Wenatchee, WA December 3rd, 2022 /Beit Aveinu Messianic Congregation/-- On October 24th, 2022, Rabbi Stanley Chester returned to Israel for an unprecedented trip.

40 years ago, Dr. Stanley Chester (father of Rabbi Stanley Chester), one of the pioneers of the modern Messianic movement, had a dream of purchasing land in Jerusalem and restoring the relationship between believing Jews and non-believing Jews. He envisioned building a building that would house the guests of his tours and serve as a future school to those interested in studying in Israel.

Dr. Chester devoted much of his life to this cause and spent a lifetime forging strong relations with many top name theologians, all while educating thousands on Jewish history, biblical context, and more. Eventually the 1st part of Dr. Chester’s vision would come to pass as he was allowed to purchase land in Jerusalem, but later found he would not be allowed to build on the land. This was a setback for Dr. Chester and his ministry, but he would continue to strive towards his dream.

Unfortunately, Dr. Chester would not see his vision come to life as he passed away a few short years ago. His son, Rabbi Stanley, succeeded his Father, and would inherit the responsibilities as overseer and spiritual counselor to the Israeli property. This inheritance would prove to be challenging, but very rewarding spiritually.

Recently, some incredible things began to occur in Israel. Laws began to pass that favored believing Jews in both Israel and the diaspora! The most impactful of said laws, was the ruling by the Israeli High Court that stated, “Being Messianic is of no consequence to Israel.” This ruling prevents the revocation of any ordination recognized by Israel for simply being Messianic. This, along with other rulings and legislation, are in fact a step in the right direction for Israel and the Messianic movement.

With these recent victories, Rabbi Stanley decided to begin researching weather or not his father’s plan could be revitalized and come to fruition. Through a close contact and strong ally of Beit Aveinu in Israel, Rabbi Stanley was able to verify that construction projects on the land were now permissible.

Within a couple of weeks of being told building on the property was a reality, Rabbi Stanley was able to successfully campaign and fundraise for enough funds to begin building on the property. From there he returned to Israel and began to implement the 1st stage of the building plan.

The 1st step involved Rabbi Stanley meeting with various community leaders and municipality officials to ensure all the documents for the build were in order and to advance the goals/agendas of the school. This would prove very fruitful as Rabbi Stanley would meet with some very powerful and influential spiritual leaders in Jerusalem who were both excited and willing to assist in the education of those Beit Aveinu will send in the future.

Rabbi Stanley also confirmed with leaders of the municipality that all the necessary documents for the land, to include the title, building permits, and more were in fact in order and ready to proceed for a building project. Many government officials in Jerusalem were very supportive and excited over the fact that the land would be utilized by fellow Jews while advancing Torah study.

The land which Beit Aveinu owns, sits on the highest elevation point in Jerusalem. It overlooks all the holy city with picturesque views of the old city, and you can even see the shores of Jordan. The closest neighbor is a training facility for the Israeli Defense Force (the military of Israel). It’s truly a remarkable piece of land that reflects G-d’s nature and the beauty of His homeland.

Because the land was unoccupied for such an extended period however, the Israeli Defense Force placed a fence around the land to prevent squatters from illegally occupying the land. This would lead to phase 2 of Rabbi Stanley’s plan. He would now need to meet with the IDF to get the fence either removed or an entrance cut into the fence so the property could be accessible.

Through a close contact, Rabbi Stanley was able to secure a meeting with the IDF leadership and get the commitment to cut an entrance in the fence surrounding the land. This, however, would take an unknown amount of time, and is currently still pending. Considering this however, Rabbi Stanley was also able to meet with the builders and manufactures of the building and lock in many things such as building prices, time frames, and more.

Overall, the trip, while jammed packed with various challenges, was both successful and encouraging to the direction of Messianic Torah study in Israel. The names and titles of the individuals assisting Rabbi Stanley in achieving this goal are being withheld for safety purposes. For more information of this project, contact Rabbi Stanley Chester of Beit Aveinu at rap_rabbi@hotmail.com.