Beit HaTikva

The House of Hope

"'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess.'"
Jeremiah 30:3

The work of the ICEJ fulfills scriptures like this with its Aliyah program. Today, the world watches as Jews who have been scattered to the four corners of the earth make their way home to Israel. This fulfillment of scripture is thrilling to us, but to new immigrants can be a very traumatic experience. Leaving their homes and families, they move to a nation where the language, climate and customs are different.

After speaking with many new immigrants and listening to their heart-breaking experiences, the staff of Jerusalem Support Center decided to do something to alleviate some of the struggles these immigrants encounter. The Lord opened the doors for this new focus. Dr. Jürgen Bühler, director of the ICEJ, Germany, offered JSC a home in Jerusalem that the German branch had purchased. This home, which was empty at the time, was designated to be a refuge for new immigrants coming to Israel with nowhere to go. The German Branch and the JSC now work closely together to accomplish what God has laid on their hearts.

Now, when the new immigrants JSC helps arrive in Israel, members of the ICEJ staff, holding flowers, signs and even toys for the young kids, greet them at the airport. They are taken to this house, "Beit HaTikva" ('House of Hope' in Hebrew), where they live for about a week while JSC staff helps them get situated in their new land. The staff:  

• Helps them find an apartment and organize the electricity, gas, water, phone, etc.;
  
• Signs them up for a Hebrew class;
  
• Gives welcome baskets filled with towels, sheets, kitchen utensils, toiletries and many other essentials to start their new home here in Israel; and
  
• Through their witness, lets them know there are Christians in Israel, who will always be there for them.

On March 14, 2002, the first new immigrants to stay in Beit HaTikva arrived from Argentina - a young mother, Livia Marilenda, and her six-year-old daughter, Anna. JSC helped them through the harrowing process of settling in, and they are now living in their own apartment in Tel Aviv, content with their new life here in Israel.

If you would like to know more about Beit HaTikva or if your tour group would like to donate some items for these new immigrants, contact Gina Utterback via Email at gina.utterback@icej.org.

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