TAX EXEMPT? This is the first time I've heard of this place.

Holy Land exempt from property tax

The religious-themed park wins the break given churches and museums, a judge rules.

By Mark Schlueb
[Sun] Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted July 12 2005

The Holy Land Experience may seem like just another theme park, with its $30 admission charge, $5 parking fee and souvenir shops.

But, ending a four-year legal battle, a judge has ruled that the religious-themed attraction deserves the same tax-exempt status given to churches and museums. The ruling spares its owner from paying a delinquent property-tax bill that would have climbed to more than $1 million by the end of the year.

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Modeled after ancient Jerusalem, Holy Land's attractions include a life-sized walled gate and re-creations of Herod's Temple and courtyard, Jesus' garden tomb, a street market with artisans' workshops, a Bedouin tent and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. It also boasts the Scriptorium, which houses the largest private collection of biblical texts and artifacts in the country.

From the start, The Holy Land Experience was controversial. Local rabbis greeted it with trepidation, given its parent company's stated mission of converting Jews to Christianity. And the owner's decision to prohibit charismatic and Pentecostal Christians from working there prompted picketing early on.

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I assume the re-creation of Herod's Temple and courtyard is not life-sized.