Roeh Israel, "Shepherd of Israel," is a Messianic Jewish Congregation in Jerusalem. We call ourselves “Messianic” because we are followers of Yeshua who accept Him as Messiah. By “Jewish” we mean that the congregation follows the cultural pattern preserved in the Synagogue over the generations by the providence of God, and its normal outreach is to the Jewish community.
The original idea of the congregation was to return to the pattern of the community of believers in Yeshua in the first century. That congregation was composed of Jews who were diligent in their observance of the Torah, who lived as an integral part of the Jewish community, and who believed in Yeshua as Messiah. The pattern in the early community was that of cultural pluralism - Jews who remained Jews and non-Jews who remained non-Jews who worshiped the Lord together.
The doctrinal position of the Congregation is that the inspired Scriptures are the final and ultimate authority for life and faith in the congregation. Much of Jewish tradition and Halachah are observed, insofar as it does not contradict the written Word. The various creeds of the Church are not regarded as binding on us but rather the written Word of God as understood in its original context.
The Shabbat service of the congregation is composed entirely of the Shabbat morning synagogue prayers (Shacharit HaShabbat). These are read directly from an ordinary Orthodox Jewish siddur (prayer book). The prayers and psalms are read at an ordinary pace without the pressure to finish all that is included in the prayer book. Many of the prayers and psalms are sung and led by the Cantor of the congregation. The weekly Torah portion is read from one of the congregation’s Torah Scrolls, and we have several Aliot (call ups), in which each person recites the regular blessings before and after the Torah reading. We also read a selected portion from the Prophets and the New Testament. After the Torah reading, there is a brief sermon, which is usually based on the Torah portion for that week.
Meeting Time: Every Saturday at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Location: 16 Mordechai Narkis st, Jerusalem