of the Bahá’ís in her homeland through participation in Persian media, most notably as a featured commentator in a series of documentaries; and as a valued speaker at various conferences.” That letter also praised “her warm and cheerful disposition, her wise counsel, her keen intelligence and above all her steadfast devotion to the Cause of God.”

A family tribute notes, “She was an iconoclast who bridged the transition from tradition to modernity, who championed the cause of women and children, and who was unfazed by adversity in her native Iran.”

Born to Monireh and Mirza Amir Berjis in 1944, Tahereh was brought up in the midst of afflictions touching many Bahá’ís in Iran. Her uncle, the noted physician Solayman Berjis, was murdered in Kashan when Tahereh was 5, but this sparked a resolve to become a physician herself and carry on his legacy. Graduating high school with honors, she was one of a few women admitted to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, where she earned her doctorate despite encountering resentment of her iconic family name, Berjis.

After she married Ziaollah Missaghi in 1970, one of their first ventures together was a six-month sojourn in Kenya, where she provided medical services in remote villages. After a significant period of studying and passing licensing examinations, they moved to the United States so that Tahereh could pursue a residency program in pediatrics in 1973. Their two children were born here.

On their return to Iran in 1976, Tahereh was named director of pediatrics at Missaghieh Hospital in Tehran, where her practice grew and flourished. Amid the 1979 Islamic Revolution, she was dismissed from her hospital post as part of a wave of repression against Bahá’ís; still, she continued her medical practice within her humble apartment. “Her service proved indispensable especially to the families of Bahá’í prisoners and those who were executed and had limited means,” the family tribute notes. “Tahereh became a pillar of comfort and support for these families, caring for the young children and their single parents physically, emotionally, and materially. To this day, when we come across the descendants of those executed, they share with us the story of her motherly affection at that heroic post-revolution time in the 1980s.”

Counseling of families on the application of rights and virtues also became part of her service. According to the family, “she educated women and girls about the importance of family, of relationships, of their inalienable rights, and of raising responsible children and adolescents. She also provided counseling sessions for many families on the principles of conflict resolution and the concept of equality of men and women as a prerequisite for sustainable relationships.”

Witnessing the march of systematic injustice against young Bahá’ís seeking to advance their education — which impacted the family when their school district refused to enroll the children and she had to transport them to a distant school — the couple became involved at the inception of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) in 1987 as an alternative path for students barred from the university system. Tahereh’s roles in this complex undertaking included designing a curriculum, teaching a variety of courses, and taking part in several committees. She offered her home office as a venue for classes, a testing center and a meeting place for faculty. Tahereh’s daughter, Shahrzad, graduated from BIHE and later earned a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences at Temple University.

On a visit to the United States in 2010 Tahereh fell ill with a heart condition and decided to stay in this country, settling in Arizona with her husband. Her desire to be of service found a channel in the Hamzaban Cultural Foundation, through which she moderated seminars on a variety of cultural, social, scientific, and historic topics in conjunction with a range of guest speakers. “Through her service and her kind character, she united Arizona’s Persian speaking community of all backgrounds, creeds, and political stripes. She elevated their conversations and provided a venue for meaningful and loving exchange,” the family shares. She continued this service until she was incapacitated by metastatic breast cancer. At her passing Tahereh was surrounded by loved ones.

Her survivors include her husband of 46 years, Ziaollah; a daughter, Shahrzad Missaghi Shirmohammadi of Pennsylvania; a son, Nizam Missaghi of Arizona; and five grandchildren.

https://www.bahai.us/community/news/2017/january-february-2017/tahereh-berjis-missaghi-served-humanity-as-physician-educator-for-bihe/

Shrine of The Bab is a Pioneer of Baha'i Faith in Israel.

Today was “World Religion Day” in Haifa -- more than 10,000, people from Jewish, Christian and Muslim background visited the Garden and terraces! The celebration took place, under Mount Carmel, below the Shrine of His Holiness The Bab the Forerunner of His Holiness Baha’u’llah the Founder of the Baha’i Faith.

Jewish Baha'i Monireh Missaghieh-Mavaddat helped establish Baha’i communities on three continents

Monireh with her son Nushin Mavaddat

Monireh Missaghieh-Mavaddat pioneered from Iran alongside her husband to Algeria, where they were founding members of the country’s first Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly, and later in Nice, France, where they similarly co-founded the first Spiritual Assembly.

Daughter of ‘Abdu’l-Missagh Missaghieh, renowned founder of the Missaghieh Hospital in Tehran, Iran, Monireh passed away February 2, 2017, at age 101. Until her recent relocation to Highland Park, Illinois, she had lived more than a decade in San Francisco, California.

Praising her “warm, joyful, and cheerful life, an example of generosity, hospitality, and kindness to the many whose lives she touched and affected for the better” — as well as her “outstanding services to the unifying Faith of Bahá’u’lláh on the four continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America” — a letter of condolence from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States to her children says, “Especially do we note, with warmest admiration, her obedient response to the beloved Guardian’s Ten Year World Crusade and its clarion call for believers to take the Faith to the far-off lands as yet unaffected by it.”

Born in Kashan, Iran, in 1916, Monireh was the eldest child of Maryam Mottahedeh-Missaghieh and ‘Abdu’l-Missagh Missaghieh. She married Rouhollah Mavaddat and they brought up three children.

When Shoghi Effendi proclaimed the Ten Year Crusade, few Bahá’ís lived in Algeria. In 1953, Monireh and Rouhollah arose and moved the family to Algiers, doing their part to ensure the Local Spiritual Assembly was established in April 1954.

Setting their sights on another goal of the Crusade, in 1955 they moved to Nice, and in their 12 years living there they helped to establish and solidify its Local Assembly. After a return to Tehran, a brief pioneering venture later took Monireh and Rouhollah to Quincy, Illinois, where they helped restore its Local Assembly.

Early in the 1970s they resettled in Iran for the duration. Rouhollah passed away in 1980, about a year before his nephew Farhang Mavaddat, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Karaj (near Tehran), became a martyr as he was executed by Iranian authorities.

Monireh stayed in Iran until the late 1990s, when she was granted permission to leave the country. She first lived in France with her son Rochan; one of her many legacies to the Bahá’í Faith is the service of a granddaughter, Roxana Mavaddat Baghdadi, on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of France. Some time later, Monireh obtained a U.S. visa and was able to move to the United States near her children Nishin and Shahine.

Monireh Missaghieh-Mavaddat’s surviving family includes a daughter, Shahine Safapour of Illinois; two sons, Rochan Mavaddat of France and Nushin Mavaddat of California; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

https://www.bahai.us/community/news/2017/september-october-2017/monireh-missaghieh-mavaddat-helped-establish-bahai-communities-on-three-continents/

Monsieur Dreyfus (A french Baha'i of Jewish Heritage) Meets Muzaffari'd-Din Shah (of Iran) - by Jinab-i-Aziz'u'llah Azizi

In Paris, I had met Monsieur Dreyfus, who was a very pure and devoted Baha'i. We would encounter each other often and would talk at length of the Faith, especially of the persecution of Persian Baha’is. As he grew more aware of the plight of the Baha'is in Iran, he became increasingly concerned. When I told him I'd become one of the company of the Shah en route back to Iran, he insisted rather strenuously that I devise a plan whereby he might be granted an audience with the Shah, to intercede with him on behalf of the Persian Baha'is. So persistent was he that at length I succeeded in making the necessary arrangements for him to attend the presence of the Shah.

After touching on various subjects at the outset, Mon. Dreyfus stated: " It is a pity that my brothers, under the kingship of so just and beneficent a monarch as you, should endure such persecution and torture even to the point of death. " The Shah reacted with some nervousness and asked, " Who are your brothers in Iran? " Mon. Dreyfus made mention of the Baha’is. Of course the Shah already knew he was speaking of the Iranian Baha'is, and asked if Mon. Dreyfus was himself a Baha'i. He affirmed that he was, and the entire encounter ranged over many other important subjects which greatly impressed the Shah. The King had given his word to Mon. Dreyfus that, upon his return back to Iran, he would look into the matter, and moreover, Mon. Dreyfus could be assured that the matter would be given personal consideration. As to the other subjects broached in the course of that session, it is not appropriate to recount them here. But what could be expected from so weak a personality as Muzaffari'd-Din Shah? He was, after all, completely in the hands of those around him, who would manipulate him to suit their own ends, so that he became the instrument for their personal machinations, ill-intentioned as they were. He certainly had no power to keep his word.

Read more about Dreyfus :  https://bahai-library.com/dreyfus-barney_biography_hippolyte_dreyfus-barney

My mother's face began to open up with a smile. - by Jinab-i-Aziz'u'llah Azizi

The first to arrive home was my mother who was hostile and abusive. Since there was no one else present (to catch me red-handed), she said: "Your aunt was just saying that you have become a Baha'i, and are socializing with infidels, have turned against the religion of Israel and have handled fire. Of course, I just cannot believe you would become the cause of our misfortune and ill-repute, making us shameful and notorious before our own people! "My mother was telling me her feelings with the utmost sadness. What could I say to a mother who was more dear to me, than my own life? I replied: "Dearest mother, you yourself, have read the Torah. In it, it is said that only illegitimate (mamzer) children would forsake their belief. There is no one else here, but you and I. Either you have concealed such a thing or the Torah is wrong?" Poor mother swore repeatedly and then became silent. I realized how hurt she was, so I said: "Dear mother, I know you have never done me wrong, nor is the Torah false, I have not forsaken my faith either. Rest assured, for it has been said that the Messiah has appeared and the time for the emancipation and progress of Israel has at last come." My mother's face began to open up with a smile.

From Jewish Traditions To Baha’i Practices - by Jinab-i-Aziz'u'llah Azizi

Not long after my acceptance of the Faith, I became unwilling to attend synagogue, and to observe Sabbath rituals according to Hebrew custom. Still, I did not dare to tell my father this fact for he was so prejudiced, ill-tempered, rough and foul-mouthed. I was waiting for an opportune time to break this news to him, and in the meantime, I engaged myself in learning Baha'i practices, observing them secretly. Then an event took place which enabled me to free myself from the hold of the synagogue.

My progress, both materially and spiritually, went hand-in-hand. By the bounty and grace of God, I cared for spiritual matters. As a result of my discipline, hard work and thrift, I was not materially lacking either. My life was good--much better than before. In accordance with the command of Baha'u'llah, I took great care to be tidy and clean. I let my hair grow longer and took care grooming it. This was not looked upon favourably at the time and was considered somewhat anti-religious. Not only was this not practiced among Jews, but pious Muslims would shave their heads and cut short their beards. They would consider shaving their beards a sin. Only the friends of God (i. e. the Baha'is) following the wish of the Blessed Beauty, would grow their hair for the sake of beauty and would shave their faces according to the practice prevalent among advanced countries.

One Sabbath, after having closed my shop, it happened that, out of respect for my father I reluctantly attended the synagogue, when a very rude youth jumped at me, yanked off my hat and shouted: " Look everyone, look at this! What kind of religious observance is this? Just look at the hair of this son of the rabbi, take a look at his hair! With him like this, what are others going to do? This kind of behaviour from a youth causes others to go astray also. "

There was no foul word which did not fall from his lips and no insult he failed to invent. I was just standing there, quiet and composed. I just looked at him and said nothing. Since I had earned the respect of my peers, and my father had always taken pride in such a son, who had brought respect, honour and solace to his father and family, this attack on my honour hurt very deeply.

I used this episode as an excuse not to go to the synagogues anymore. At first, my father would be silent about it, and later on he could not force me to go, as he no longer had the same authority and influence over me as previously. But, the gentle behaviour of the Baha’is and their kindness, together with my own attraction to the Baha'i Faith, impelled me to be present at many of their gatherings and feasts. I also willingly offered my services.

Of course, these activities could not be kept secret for long, and news of some of this eventually reached my father's ears. At first, he refused to believe what he was told. But my continued involvement, itself considered a sin, together with my neglect of Jewish custom and ritual and my conspicuous absence from the synagogue, would cause my father to wonder and doubt. Still, he could not imagine how a child of a rabbi, with such deep knowledge of the Torah and sacred tradition, could suffer himself to be misled and join ranks with the Baha'i religion, which to him was manmade and baseless. But over time, repeated events increased his suspicion and eventually he grew certain that the child he had so implored God to grant him, so that it might become a faithful observer of Jewish tradition, had easily slipped from his grasp.

How Father Attempts to Prevent the Baha'i Faith from being Taught Among the Jewish People

My father was among the most severe opponents of the Baha'i Faith, and was ever trying to find means to prevent Jewish youth from associating with the Baha'is. To accomplish this, he would seize any opportunity possible, even to the extent of forbidding school and study.

In those days, there was a school established by the French in Tehran. It was supervised by Monsieur Kazes. My father was very dissatisfied and would often bring complaints to the principal of the school. He would insult Kazes and demand that only the Torah be taught in school and nothing else. He would even complain about the plight of his own son and had begged the principal to show him a solution.

The interested reader should believe that I am not exaggerating. My father went to great pains to achieve his objective and cursed insistently the one who had caused his son to abandon his faith. As always, poor Monsieur Kazes was the recipient of his complaints. This continued until Kazes succeeded in convincing him and some of the Jewish rabbis to agree to a debate during which they could put forth persuasive arguments to win back his son. However, it seemed impossible to calm down my father who was torn with anger.

Once in a while, my father would allude to the Baha'i Faith, while talking to my mother in front of me. He would curse and insult the Faith profusely, hoping to provoke some reaction in me or at least make certain it was true, that his son really had become a Baha'i. But most of the time I would keep silent without reacting and would keep him wondering. 

 

From : Crown of Glory, by Jinab-i-Aziz'u'llah Azizi

Abdolshoghi Tebyani, a construction industrialist and pioneer for the Bahá’í Faith was a Baha'i from Jewish Heritage

Abdolshoghi Tebyani, a construction industrialist and pioneer for the Bahá’í Faith both within Iran and in Europe, helped establish an industrial school in Tehran and later was imprisoned for his role in the education of Bahá’ís. He was a 20-year member of the National Teaching Committee serving Iran’s Bahá’í community, and after his release from prison he spoke and wrote extensively for the rights of Bahá’ís in that country.

He passed away at age 86 on April 27, 2015, residing most recently in Calabasas, California.

“Through more than eight decades of service in manifold forms—and, to a superlative degree, in the harrowing imprisonment he suffered in the aftermath of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution,” the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States wrote in a letter of tribute, “Mr. Tebyani built a legacy of faithfulness, fearlessness, integrity, and strength of character that will long remain to inspire his family, friends, and fellow believers in their own services to the Cause of God and humanity.”

Tebyani was born in Sangesar, Iran, in 1929, and his family moved to Tehran when he was 7. In 1943 they moved to Shahrood at the request of Shoghi Effendi, and the family stayed several years despite hostility against Bahá’ís including the killing of Abdolshoghi’s uncle. Some years after their return to Tehran, he married Pari Khademi Ghaemaghami.

Please click here for an extensive biographical article from 2013.

Among services to the Faith not mentioned in the above-linked article, Tebyani oversaw the manufacture of several decorative lampposts that stand near the Bahá’í shrines in the Holy Land. He lived and served in the Southern California communities of Agoura Hills, Oak Park, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks in addition to Calabasas. Online videos of his talks in support of human rights in Iran can be found here.

His survivors include a daughter, Fariba Phyle; two sons, Farid and Omid; six grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

 

https://www.bahai.us/community/news/2015/november-december-2015/abdolshoghi-tebyani-worked-for-education-of-bahais-in-iran/

Steven Scholl is a Baha'i of Jewish Background

Steven Scholl, a Baha'i of Jewish background and founding publisher of Ashland's White Cloud Press, has teamed with Muslim and business consultant Sam Deeb to write "Muhammad: Prophet of Islam."

Filled with pictures, the pocket guide provides a quick history on Muhammad's life, the rise of Islam and its founder's views on other religions, science and knowledge, business ethics and the treatment of women, slaves, animals and the environment.

The book comes out as Americans continue to debate whether Islam is an inherently violent religion.

Read complete story, here.

Access Steven's Baha'i articles here: https://bahai-library.com/author/Steven+Scholl

For UHJ Member Dr. David Ruhe was a Baha'i of Jewish Background

Dr. David S. Ruhe

 

Dr. David S. Ruhe was a medical educator and movie director, Bahai leader, servant of humanity, human rights activist and a watercolor painter. He was a visionary who made award-winning medical films and proposed a range of innovations in medical education, including Lifetime Learning for the Doctor calling for career-long education for doctors in the 1950s with his colleague, Dr. Bernard Dryer. Dr. Ruhe, a medical educator, was named the first professor of Medical Communications at the University of Kansas Medical School in 1954. Also in the 1950s, Dr. Ruhe pioneered the use of optical fibers for endoscopic cinematography, projected high-definition images in surgical theatres and videotaped psychiatric sessions for peer review. He made more than a hundred medical films and won the Golden Reel and the Venice Film Festival awards for Dynamics of the Tubercle and The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain award for Emergency Airway. Dr. Ruhe also served as the producer of All My Babies, a midwife training documentary directed by George Stoney. After graduating from Temple Medical School, he began his career in medicine during World War II as a malaria researcher in the Public Health Service and was eventually appointed Director of the Medical Film Institute for the Association of American Medical Colleges. Dr. Ruhe was a member of the Bahai Faith. Bahai communities have no clergy but are governed by elected spiritual assemblies. In 1963, he was elected Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States, the highest administrative position. In 1968, he was elected by representatives of the global Bahai community to serve as one of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice of the Bahai Faith seated in Haifa, Israel, where he served five terms for a total of 25 years. Dr. Ruhe said that his best accomplishment was the effort he made over many years to assist, encourage and support Bahai individuals and communities around the world who are engaged in direct service to humanity through educational, medical and other direct service activities. He wrote and published two historical books about Bahaullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, Door of Hope and Robe of Light. Since his 1993 retirement from the Universal House of Justice, he produced a series of documentary TV programs about the Bahai faith. He was an activist in the human rights movement in the 1940s in Atlanta, Ga., where he was a member of a small group that successfully pressed for the hiring of African-American police officers, and in the 1960s in Kansas City where, consistent with his beliefs as a Bahai he peacefully protested against the segregation of African-Americans. He also was an accomplished watercolor painter of scenes in nature, who was trained by Walter Baum in the Lehigh Valley school of Impressionism. He was productive over his whole life and in his final years painted local scenes near his home in upstate New York. He was a creative and enthusiastic family patriarch who loved organizing songfests, hikes and outdoor adventures. Dr. Ruhe, who died on Tuesday, September 6, 2005, was born in Allentown on Jan. 3, 1914, to Percy Bott Ruhe, editor of The Morning Call newspaper, and Amy (Sieger) Ruhe. Survivors: Wife, Margaret Kunz Ruhe, to whom he was married for 65 years; sons, Christopher Ruhe and Douglas Ruhe; seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; sister, Judith Diehl; brother, Benjamin Ruhe. Services: A memorial service for family and friends will be celebrated in Meadowbrook Lodge, Route 94, New Windsor, N.Y., on Friday, September 9, beginning at 2 p.m. Interment will follow in Cedar Hill Cemetary, Route 9W, Newburgh, N.Y. Funeral arrangements are being directed by Engel Funeral Home Inc., Route 9W, Newburgh. To send a note of condolence, visit us at www.engelfuneralhome.com. 

 

Read more here : https://bahaikipedia.org/David_Ruhe

Mansour Derakhshani was a translator for the American army and a Baha'i from Jewish Background

Mansour Derakhshani (1923 - 2011)

Mansour was born in Hamedan, Iran during the month of Ala in 1923 (his father had made a note of his birth in the hand written Kitabi-Aqdas). His Bahá’í family were of early Jewish background.

The family had to endure much hardship for the Faith, as both the Jews, who didn’t like their change of religion, and the Muslims persecuted them. His mother, who was not a Bahá’í, but considered herself one whilst his father was alive, went back to being a staunch Jew after his death, when Mansour was about thirteen or fourteen years old. Nevertheless, although illiterate, she knew Bahá’í prayers by heart and would chant them while working in the kitchen, and suffered hardship along with the rest of the family. After his father passed away, Mansour had to start working immediately.

Because of Mansour’s great talent for languages, and his adaptability, he took a job as a translator for the American army when he was about eighteen, and later he went on to fight in the army when Iran was attacked. He then became a teacher.

He recounted a story that he had been given a job to home-teach a clergyman’s children in the south of Iran. While traveling there from Tehran, he met someone on the bus, who turned out to be a Bahá’í, and who invited him to stay with his family on arrival in the city. He was very successful in teaching the clergyman’s children, but the clergyman was astonished to find out that he was a Bahá’í, and such an honest and trustworthy man. He was also surprised that Mansour had already been invited to stay with someone else, when he didn’t know anyone in that town.

Later on he left this job and became a primary school teacher with the government, working a few years, but always longing to pioneer.

In 1950 he got married to another Bahá’í, Mahboobeh Khoshbin, whose parents were among the first teachers of the Jews in Iran, and whose longing was also to pioneer.

When the messages from the Guardian called for the Bahá’ís to pioneer, they were able to fulfil their desire, and in 1954, went to Saudi Arabia with their two young boys. They stayed there for two years, but suddenly the members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Riadh were imprisoned. Since all the Local Spiritual Assembly members were in prison, they held their meetings and Feasts there, for a period of nineteen days!

His most cherished memory of those days was about one of the Persian believers in prison, who used to chant the ‘Tablet of Ahmad’ with such a melodious voice, that invariably at the end of his chanting they would note how the other prisoners were gathered around them, listening with reverence. Mansour asked that the ‘Tablet of Ahmad’, and the prayer ‘Create in me a pure heart, Oh my God’, be chanted at his funeral. While he was in prison, his pregnant wife and two boys were taken out of Saudi Arabia by another one of the Bahá’ís, at the behest of the beloved Guardian, and went to Bahrain, and were guests of the Hand of the Cause Mr Faizi, until Mansour was released and joined them there.

On their return to Iran, once again they went pioneering to Sanandaj, Kermanshah, and then Songhor, a small town near Kermanshah. Unfortunately Mansour wasn’t able to continue to work in Songhor and had to leave for Tehran, and his wife and four children - Farshid, Fariborz, May and Jena - followed him there sometime after.

His wife passed to the Abhá Kingdom in 1970. He remarried to Pourandokht Nafe in 1975. They left Iran in 1985 to become refugees in the United Kingdom.

His joyous smile and infectious laughter were well-loved by all. The spirit of his faith; his kind and unpresumptuous demeanor; his forgiving nature and the love he showed to everyone, drew all close to him. His hospitality and generosity knew no bounds and seeing the good in all was a norm for him. He was a confidante to young and old alike and he was well-respected by everybody. His positive outlook on life was exemplary, and a smile never left his lips. One of his famous sayings was “I am always well”, even when he was seriously ill.

Mansour passed to the Abhá Kingdom on 3rd April 2011 in York Hospital surrounded by family members. He is survived by his wife, four children, eight grandchildren and three great- grandchildren.

Professor Ehsán YARSHATER can be considered one of the greatest Iranian scholars of recent decades.

Rochan Mavaddat is a Jewish Baha'i

Dear Friends,

Dr. Ehsán YÁRSHÁTER, Founder of "Encyclopædia Iranica", Professor at Columbia University, born in 1920 in Iran in a Baha'i family (he was the first cousin of my mother), died on 2 September 2018 in United States, where he settled after leaving Iran.

The surname "YARSHATER" was given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to his father.

Encyclopædia Iranica is a major project – started in Iran, in 1974, before the Islamic Revolution – of the Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University to create an encyclopedia in English about History, Civilization and Culture. of Iran (Persia), from prehistory to modern times.

This encyclopedia will have some 30 volumes, fifteen of which have already been published. It is the largest research work on Iranology, bringing together the academic knowledge of the Persian language and the civilization of the Plateau of the Iran and surrounding areas.

This encyclopedia contains many articles on the historical personalities of the Bahá'í Faith.

Professor Ehsán YARSHATER can be considered one of the greatest Iranian scholars of recent decades.

God bless his soul !

With Loving Greetings,

 

Rochan MAVADDAT

Professor Ehsan Yarshater was a Baha'i of Jewish Background

Professor Ehsan Yarshater, 1920-2018

Born on April 3, 1920, to a prominent Baha’i family in the city of Hamadan, Professor Ehsan Yarshater served the field of Iranian Studies for many decades as an exemplary scholar and a pioneer. With a 1947 Ph.D. in Persian Literature from the University of Tehran, and a second Ph.D. in 1960 in Old and Middle Iranian Languages from the University of London, he had an enormous scholarly range. He crafted the critical tools for the professionalization of Iranian Studies and for the dissemination and accessibility of scholarly research to both Persian and English language readerships. He peacefully passed away on Saturday, September 1, at the age of 98 in Fresno, California.

An early outline of what Professor Yarshater’s unique lifetime scholarly contribution was to be was visible in his detailed report on a 1951 UNESCO conference on the topic “The Teaching of History as a Means of Developing International Understanding.” His deeply inclusionary vision of cultural-historical knowledge had been promoted by the Iranian delegates to the 1945 San Francisco conference, which concluded in the signing of the Charter of the United Nations. The commitment to an objective and well-documented cultural and literary history that promoted human understanding provided the foundation for his highly diverse scholarly achievements. They include: his Iran-based efforts as the founding director of the Royal Institute of Translation and Publication, 1953-1961; his work on the UNESCO Council for Iranian Philosophy and Humanistic Sciences, 1954-1958; his founding editorship of Rahnemay-e Ketab, a journal of Persian language and literature, 1957-1979; his presidency of the Book Society of Iran, 1957-1979, and the editorship of the UNESCO Collection of Persian Representative Works, 1962-80. After two years as a visiting professor at Columbia University, he became a permanent and prominent member of the faculty in 1961as the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies. As the Kevorkian Professor he founded and directed Columbia University’s Center for Iranian Studies since 1966. Like the multi-armed Indian deity Durga, while in New York Professor Yarshater initiated the Persian Texts Series in 1956, the Persian Heritage Series in 1962, the Persian Studies Series in 1966, the Modern Persian Literature Series in 1976, the al-Tabari Translation Project in 1977, the Columbia Lectures in Iranian Studies Series in 1981 and A History of Persian Literature in 2005. The famed Encyclopaedia Iranica, on which Professor Yarshater embarked in 1974, is only one of the many arms of this knowledge-producing and -disseminating master of Iranian Studies.

With seemingly unending amounts of energy, in addition to teaching at the University of Tehran and Columbia University, Professor Yarshater served the field in many capacities: as the Chairman of the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Columbia, 1968-1973; as Chairman of the Columbia University Publications in Near and Middle East Studies, 1968-1976 and as the Secretary of the American Research Institute in Iran, 1968-1970 (among others). He was the source of inspiration for the founding of the International Society for Iranian Studies as well as its first president. Regularly attending the annual meetings of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and the biennial conferences of the International Society for Iranian Studies, he was generous in reaching out to younger scholars and providing them with encouragement and critical support. Simply put, Professor Yarshater was an exceptional scholar, a visionary academic administrator, and the pioneering founder of a number of significant scholarly associations and publication series. In all of these efforts, he was a tireless advocate and a generous source of inspiration and support for students and scholars in Iranian Studies over many decades.

- Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi
University of Toronto

Gathering of the Baha'is from Jewish Background

From left to right:
Kavian S. Milani, Nasrin Binaei Shafipour,
Niky Sheikhzadeh Bashiri, Khanoum Sheikhzadeh,
Sima Sabet, Behrooz Sabet, Mehrdad Bashiri
and Adel Shafipour

Einollah Samimi was a Baha'i of Jewish Background

Einollah Samimi

Mr. Einollah Samimi, passed away on July 12, 2009, in Springfield, Mass., surrounded by his loving family. Mr. Samimi lived in Wilbraham, Mass. for the past 15 years. Born June 28th, 1926, in Kooshkak, Abadeh, Iran, he spent the greater part of his life in his native Iran. As a fifth generation Baha'i, his life was guided by the principles of his Faith - service, compassion, and the oneness of humankind. In his professional life, he served his country as a Colonel in the Imperial Iranian Army. Near the time of the Iranian revolution, his steadfast commitment to his religious beliefs led to an unjust dismissal from his post. Mr. Samimi is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Behjat Samimi; son Bijan Samimi; daughter and son-inlaw, Minoo and Mashi Moghaddam; daughter and son in-law, Mitra Samimi-Urich and Gary Urich; son Behzad Samimi; seven grandchildren; Hajir and his wife Jennifer, Shaghayegh and her husband Peter DeNoble, Farzad and his wife Hiwet, Parisa, Sierra, Vahid and Soraya; and a great grandson Aidan Nabil. Einollah Samimi has planted the seed for love, world peace and unity in the heart of all those who have known him. 

 

 

How Mr. Einollah Samimi was persecuted by Islamists? Please check this link

https://iranbahaipersecution.bic.org/archive/termination-pension-aynollah-samimi

Baha'u'llah's message of peace is for everyone

In these days it is incumbent upon everyone to adhere tenaciously unto unity and concord and to labour diligently in promoting the Cause of God, that perchance the wayward souls may attain that which will lead unto abiding prosperity.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed After the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 60

Israeli Jewish children learn about the Baha'i Faith

These cute children from Jewish background talk about their visit to the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa.

Peter Terry is a Baha'i of Jewish Background

Peter Terry is an independent religious scholar, musician and educator. He is the author of A Prophet in Modern Times (a biography of the Bab); In His Own Words (an autobiography of Baha'u'llah); Proofs of the Prophets (a compilation and commentary on 40 proofs of prophethood); Companion to Proofs of the Prophets; Proofs of the Prophets--Lord Krishna; and Proofs of the Prophets--Baha'u'llah.

 

Scholarly works by Peter Terry on Baha'i Library

https://bahai-library.com/author/Peter+Terry

Peter's website

https://sites.google.com/site/peterry19/

The Gardens at Bahji

FOR quite some time Shoghi Effendi had desired to acquire more land adjacent to the Sepulchre of Bahá'u'lláh and the Mansion, in order to beautify the grounds of the true Qiblih of the Faith - the most majestic and dignified centre for all the followers of Bahá'u'lláh, as he personally related to me - but this had been impossible because of the interference of some ill-willed meddlers, until the opportunity came again right after the creation of the new State of Israel. The reader may remember the difficulties experienced in his efforts to restore the Mansion to its original condition, after the utter neglect into which it had fallen after the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, and to obtain from the Mandate authorities the custodianship of this historic building, which for many decades had been the stronghold of an ignoble band of the breakers of His Covenant, who were entrenched in the precincts of the Most Holy Shrine of the Bahá'í world. This situation had grieved 'Abdu'l-Bahá beyond any capacity of endurance. On that particular night, previously mentioned [see page 17], during which the beloved Guardian spoke to me alone for many hours, he related all the suffering and the anguish of so many years of evil plotting first against 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and after His passing, against himself. He went into the details of the provocations, the fiendish machinations, the defiant and open hostility, backed at times by, and in alliance with, sworn external enemies of the Cause for the express purpose of destroying the Divine Covenant, a spiritual madness which had contaminated almost all the surviving members of the family of Bahá'u'lláh. Once the evacuation of the occupants of the Mansion and its restoration had been achieved, Shoghi Effendi immediately began to direct his efforts to beautification of the little land available and particularly of the small plot to the north and west of the Shrine, and of the strip enclosed between the wall of the Mansion's garden and the east side of the Shrine and the building used as an early pilgrim house. Araucaria and tangerine trees were first planted there, with a few cypress and orange trees in front of the Shrine. It was in this small garden that the commemoration I have mentioned in the previous chapter took place. The rest of the grounds, a few metres away and all around the building, was a sea of sand, in some places actually dunes, while at about one hundred and thirty metres' distance, opposite the door of the Sepulchre, there was a large deep pit, possibly excavated a long time before to obtain sand for building purposes. On the west side, and at the rear of the Shrine, there were some olive trees, a few eucalyptus trees, and some ancient pines, which at the time of Bahá'u'lláh's residence in the Mansion were the only source of shade and coolness, during the torrid heat of the long Palestinian summers. This was the condition of the grounds around that Blessed Spot when I first saw it.

On the occasion of my first pilgrimage, Shoghi Effendi spoke to me at length of the plans he had for expansion of the gardens and beautification of the Shrine - one of the goals he had already set for the Ten Year Crusade. He commissioned me to secure, on my return to Italy, drawings and estimates of costs. Of this I shall give more details later on.

Towards the end of 1950, Shoghi Effendi had initiated negotiations with the government of the State of Israel for the acquisition of additional land around the Shrine and the Mansion. The opportunity to obtain such land came when that government, having decided that no alien could reside in the vicinity of the borders of the new nation, became willing to exchange some farm land belonging to Bahá'ís of Persian nationality, [The two brothers Hasan and Farid and their sister, children of Dhikru'llah and grandchildren of Mirza Muhammad Quli, the faithful half-brother of Bahá'u'lláh and His companion in exile, spontaneously offered their farms for the exchange, and the Guardian compensated them for their loss to enable them to purchase other workable land in another location. The brothers were expert agriculturists and enjoyed a great reputation in the Jordan Valley.] located near the border of Jordan, for the same acreage around the Qiblih of our Faith. When the door of pilgrimage was opened again at the end of 1951, one of the first Western pilgrims was an American believer from Wisconsin, Mr. Lawrence Hautz, who made himself useful in carrying on the preliminary negotiations for the exchange of this land. They were difficult and protracted negotiations which, when completed, had lasted two years. The efforts made by Mr. Hautz and by Mr. Leroy Ioas, who, in March 1952, had assumed the General Secretariat of the International Bahá'í Council and taken over the negotiations, were acknowledged publicly by Shoghi Effendi in a message sent to the Bahá'í world the following November, after signature of the agreement had taken place.[See MBW pp.45-6] In the spring of that year definite assurance of the exchange had been given, with the perfecting of the legal instruments of ownership to follow, an intelligence which highly encouraged the Guardian to proceed with his plans.

At about the same time, a great victory over the Covenant-breakers, who had instituted legal proceedings against the Guardian to prevent him from starting his beautification programme, resulted with a decision by the Israeli Government, who granted to the Guardian, as the sole Custodian of the Bahá'í Holy Sites, authorization to demolish the dilapidated buildings cluttering the Sacred Precincts. On more than one occasion Shoghi Effendi had spoken to me of the condition into which the surroundings of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh had deteriorated for decades, even to the indignity of allowing a blacksmith shop near the entrance to the Shrine - an incredible effrontery to the sacredness of the Most Holy Shrine of the Bahá'í world. His words of condemnation, broken by the emotion of his repressed deep sorrow and contempt, are still ringing in my ears, as the desecration of the Holy of Holies, for such a long time, had filled his heart with an anguish that those who were close to him felt he could no longer bear. I was utterly disconsolate, particularly during the period of the above-mentioned legal proceedings against him, when he passed through one of the most desolate periods of his life, with his health considerably impaired by the heart-felt grief.

On the occasion of this legal trial, he had summoned me to Haifa to assist him as much as possible and I was therefore an eyewitness to the shameful behaviour of the Covenant-breakers, the agonizing sufferings of the Guardian, and the ultimate victory of the cause of justice.

After my arrival in Haifa, Shoghi Effendi had often spoken of another task he would entrust to me, a task which he defined as 'spiritual'. It concerned the erection of the Most Holy Shrine of the Bahá'í world: 'The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, the One Who had sent down the Prophets'.

Because of the enthusiasm and the vigour with which he spoke of this subject, there was no doubt that he had a tentative plan for the beautification of the precincts of the Holy Shrine. He had a unique manner of asking questions, that at times could appear unrelated, but the answers he received were in his brilliant mind put in the proper place and sequence, to construct by his power of visualization the reality of things to come. For several nights he inquired about types of statuary marble - his preference was white Carrara, about methods of producing columns of very large dimensions, about triumphal monuments erected in ancient and in modern times to honour individuals or which were dedicated to faiths, cults or the arts, and the possibility of having an architectural plan and then of the project itself being carried out in the shortest possible time.

These conversations took place a little more than five years before his passing, and although the idea of his death, even at some time in the distant future, never crossed my mind, I was constantly under the apprehension that there was an impelling force that urged him to accomplish as much as he could while he was on earth. His manifold and far-sighted plans, which embraced a multitude of activities at the World Centre and throughout all the continents of the globe, bore eloquent testimony to this. Later on I shall give a brief description of his idea for the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, 'only an embellishment', he would say, 'as the great Shrine, of untold magnificence, would be erected in future decades.' After he verbally revealed to me the project he had in mind, and charged me with securing drawings and estimates of cost, the opportunity, for which he had long waited, to beautify the grounds around the existing Shrine, arrived in the late days of April 1952.

http://bahairesearch.com/english/Baha%27i/Baha%27i_Studies/Ugo_Giachery/Shoghi_Effendi_-_Recollections.aspx

World Religion Day - 1967

The Day was observed in foundation Hall of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois with a public
meeting designed to appeal especially to people from Jewish and Christian backgrounds. Mrs. Clarice Weil of Clayton, Missouri, a Bahia'i of Jewish background, explained how the moral laws of Moses were similar to the spiritual teachings of Baha'u'llah Who was the "Lord of Hosts" and "King of Glory" referred to in the Jewish writings. The 614 Mosaic social laws, she said, were abrogated, reinforced or replaced with new ones to solve today's more complex social problems. Mr. David Kellum, a Baha'i and former Christian from Chicago reviewed the history of Christianity to show
that it is not able to cope with today's needs for a peaceful world community. He showed how Baha'u'llah's teachings provide for today's living which demands the recognition of the oneness of mankind under one universal Faith. The gathering concluded with refreshments and a social hour when m any of the 130 who attended could ask questions and meet the speakers.

The Boston and Cambridge Communities coordinated activities for the commemoration which included an ecumenical program of prayers for world peace with thirteen participants (twelve of whom were non-Baha'is). The Boston and Cambridge observance also included a half hour television presentation of the Baha'i Faith on the program: "Our Believing World," on WBZ-TV on the same day.

The friends of St. Paul, Minnesota, observed this event over a two-day period which included a news
conference (the first for St. Paul) on January 14, a panel program, and a public meeting on January 15, with Dr. David S. Ruhe participating in all three. Three television stations responded to the news conference by including the interview on their respective evening broadcasts. The panel program was co-sponsored with the North Central Voters League and was held in their headquarters in the heart of the Negro community in St. Paul.

Alameda, Hayward and Oakland, California communities sponsored a very successful observance. The program consisted of an Inter-Faith panel that answered the question, "Has Modern Man Outgrown Religion?" 200 were in attendance - the largest single attendance reported for this year's commemoration. Publicity included coverage by the newspapers, nineteen radio stations, television spot announcements and a fifteen-minute personal interview on television.

Ashkan Azizi is a Baha'i of Jewish Background

His Linkedin page:
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ashkan-azizi-59982862

Account of the Conversion to the Faith of Jinab-i-Aziz'u'llah Azizi from Judaism

First photograph of Jinab-i-Azizi in his youth with a friend,
Jinab-i-Mard Khayeshu'a, father of Jinab-i-Habibo'llah Nahaie.

Among these youth, who were my close friends, with whom we found our way to this sacred threshold, were Jinab-i-Arastu Khan Hakim, Dr. Ayyub Khan, Aziz Eliahu (paternal uncle of Jinab-i-Mirza Abd'u'llah Abrishami), myself and a number of other Jewish youth, who did not have the bounty and honour of accepting the Faith. Most of the time, I would take my younger brother Aqa Murtida with me to these firesides. Each of the youth would ask a question and Jinab-i-Furughi would respond with utmost love and kindness.

At certain meetings, a most radiant elderly man named Mulla Muhammad Rida-Yazdi, was present. He had much regard for the youth and his sincerity attracted them so that they would not waste a moment's effort to strive and seek after the truth. Other youth were hesitant and suspicious of his attention and love towards them and feared this was but a trick to lure them into the Faith.

We continued to gather together often, until at one point, we found our way to the home of Haji Mulla Ali Akbar Shahmirzadi, Hand of the Cause, who was residing near the Jewish ghetto. This honourable and knowledgeable gentleman was very kind to us. Through his powerful and thought-provoking discourses, he would answer our objections and misunderstandings. Due to the persuasive power of his proofs, the truth of the Faith became evident to me and one could say that I was half-converted. Yet the type of faith and conviction which consumes heart and soul, the kind of faith which leaves no room for doubt or questioning, the type of faith which renders one intoxicated and in a state of wonderment, to the extent that one would sacrifice life and wealth, had not yet arisen in me.

Even so, Jinab-i-Aqa Jan Bolbol, Mirza Aqa Jan Gilavani, known as Majzub, Mirza Khalil (father of Mr. Arjomand), and Mirza Ibrahim Khayyat all declared, were very steadfast in their faith, and would observe all the principles of the Baha'i Faith.

Mirza Khalil was one of the respected and confident members of Jewish society, and therefore, his conversion to the Cause of the Blessed Beauty created much commotion. One day, Haji Eliahu, as I have mentioned, was taking refuge in the home of Nur-Mahmud out of fear of his enemies, and in the meantime was secretly teaching the Faith to Mirza Mahmud’s son-in-law, Mirza Ayyub. After embracing the Faith, Mirza Khalil, who had a very modest home in the Ghetto, put his house in the service of Baha'i teachers and many would frequent his house. For instance, one day Jinab-i-Haji Mirza Haydar 'Ali and Jinab-i-Varqa-i-Shahid entered that home where I met them as I also visited this place often for deepening.

Jinab-i-Varqa had recently returned from the Holy Land and Mirza Khalil had invited a group of Jews and Rabbis to benefit from his teaching and to ask whatever questions they had and present any concerns. We ourselves sat quietly in a corner and were witnessing the discussion taking place. Unfortunately, instead of deriving benefit and learning some truths, they were busy arguing and would often change the subject. Out of prejudice and the habit of clinging to their old beliefs, they were not really ready to listen to any truthful fact whatever. Such was the case until Jinab-i-Varqa stated, "There is a verse from His Holiness Joshua, to this effect: 'Eye to eye, see that they will bring the Lord back to Zion".  (a verse of Joshua). And then he said, "I saw this with my own eyes."

The Rabbis, who could not bear to hear things like this, began to insult him. Disregarding manners and courtesy, they said, "If you saw God, may both your eyes be blinded if you lie." This contemptuous attitude from them, in contrast to the gracious and courteous manner of Jinab-i-Varqa, who so eloquently marshalled proofs and cited verses from the Torah, moved me to the extent that I recognised the truth, and realized that in every age, the chief source of denial has ever been this kind of unjust, stubborn, and proud people. At any rate, this baseless response from Jewish religious leaders to the powerful and persuasive discourses of Jinab-i-Varqa stirred me to such depths that I surrendered my will right then and there. My faith was confirmed, and I took on the path of service to Baha'u'llah.

Following this event, other instances like this took place in the home of Mirza Khalil, and the situation there became so difficult and troublesome for him, that he was forced to leave the Jewish ghetto. So, he sold his house and moved to Qasvin Gate, but he would not put an end to his teaching efforts. Every night he invited gifted and receptive youth to his home, and on occasion, Jinab-i-Shaykh Muhammad 'Ali Qaini, went to his house and read aloud tablets of Baha'u'llah.

As a result of frequenting this house, and socializing with the friends there, especially with individuals like Jinab-i-Haji Mulla Ali Akbar Shahmirzadi (Hand of the Cause), Shaykh Muhammad Ali, Haji Muhammad Allaqiband Yazdi, Nayyer and Sina, Aqa Muhammad Rida and his son along with Haji Abul-Hasan Ardekani (Haji Amin) and Fayzeh Khanum - I forged strong friendships. Beyond what benefits I derived from socializing and interacting with these individuals, I compared what I heard from them with what I knew from the Torah.

Especially on Fridays and holidays I would go with them to various gardens throughout the suburbs of Tehran, and I was always on the alert to learn and add to my knowledge. It was then that Yunis Khan Afrouhteh - who later became known as Dr. Yunis Khan - along with Dr. Arastu Khan Hakim (Father of Mr. Gholam Husayn Khan and Prof. Manucher Hakim) were summoned to the Holy Land. Since Mirza Arastu Khan was a very sincere and kind friend of mine, I called upon him to act as my go-between and to ask that I too might be given permission for pilgrimage.

Taken from the Memoirs of a Jewish Baha'i Mr. Aziz'u'llah Azizi, download from here

How a Jewish wineseller became a Baha'i?

 

Close to 60 years ago, around the year of 1272 A.H. (1890 A.D.), a man known as Haji Eliahu returned from the Holy Land and was secretly socializing with the Jews, in order to teach the Cause of God. Orthodox Jews, aware of his activities, would call him names in public and would insult this man of God in the streets and marketplace. Children, encouraged by their parents, would throw stones at him. This opposition was especially strong from my father, Rabbi Daniel, who was one of the most prejudiced and influential of the Jewish spiritual leaders. The matter came to a head one day when a group of men felt agitated by his wisdom and reason. As is the way of ill-intentioned men, they caught him by surprise in one of the alleys of the ghetto and beat him relentlessly probably with the intention to kill him. A goodhearted man was passing by and immediately reported the incident to Mirza Aqa Jan Gilavani (later known as Majzub) who was related to my father. He was told that one of his relatives was being beaten to death. Mirza' Aqa Jan Gilavani Majzub, went straightaway to save him and delivered him from their hands. He took him to the house he rented (which was owned by Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol), where he provided a bed for him in one room and began to attend to him to help him recover.

Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol, before accepting the Faith, was a wine seller. This job was customary at that time and involved making wine at home. As he came home in order to pick-up and deliver some wine for his customers, he learned that Haji Eliahu had been brought to his home. He became extremely upset. (Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol told me repeatedly). Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol, flew into a rage and exclaimed, "I have just heard that Haji Eliahu--who has turned against his own religion and become an atheist--has been brought to my house?" The homeowner later said, "My knees suddenly weakened and somewhat paralysed. I grew pale and felt so ill, that I could not keep my balance. So, I sat down on the porch stairs in the yard outside, and as I began to regain my senses, I shouted out, "How dare you bring this infidel and apostate into my house?" In the end, I was reduced to tears of frustration and under my breath I was muttering that my entire wine supply was turned impure. Then I turned to Mirza Aqa Jan Gilavani (Majzub) and threw insults and screams at him."

Anyway, this disturbance continued well into the day until Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol calmed down. Mirza Aqa Jan Gilavani went to him and apologized, and in the end, convinced the homeowner to visit Haji Eliahu to hear what kind of nonsense he was saying. Haji's words were so unimportant to them both, that they considered whatever he would have to say as having no value. So at the insistence of Mirza Aqa Jan Gilavani, Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol reluctantly went with him to visit Haji Eliahu.

To their surprise, they found the Haji talking in a calm and kind manner, in spite of the abuse, insults and physical beating he had just suffered. The Haji had also been quite aware of the yelling and cursing of the landlord. The Haji’s remarks were full of truth and sincerity; he would mention nothing apart from faith and God. Whatever the Haji would say, he would back up with verses of the Torah, directing all his remarks to the landlord and his tenant. Both calmed down and were drawn to the Haji' s kindliness and sweetness of speech.

The next and following days, they went to see him again and again, till they became intoxicated and entranced by his discourses and solid proofs. This continued until one day they referred these matters to a person more knowledgeable than they: Mirza Ibrahim Khayat (father of Mr. Khojasteh, who had a pharmacy on Nasir Khusraw Avenue). They told him the whole story and sought his advice. Mirza Ibrahim Khayat, responded with sarcasm, but as he found them nevertheless persistent, he started to verbally attack and insult these two. But their insistence paid off, Bolbol and Majzub managed to drag him along to see Haji Eliahu. In the presence of the Haji, Mirza Ibrahim became also drawn to him. Haji Eliahu succeeded in making known to them the love of Jesus, by means of his tenderness and love. Through his teaching, they came to know that Jesus was from God. When later, they became believers in the (Baha'i) Faith through Jinab-i-Haji-Mulla 'Ali Akbar Shahmirzadi, who was a Hand of the Cause of God in the time of Baha'u'llah, they went on to accept Muhammad as the messenger of God and thereafter the Bab and Baha’u’llah. At last these four men began to teach the Faith in the Jewish ghetto: Haji Eliahu was, as it were, the standard bearer, with Mirza Ibrahim Khayat (also a tailor) the torch bearer, Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol the minstrel of the four, and Mirza Aqa Jan Majzub was the one who would render service to the group as a whole. On many occasions, I would hear Mirza Aqa Jan Bolbol say, with a wistful and emotion-laden voice: "From that moment on, I abandoned wine selling and besought God to forgive my sins."

This group of four knew well that they would meet with no success among the very prejudiced elders there, so they approached the youth, and started to speak to them. They invited them to come and see Mirza Aqa Jan Majzub, acquainting them with the Faith and cultivating a seed of love for it in their hearts.

As a consequence, these activities provoked complaints and eventually continued residence in the ghetto became impossible for them. So Mirza Aqa Jan Majzub left the ghetto and moved to the vicinity of the Qazvin Gate district of Tehran. Thus, the very house that for some time was the hiding place for Jinab-i-Mirza Mahmud Furughi, in fact became a proof of the verse of the Torah:

"Those who were as wolves held lambs in loving embrace, and would protect them with heart and soul from the onslaught of enemies."

(A verse from the Torah.)

I was a very religious Jew, i accepted the Baha'i Faith - Aziz'u'llah Azizi

As a result of the education and upbringing given to me by my father as a youth, I was very religious and even prejudiced, following as I did the teachings and customs of the religion of the Jews. I had no shortcomings with respect to the reading of the Torah or other religious texts. I was quite deepened and would meditate on each verse, looking for its true meaning. It is true that my knowledge of the Torah was well-grounded, and there was no aspect that was beyond my grasp. Indeed, I had memorised most of the verses of the Torah together with their meaning and that made my father deeply proud of me. He was expecting great things of me--a bright future--for the cause of the Jews. He was hoping I would become a rabbi. But I had no desire to become a kind of rabbi and to sit on a spiritual throne.

When during the course of my reading the Torah, I encountered verses concerning the "Day of God." I would read that in that Day, the "Wolf and the Lamb" would drink from the same stream, and injustice and discord would vanish and equality and brotherhood would be established and so forth. It was my utmost wish - indeed the very thought brought me fulfillment - that mankind would soon experience this blessed vision and all these enmities, religious prejudices and inequalities between the sexes might disappear. In short, all these circumstances helped prepare me and make me receptive to the truth and acceptance of divine bestowals, until at last I met and begin to socialize with the Baha’is, as I will explain in detail later…

Download the Memoirs of a Jewish Baha'i Mr. Aziz'u'llah Azizi, here

Aziz Navidi was a Baha'i of Jewish Background, he was appointed as legal adviser to the Iranian Ministry of the Interior and Defense.

 Dr. Aziz Navidi (1913-1987):
Intrepid Pioneer, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh
by Graham Walker published in Bahá'í News, 682
1988-01

GRIEVED PASSING DEDICATED SERVANT CAUSE KNIGHT OF BAHA'U'LLAH AZIZ NAVIDI. HIS FEARLESS DEFENSE OPPRESSED BAHA'IS CRADLE FAITH HIGHLY PRAISED BY BELOVED GUARDIAN. HIS CONTINUOUS SERVICES PIONEERING FIELD CROWNED BY OUTSTANDING SUCCESSES GAIN RECOGNITION FAITH BY MANY AFRICAN COUNTRIES OBTAINED THROUGH HIS UTTER RELIANCE BAHA'U'LLAH AND HIS INDEFATIGABLE RESOURCEFULNESS SACRIFICIAL EFFORTS ALL SHED LUSTRE UPON HIS LOVING MEMORY. REQUESTING NSA UGANDA HOLD MEMORIAL SERVICE MOTHER TEMPLE AFRICA RECOGNITION UNIQUE SERVICES THAT CONTINENT. ASSURE ARDENT PRAYERS PROGRESS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM. ADVISE HOLD MEMORIAL GATHERING LONDON.
 

- UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE JULY 2, 1987

 

Dr. Aziz Navidi was a remarkable man, loved and respected by all who knew him. Although in his capacity as an international lawyer he spoke with presidents and kings, he always remained humble and self-effacing. He brought about constitutional changes in many countries to secure freedom of worship for millions and protection for the Bahá'ís in particular. He was a masterful lawyer and a consummate diplomat, and above all he was completely devoted to the Cause.

Aziz Navidi was born in Hamadan, Iran, in 1913. He studied law in Tehran and took his doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris. Soon after completing his military service he was appointed as legal adviser to the Iranian Ministry of the Interior and Defense and soon became one of the most successful advocates in the country.

Recognition and success brought him a great deal of work, but he still found time to defend the poor, for whom he worked without charge. He would receive them early in the morning before going to his office and again upon his return he would often be greeted by a long queue of people anxious to petition him. He often worked late into the night preparing cases for his poorer clients.

In his civil practice he also defended Bahá'ís, sometimes against the most powerful in the land. Many attempts were made on his life, and on one occasion enemies tried to abduct one of his daughters. His friends and colleagues tried to persuade him to drop these contentious cases and to protect himself from the attacks of his enemies, but he continued to fight for justice regardless of the personal risk. He won the respect of everyone around him. On one occasion he had successfully defended a man charged with theft. Outside the court, after his acquittal, the man privately told him that he was in fact guilty. Dr. Navidi did not hesitate for a moment; he marched him straight back into the court, apologized to the judge, and then conducted the prosecution.

In 1953 Aziz and his wife, Shamsi, pioneered to Monte Carlo. Aziz had been offered the post of Consul General in Paris, but being a Bahá'í, he refused it. From his base in Monte Carlo he was sent all over the world to defend the Bahá’ís who were being unjustly treated and persecuted. It was no surprise that the beloved Guardian designated him the “Shield of the Cause of God” and predicted that future historians would study his achievements, although Dr. Navidi himself never spoke of this precious accolade.

He was frequently called upon to be absent from home for six months at a time and Shamsi had accepted to support him in this work and to raise their family almost single-handedly. Their daughter, Guilda, was always a problem at mealtimes, throwing her food over the balcony or surreptitiously putting it into her pockets when no one was looking. She was told on one occasion that if she ate well and gained weight, her father would come home. She secretly inserted two cherries in her cheeks and then asked brightly when he would be coming home.

In 1968 Dr. Navidi became a representative of the Iranian Oil Company for its operations in the Indian Ocean. The family pioneered again, establishing their home in Mauritius. Dr. Navidi then undertook the first of many missions to various African states to secure recognition of the Faith there. He fearlessly visited countries hostile to the Bahá'ís with no protection except his faith and his credentials as official lawyer to the Universal House of Justice with special status at the United Nations. His missions took him to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Congo, Gabon, the Gambia, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Zaire and many, many other countries throughout the world. He was successful time and again in persuading democratic governments and dictators alike to alter their laws and constitutions and to officially recognize the Bahá'í Faith. His professional brilliance, his calm perseverance in the face of what often seemed to be insurmountable obstacles, and his unswerving faith in Bahá'u'lláh earned him the esteem and respect of even his fiercest adversaries.

In one African country he had been asked to meet with a certain government minister to try and convince him to change his country's harsh stance toward the Bahá'ís. Every morning he would go to the minister's office and sit in the waiting room all day. They ordered him to wear a suit and tie while they themselves wore light tropical clothing. At the end of the day he would walk back to his hotel drenched with perspiration and completely exhausted. He was forced to take expensive rooms in the hotel in order to maintain the prestige of the Faith. The little food that he was able to secure was extremely expensive — for example, an egg cost $5. Hepatitis and malaria were epidemic, and theft and murder were commonplace. He was completely without friend or contact. He tolerated indignity and intimidation without complaint, but at the end of three months he began to think that perhaps God did not mean for him to achieve his aim. He prayed ardently for guidance, and decided that he would leave the following day. The next morning he was summoned by the minister who was so impressed by his reasoned argument and firm resolve that he granted the Faith official recognition.

When Dr. Navidi returned from these missions he did not speak of the hardships he had suffered, or of the danger, or of the tribulations of the Bahá'ís. He never himself spoke of what he had achieved, nor at what cost. When the Guardian passed away in 1957 the Hands of the Cause called upon his services. When the Universal House of Justice was elected in 1963 they honored him to become their legal adviser in Africa. It was on one such mission to Africa that he became ill, but he could not bring himself to abandon his task and so did not leave until his suffering became unbearable. By that time his illness was beyond control.

He passed away in a London hospital on July 1, 1987. Messages of condolence were received from individuals and institutions all over the world, and 500 friends and family members attended his funeral service. In recognition of the sterling services rendered to the Cause of God by this devoted servant, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom arranged a national memorial service which was held September 4 at the Royal Overseas League in London.

"Soon will all of Israel become glorious, and this diaspora be transformed into regathering."

He is God! O God!

In the Books of the Prophets, Thou hast given good news and glad-tidings to (the people of) Israel, and you have given the promise that there would come a day when the despair of Israel would be transformed into hope, and that those in captivity and the downtrodden might at last find eternal glory. That wondrous Tribe shall, under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts, find security and settlement in the Holy Land and, from the far lands abroad, return unto Zion. Those, who were once lowly shall be cherished, and those who were formerly poor are destined to become powerful.

Those, who were forgotten shall find fame and renown and those once detested shall become the beloved of the peoples of the world. Now, praise be to God, that day of tranquillity has arrived, and the means of happiness and joy are now within reach. Soon will all of Israel become glorious, and this diaspora be transformed into regathering.

The Sun of Truth has arisen, and a ray of divine guidance has alighted upon Israel, so that they will enter the Holy Land from far-away routes in the utmost joy.

O God! Fulfil Thy promise, and bring honour upon the progeny of His Holiness Abraham. Thou art the Powerful, the Able, and Thou art the Seer, the Hearer, the All-Wise.

- 'Abdu'l-Baha Abbas
(unauthorized translation)

"Many Persian Jews in Tehran have become Baha'is and I have attended some of their meetings."

Bernard Temple, (Editor of The Gazette, Karachi) read a paper before the Royal Society of Arts, London, "Persia and the Regeneration," which was published in that Society's Journal, saying: 

 

"Sometimes the world has had cause to regret its inattention. Europe, at the present time (1910), is not showing itself regardful of the rise of the new religious movement, called 'Bahaism' of Persia.... Shiah and Sunni Mohammedans in large numbers have been converted. In European Turkey, and more notably in Asiatic Turkey, they are increasing yearly. I conversed with some in Baghdad. In Egypt they are becoming numerous; also Morroco, Algeria, Tunis and Tripoli and the Northern Provinces of India. I have met in Bombay, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Delhi and Lucknow. Converts from among the Sikhs of Amritsar, and the Brahmans of Benares; among the Buddists of Ceylon, Burma and Siam; amongst the Taoists of China and Shintoists of Japan.

 

"Many Persian Jews in Tehran have become Bahais and I have attended some of their meetings. In Hamadan, one of the oldest Jewish settlements in the world, at least a third of the Jewish community has openly gone over to the Movement. No Christian missionary to the Jews in any part of the world can boast a triumph equal to this.... A more intellectual form of Bahaism has expanded into Europe, in Russia, Germany, France and England. In Baku I found a large number; in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow an appreciable number. The United States of America promises to become a great western stronghold of Bahaism; also Quebec, Montreal and Toronto, in Canada.

 

"Before going further perhaps I ought to state that I am not a Bahai." All this world-wide spreading While the founders were behind prison walls!

 

"The followers of Baha'u'llah already include members of the ruling family of Persian Viziers, Deputies, Governors of Provinces and several Mullahs!"

Bernard Temple was himself a Jewish.

http://starofthewest.info/Vol05/large/SOTW_Vol05_39.gif

One of the greatest scholar of Jewish background Professor Armin Vambery writes to Abdul Baha...

The venerable Professor Vambery, one of the greatest scholars of modern times, honored by Kings and Emperors, just a few weeks before his death (1913) wrote to Abdul-Baha, a long letter of sympathy and love, from which I give brief excerpts:

"I forward this humble petition to the sanctified and holy presence of Abdul-Baha, who is famous throughout the world and beloved by all mankind. Although I have traveled through many countries and cities of Islam, yet have I never met so lofty a character and so exalted a personage as your Excellency, and I can bear witness that it is not possible to find such another... I am hoping that the ideals and accomplishments of your Excellency may be crowned with success, Considering these results, every person is forced by necessity to enlist himself on the side of your Excellency and accept with joy the prospect of a fundamental basis for a Universal Religion God the Most High, confers long life, I will be able to serve you under all conditions."

"(Signed) Vambery"

http://starofthewest.info/Vol05/large/SOTW_Vol05_39.gif