In the 1970s, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, wanted to build a center in Jerusalem where students at church-owned colleges could study. However, it was extremely difficult to obtain land and permission to do so unless you were part of the special five churches that had official recognition. The Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, Armani, Baha’i, and the Anglican Church had all been in existence there prior to the formation of the State of Israel. They were told they needed to prove an official existence in the country before 1948.
The situation seemed hopeless. There had been a mission home (the official headquarters for a mission area) in Haifa before 1948, but they could not find any records showing the Church had actually owned the property outright. Then two gravesites were discovered. The graves belonged to John A. Clark of Utah and Adolf Haag of Germany. Both tombstones identified them as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proving an official presence in Israel at the proper time.
Elder Haag had served in Haifa in 1892. He died of typhus and was buried in Haifa, Palestine, which is now Israel. Elder Clark died of small pox in 1895 and was buried in the same cemetery.
Elder Clark was a school teacher when he decided to serve a mission. When the call came to serve in Palestine, his parents begged him not to go because they were afraid of having him go to such a remote place, but he insisted. He began his mission and reported that he had learned the language very easily and never spoke English anymore, except in his own thoughts. He contracted smallpox while visiting a home where everyone was sick and died just a few days later.
Although both young men gave their lives while serving God, their deaths were to change history almost a century later. Their graves proved the church had been in the country prior to Israel’s formation.
Today, that center is enriching the educations of many students. Called the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, it is home for six months to students studying the Bible, ancient and modern near-eastern studies, Hebrew, and Arabic, and the life of Jesus Christ and the work of the apostles. The center is located on Mount Scopus overlooking the Mount of Olives. It also serves as a center for researchers and provides church services for Mormons in the area. Everyone who participates signs a commitment to avoid missionary work. The center opened in 1987, and the local anti-defamation league there agrees there is no sign that anyone has converted during the center’s years in Jerusalem.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
Watch a video about the restoration of the gospel on lds.org
Hello: Your website is very interesting. Question: are there any non-proselyting LDS missionaries serving in the Holy Land, perhaps at the Jerusalem Center in capacities that assist the center? Also, do you know about the Historic Cody Mural and Museum in Cody Wyoming?
Hello Georgina,
Thanks for the wonderful questions. Missionaries do not currently serve in the Holy Land, at least by that name. Instead, assigned couples tend to the LDS membership population, working as volunteers for Brigham Young University. Currently, such helping hands assist in the Haifa branch and in Tiberias. So while they are not missionaries in name, they certainly have many similar responsibilities, including serving small Mormon congregations and providing help to the BYU Center.
We have yet to do an article on the Cody Museum! We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and we look forward to posting about this wonderful church history site soon.
Thank you, and have a blessed day!
-Megan
There has not been a branch in Haifa for several years. In 2017 there was a Haifa GROUP, attached to the Tel Aviv branch after the Galilee branch (which met for 36 years in Tiberius) was closed. There has not been a BYU service couple assigned to the Haifa group.
Kent P Jackson (of BYU Religious Studies Center) has written an article about these graves. He claims that while these graves were located to aid in gaining Church recognition in Israel, that in fact they were not even mentioned in the application process. He states: “Obtaining the status of the older churches enjoyed turned out to be neither possible nor necessary.” He also states: “…the story was passed on then and continues to be passed on now—by tour directors, tourists, teachers and others.” It would seem these graves really have no relevance to the BYU Jerusalem Center being built.
Interesting! Do you have a link to the article?
Here is the link: https://rsc.byu.edu/missionarys-story/haifa-byu-jerusalem-center The article in no way denigrates the faithful service of these brave missionaries
As a member of the Clark family, I love this story in our family history :)