Chronological Overview of the Holy Land – Latter Days
It is easy to lose track of historical documents and treasured events. By chance, I found this beautify poem by Eliza R. Snow that she wrote after her visit to the Sea of Galilee.
Her book of poems can be found at this link: https://archive.org/details/poemsreligioushi02snow/page/n5


At the Sea of Galilee
I have stood on the shore of the beautiful sea,
The renowned and immortalized Galilee,
When t’was wrapp’d in repose, at eventide
Like a royal queen in her conscious pride.
No sound was astir – not a murmuring wave-
Not a motion was see, but the tremulous lave,
A gentle heave of the water’s crest-
As the infant breathes on a mother’s breast.
I thought of the present- the past: it seemed
That the silent Sea, with instruction teem’d;
For often, indeed, the heart can hear
What never, in sound has approached the ear.
Full oft has silence been richly fraught
With treasures of wisdom, and stores of thought,
With sacred, heavenly whisperings, too,
That are sweeter than roses and honey dew.
There’s a depth in the soul, that’s beyond the reach
Of all earthly sound-of all human speech,
A fiber too sacred and pure, to chime
With the cold dull music of Earth and Time.
“Tis the heart’s receptacle, the nought can supply,
But the streams that flow from the fount on high.
An instinct divine of immortal worth,
An inherited gift, through primeval birth.
Again when he shades of night, were gone,
In the clear, bright rays of the morning dawn,
I walked on the bank of this selfsame Sea,
Where once, our Redeemer was wont to be.
Where, “Lord save, or I perish,” was Peter’s prayer,
Befitting the weak and the faithless elsewhere.
And here while admiring this Scriptural Sea,
Th’bold vista of Time, brought th’ past up to me;
Embos’d with events when the Prince of Life,
Endured this world’s hatred-its envy and strife;
When, in Him, the Omnipotent was revealed,
And, by Him, the wide breach of the law, was healed.
The gates, He unbarred, and led the way,
Through the shadow of death to the courts of day:
And “led captivity captive,” when
“He ascended on high and gave gifts unto men.”
Damascus, Syria, March 1873.
Poems, 1877 by Eliza R. Snow
https://archive.org/stream/poemsreligioushi02snow#page/n5/mode/2up
Elder Orson Hyde dedicated this land in 1841. Since then, there have been many historic visits and events in this dispensation. This is an attempt to list some of the events and hopefully, over time, more important dates will be added. At least it is a start.
Overview of Important Events in the Holy Land - Latter Days
Date | Location | Event | Description |
1841 | Jerusalem | Dedicatory Prayer | Orson Hyde offers dedicatory prayer. First apostle since days of old. http://www.vibrationdata.com/Orson_Hyde.htmhttp://www.vibrationdata.com/Orson_Hyde.htm |
20 Oct 1844 | Jerusalem | Dedication | Apostle Orson Hyde lands at the port of Jaffo, rents a horse, and travels to Jerusalem. |
22 Sep 1866 | Jaffo | German Colony | A messianic christian group from Maine USA, led by an excommunicated LDS Apostle, Ostel George Adams, lands at Jaffo, buys land, and founds the Armenisan Cololny. Latter called the German Colony, 150 yards from the prestn branch house of today. |
1872 | Holy Land | Visit | Summary of visit by Michael Hansen |
1872 | Galilee | Poem | Poem: Galilee by Eliza R. Snow https://archive.org/stream/poemsreligioushi02snow#page/n5/mode/2up |
Oct 1872 | Holy Land | 8 members and Dedicatory Prayer | President Brigham Young assigned his first counselor, Geoerge A. Smith and 7 other to visit the Holy Land https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-lorenzo-snow/chapter-24-reflections-on-the-mission-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng |
12-Sep-1981 | Haifa | Haifa group | District president David Galbraith proposed the Haifa group. Lasted 2 years |
18 Sep 1882 | Jerusalem | Branch Dedication | Branch site dedicated by branch president Dan Rona. Basement of Swedish consulate. First dedicated site for a branch. |
29 Aug 1886 | Haifa | First Baptism | J. Grau, first baptism in Holy Land, Haifa. First Branch in the Holy Land |
21 Sep 1889 | Jaffo | Baptisms | Turkish missionaries working in Jaffo baptized the first 2 Arab, non-European members |
3 Oct 1892 | Israel | Missionaries | Turkish missionaries, Adolph Hagg dies of typhoid fever and buried in Haifa. LDS sisters cared for him at great risk to their own families |
1-Oct-1909 | Israel | Closing mission | President J.W. Booth and missionaries of the Turkish mission were released and sent home because of the war. |
14-Sep-21 | Israel | Mission President | J.W. Booth set apart as Armenian mission president |
2-Nov-1921 | Jerusalem | Tour | Elder D. O. McKay confronts his Christian Arab guide, Michael who demeans the Jews and their effort to establish a gathering place for the Jews. President McKay prophesizes to him. |
3-Nov-1921 | Jerusalem | Mt of Olives | Elders McKay and Cannon offer a prayer on the Mt. of Olives. |
4-Nov-1921 | Haifa | Miracle | Apostles McKay and Cannon meet the Armenian Mission President, President Booth, at the Haifa train station unexpectedly, and give him the money collected by the saints to support the LDS Armenian refugees. |
6-Nov-1921 | Haifa | Mission | Elders McKay and Cannon change the name of the Turkish mission to the Armenian Mission. |
11-Oct-1927 | Israel | Missionary work | Apostle Talmage in Haifa told Pres. Booth of the Armenian mission, to discontinue trying to establish a “Mormon Colony” in Palestine or the Holy Land |
18-Oct-1927 | Haifa | Mission home | Apostle Talmage offers a dedicatory prayer on the summit of Mt. Carmel. Found the Tayh house for a new Armenian mission home. (Allenby and Camel (Ben-Gurion) |
28-Oct-1958 | Holy Land | Tour | President and Sister Lee tour the Holy Land |
1967 | Sister M. Spencer moves to Israel and provides support during 1967 war. | ||
1972 | Jerusalem | First Branch | Harold B. Lee, First prophet to visit Jerusalem in our dispensation. Organized the first branch at the Garden Tomb, David B. Galbraith |
1973 | Israel | Member History | Michael Hansen moved to Israel with his parents and 3 brothers. Later married to Ann |
6-Oct-1973 | Israel | Yom Kippur War | Airriad sirens in the Galilee pan handle and Golan, alert Galilee LDS, the Yom Kippur war began. 3 families evacuated. One sister treated for wounds in hospital. |
7-Oct-1973 | Israel | Yom Kippur War | BYU students sent to Austria. J. Narkin, LDS, served in Sinai. |
7-Oct-1973 | Jerusalem | Sabbath Day | Jerusalem branch president wrote to First Presidency for permission to hold Church on Saturday |
9/13/1947 | Israel | Palestine | Pres. Badwagon Piranian called to be Palestine-Syrian Miss. President |
2-Sep-1974 | Jerusalem | Member History | Dan Rona family from St. Louis Mo. Moves to Jerusalem |
25-Sep-1976 | Tiberias | Galilee Branch | Galilee dependent branch at kibbutz Degania Aleph with 26 members. First since time of Jesus in Galilee. Marlin Hansen called as Branch President until 1980 |
16-Oct-1976 | Israel | Missionary work | The Jerusalem branch president sent a request to the missionary department to send full time church representatives to Israel |
8-Nov-1976 | Jerusalem | District President | Ivan Barrett wrote to D.B. Galbraith, Jerusalem Branch President, to say that the First Presidency had called him (Brother Barrett) to serve as the district president in Israel. Brother Galbraith wrote back a few days later and said that “this is one of the most significant steps in the restoratin of all things in the last days.” |
1977 | Jerusalem | First Distsrict | First District was organized in the Vienna hotel, Wadi Joz with Ivan J. Barret president, Daniel Rona first counselor and Mark Gomm second counselor.President Monson addressed members of the district including 59 students |
1977 | Jerusalem | First Patriarch | President Barrett authorized as the first patriarch |
1977 | Jerusalem | Registration | Church organized legally in Israel as a non profit charitable organization (Amutah) |
1979 | BYU Center | Approval | President Spencer W. Kimball announces the building of the BYU Jerusalem Center by Kent P. Jackson https://rsc.byu.edu/missionarys-story/haifa-byu-jerusalem-center |
14-Sep-78 | Israel | Public Affairs | Israel Relief Society present a silk quilt to wife of Pres. Richard M. Nixon |
24-Oct-1979 | Jerusalem | Orson Hyde | President S. W. Kimball dedicates the Orson Hyde Garden on the Mt. of Olives. |
6-Sep-1980 | Tiberias | Galilee Branch | Organized as an independent branch with Wayne Ottley as branch president |
1-Sep-1983 | Israel | missionary | Elder Suheil Abu Hadid, first Arhab Christian to serve a mission. Served in Salt Lake South Mission. Ehab abu Nuwara, was the 2nd missionary and served in the UK |
5 Sep. 1987 | BYU Center | First Meeting | First Jerusalem Branch meeting and the first district Conference meeting held in the BYU Jerusalem Center with President Faust and Elder Holland. Discussed the new BYU center. |
1988 | Israel | Member History | Wilson family moves to Israel. Substantial translation and reconciliation of church scriptures and hymns into Hebrew. |
18-May-1988 | Israel | Policy | No Proselyting. No teaching Letter by Elder Howard W. Hunter |
1-Oct-1989 | Jerusalem | Branch division | The Jerusalem branch was reorganized as the BYU student branch and the Family branch. |
6-Dec-1991 | Israel | Policy | Hebrew in Church meetings |
1993 | Israel | Policy | Baptism Prayer and Hymns in Hebrew |
22-Sep-1993 | Israel | Policy | Hebrew in Church meetings |
5-Jan-2005 | Israel | Policy | Registering Church as Amutah: 1977, 1980, 2003, 2005 |
2007 | Galilee | Dedication | Dedication of the Galilee Meeting house by Elder Holland. |
18-Aug-2007 | Israel | Policy | Transportation of members. Changed in 2015 |
16-Aug-2011 | Tel Aviv | History | Tel Aviv Branch dedicated by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland |
25-Feb-2011 | Policy | Who can attend Church | |
30-Mar-2011 | Israel | Policy | No Proselyting. No teaching |
25-Feb-2011 | Israel | Policy | Non-members attending Church meetings |
30-Mar-2011 | Israel | Policy | Baptisms |
22-Oct-2016 | Jerusalem | Orson Hyde | Elder Holland and others hold an Orson Hyde Prayer commemoration service at the BYU Center on Mt. Scopus |
2018 | Jerusalem | Prophet Visit | President Russell M. Nelson visits Jerusalem and shares his testimony |
11-Oct-2019 | Israel | Policy | Summary of current Policies |
One Comment
Lisa Brown
Dad – that timeline is amazing! I want you to email it to me. What an incredible history.