Abdu’l-Baha visited Pittsburgh, PA on May 7, 1912. On May 7, 2012, The Baha’i community of Greater Pittsburgh commemorated the centenary of that visit with an event that combined history, entertainment and outreach. Beginning with prayers, readings and music, the evening event, attended by more than 60 people, included a dramatic presentation about what life was like in 1912 and specifically, what Pittsburgh was like on May 7, 1912
According to newspaper accounts, the Rabbi J. Leonard Levy, spiritual leader of Rodef Shalom Jewish congregation in 1912, had extended an invitation to Abdu’l-Baha to stop in Pittsburgh, a place that was not on His original itinerary. Rabbi Levy also helped to publicize the visit by announcing to his congregation that they should go and hear Abdu’l-Baha speak. Martha Berg, present day archivist at Rodef Shalom, spoke at the centenary event about the amazing similarities between Rabbi Levy and Abdu’l-Baha. Despite the differences in their ages, their backgrounds and their life experiences, they were both men ahead of their times, preaching a gospel of peace in a time of war, advocating racial equality and interracial marriage, the equality of men and women and the importance of spiritual development alongside material progress; and addressing the need for America to lead the world in establishing peace on earth
To honor Abdu’l-Baha’s legacy of a life of service, a number of local service oriented organizations were invited to join in the commemoration. Representatives from AmeriCorps, Amnesty International, The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank, Gwen’s Girls, Just Harvest and Zonta were on hand to talk about their work and to encourage people to volunteer some time in service to others. There was much positive feedback about the commemoration and all of the organizations that participated expressed an interest in participating in future collaborations with the Baha’is.
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