Johannes Palu

Johannes Palu
Born	May 27, 1913 Moisakula, Estonia
Died	June 26, 1993 Estonia

Johannes "Hannes" Palu (May 27, 1913 - June 26, 1993) was an Estonian Bahá’í who, alongside his wife Raia, was the first person to declare in Estonia. In his career he taught Esperanto and was influential in promoting the language in Estonia.

Biography

Palu was born in the town Moisakula in Estonia to Juhan and Elsa Palu. He completed his early education in Moisakula then moved to Parnu to attend High School and then studied law at the University of Tartu. He began studying Esperanto in 1930 and was an active member of the Esperanto Club.

In 1938 Palu moved to Tallinn where he met fellow Esperantist Raia Taal and they married and settled in the suburb of Nomme in Tallinn. He was enlisted in the military due to the Second World War and studied at the Estonian Military Academy becoming an officer and he was made an officer in the Red Army when Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union however he was accused of treason and deported to a labor camp in Siberia in 1940. Palu remained imprisoned in Siberia until 1955 when he was released and cleared of all charges and he was able to return to Estonia, reunite with Raia, and began teaching Esperanto classes first to students and then training Esperanto teachers.

In 1968 the Palu's were introduced to the Bahá’í Faith by American Bahá’í and Esperantist Alice Dudley who visited Tallinn that year. They then attended an Esperanto Congress in Helsinki and during their travel to the Congress they visited Dudley in Turku, Finland, where they learnt more about the religion and declared. The Palu's wanted to teach the Faith in Estonia but due to Soviet restrictions on religion they decided it would be best to wait for restrictions to be relaxed rather than risking persecution.

While he was unable to openly teach Palu began translating Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era into Estonian from the Esperanto translation and had his translation published in Finland in 1989. The Palu's were able to teach the Faith to personal contacts, and taught the Faith outside Estonia at Esperanto events, and introduced Antonina Apollo to the Faith leading to her becoming the third Bahá’í of Estonia in 1977.

Soviet restrictions began relaxing in the 1980's and rapidly relaxing in the early 1990's and a Local Spiritual Assembly of Tallinn was formed in 1990 with Palu being elected to the body. He was re-elected to the Assembly in 1991 but retired due to poor health and devoted himself to writing articles on the Faith and assisting with translation work. In 1992 he was honored for his work in support of Esperanto being named an honorary member of the Estonian Esperanto Society.

In 1993 Palu passed away and the Department of the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his passing:

"Hannes and his dear wife Raia Palu who, according to the records at the Baha'i World Centre, were the first two inhabitants of Estonia to accept the Message of Baha'u'llah, rendered imperishable services to the Cause by keeping its banner hoisted through so many years before the doors to widespread teaching opened in those lands. Mrs. Antonina Apollo, who learned of the Faith from them in 1977, became a faithful and devoted believer, collaborating with them and with the successive visiting teachers and pioneers in building up the community of Tallinn.
The Universal House of Justice requests you to convey to Mrs. Raia Palu and to Mr. Valeri Apollo its loving sympathy in the loss that each of them has suffered. It will pray at the Sacred Threshold for the progress of the souls of these two dearly loved followers of Bahá’u’lláh, who have earned an immortal place in the annals of the Cause in the Baltic States."