Guest House: History & Breakfast Included!
By Jenny Berg Chandler
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You open your eyes and realize what a good
night's sleep you've had after the long flight
to Israel. A clean room and a peaceful setting
will do that. Thankfully, Beit Immanuel
Messianic Congregation and Guest House
was only a 20-minute drive from the airport
(or 12 minutes if you had taken the train).
It's a lovely morning in Jaffa. A gentle
breeze drifts through your window carrying
the savory aromas of the Mediterranean
Sea, rich coffee and freshly baked bread. You
head downstairs to the patio for breakfast,
marveling that you're in a building that's
over 100 years old. This was the first hotel
in Palestine at the end of the 19th century,
where the early Zionists stayed after docking
in Jaffa. It was called the Park Hotel because
of the exotic garden. You make a mental note
to visit Beit Immanuel's Heritage Center to
learn more—but breakfast awaits.
David Lazarus, Beth Immanuel's director
and spiritual leader claims, "Everybody seems
to think that our fresh fruit and veggies taste
better outdoors." While assembling your al
fresco plate of Israeli salads, eggs, fruit, cheeses,
granola, breads and cereals, you overhear
people speaking many different languages.
Travelers come to spend the night; maybe as
their first stop from the airport before going
on tour, or to stay longer for a youth group,
church, or short-term mission conference.
The 65+ beds, access to the facilities, kitchen,
worship area and gardens are attractive to
many organizations, not to mention that Beit
Immanuel is a five-minute walk from the
beaches of Tel Aviv.
Fully satiated from your Israeli breakfast,
you wander past the famous one-of-a-kind
Bayan tree, planted by the first graduate of
Mikve Israel, Israel's first school of agriculture,
and notice a group of Israelis taking a tour.
Hundreds come every year to learn about
the area's early Zionist history. Eager to do
the same, you find your way to the Heritage
Center. You discover this building was a
meeting place for the "Who's Who in the
Early 20th Century" that came to talk politics,
culture, and business, and that the building
had been a Russian palace for Baron Ustinov,
a school for girls used by the British Army,
the Palestine Police and a Hebrew-speaking
congregation of Messianic Jews and Arabs.
By the 1950s the building was owned by
the CMJ (the Church's Ministry among Jewish
People)—a 120-year-old mission that had
grown out of the Anglican Church. The CMJ
helped nurture one of the earliest Messianic
congregations which began to grow in the
1970s. While taking it all in, you come across
volunteers from the United States, Germany,
Switzerland, Japan, Samoa, Argentina and
Canada. It seems that this isn't just a melting
pot of nations, but of hearts as well.
Israelis come to Beit Immanuel to hear
about Messianic Judaism. The congregation
has a huge focus on outreach, distributing
thousands of Hebrew New Testaments,
running soup kitchens, and ministering to
local widows and single parents by fixing up
their apartments, painting or performing
odd jobs. Recently Beit Immanuel organized
an exchange program with German and
Jewish teenagers designed to engender
healing and reconciliation. The ministry
also strives to break down walls between
local Arabs and Jews.
Feeling overcome with what God has
done with this place, you overhear David
Lazarus say, "This represents a movement
of God's people for more than a century of
aliyah, hospitality, presenting the Messiah, and
promoting reconciliation. It's a tremendous
honor to be here and to be a good steward."
Before heading outside you check out
Jaffa School of the Arts, a thriving center
connected with Beit Immanuel. Under the
direction of David Lazarus and his talented
wife, Michaella, local and international
students study drama, dance, music, fine arts
and creative writing. David and Michaella's
passion is to "to create art that speaks about
Yeshua in a relevant way to the people of
Israel and to the world."
A cloudless blue sky entices you
outside to explore Old Jaffa. You can see the
neighborhood is experiencing urban renewal.
What was once old and run down is now
becoming a highly desirable neighborhood.
Now it's time to head to the beach.
It's been a full day and Shabbat is
approaching. You look forward to an evening
of worship with Beit Immanuel's growing
Hebrew-speaking congregation, comprised
mostly of young Israeli couples with small
children, who join in weekly home groups
around the greater Tel Aviv area. As the sunset
casts an orange glow on the horizon, a special
meal is being prepared. Wonderful smells
of tonight's menu beckon you back to the
Guest House: roasted chicken and potatoes,
grilled vegetables, challah, wine and luscious
desserts—apple strudel, pecan pie and fruit.
It's going to be a tov me'od (very good)
Shabbat, for sure. MT
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Food and ministry just seem to go together
so naturally at the Beit Immanuel Messianic
Congregation and Guest House. The savory
aroma of fresh coffee and baked good mingle
with the Mediterranean Sea as guests dine al
fresco in a loving, peaceful atmosphere.
"Everybody seems to think that our fresh fruit
and vegetables taste better outdoors," says
Beit Immanuel's director, David Lazarus.
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"Everybody seems to think that our fresh fruit
and vegetables taste better outdoors," says
Beit Immanuel's director, David Lazarus.
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