Our History

Jewish people and Jewish faith have a long and multifaceted history. Modern Judaism contains numerous sects, including Messianic Judaism. Messianic Judaism's distinction is the belief that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is the Jewish Messiah. But unlike Christianity, which obviously shares this belief, Messianic Judaism is fully Jewish in tradition and observance. Consequently, what is seen in this synagogue is a reflection of the fully Jewish lifestyle of its members.

This building was originally constructed around 1915 as the home of Grace Baptist Church, which still exists today in another location. In the 1940's the building experienced a devastating fire. At that time a former synagogue purchased it and renovated it, naming itself Kenneset Beth Israel (the assembly of the house of Israel). Beth Israel remained here until the mid-1970's when they moved to their current location about five miles west on Patterson Avenue. Since then the building changed hands a few times, with no regular residences, until December, 1990, when Tikvat Israel moved in and later purchased it.

The main sanctuary seats approximately 500. At the front is the ark, which is the mainstay of all synagogues. The ark replicates the old ark of the Biblical period in which was contained the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Today, the ark contains the sacred writings of the Jewish people, largely the Torah scrolls. These scrolls, inscribed in Hebrew by carefully trained Rabbis, consist of the first five books of the Bible, and are the central tenet of the Jewish faith. Above the ark is the eternal light, which represents the presence of God, hovering over the ark. Everyone faces the ark, always in the direction of Jerusalem, which in this case is East. In front of the stage, what looks like a large podium is in reality a bimah, where the Torah scroll is placed and read during the service. The pews and most of the stained glass date to the Baptist period. But obviously the large Stars of David windows were added by Beth Israel later. The Hebrew above the ark means, "Know before whom you stand."

Moving out of the main sanctuary, there is a small sanctuary, used for a variety of functions today. However, when Beth Israel was the owner, this room was used for morning and evening prayers, attended daily by the observant. Next to the small sanctuary is the bookstore. As can be noted it contains Judaica items, both for wearing and household use, plus books on a variety of Jewish and Messianic Jewish subjects. Upstairs are largely classrooms for the children and Hebrew training and a library.

Downstairs is a very central place for the congregation. Its known as the Oneg area. Oneg means delight of the Sabbath because the Sabbath service is ended by eating. There are currently two kitchens in operation because Beth Israel as an Orthodox synagogue required the absolute separation of milk and meat products. The larger room is used for both Sabbath meals, a full lunch for this congregation, and holiday celebrations. In addition, this room is utilized to assist the Russian immigrants in Richmond. Tikvat Israel established a subsidiary organization, Russian Immigration Services, for this purpose. The services provided include a food bank, a Russian library, social service needs, legal services, English and citizenship classes.

Renovation and Maintenance:

In the interests of maintaining the beauty of the building, the old bimah has been replaced with a beautiful new cherry one mounted on casters so that it can be moved. In keeping with the decor of the building, this bimah sports a raised Magen David (Star of David) as well as paneling and crenellation similar to the ark. An additional raised pattern created with half circles completes the decoration of the bimah. The delight and satisfaction the congregation member derived form the creation of this bimah has caused him to express interest in creating more bimot.

The plain wood panels in the ark door have been replaced with a stained glass depiction of the tree of life and the the Hebrew words "Aytz cha-yeem he la-ma-cha-zee-keem ba" (It is a tree of life to those who take hold of it)... which is the beginning of the prayer as the Torah scrolls are put back in the ark.

The member artist said: "I've always wanted to design a stained glass piece for the doors. Most of the stained glass in the synagogue is behind us and I thought how lovely it would be to be able to worship and get lost in thought and prayer gazing at this window. The tree of life offers such a grand design I thought it perfect for the space. I thoroughly enjoyed drawing the Hebrew lettering in the window; it adds so much to the piece! The swirled, white glass was used for the background of the window for it reminds me of clouds and creates a heavenly atmosphere. The complexity of the design was intentional for I wanted to achieve a level of reality and to make this a grand window. I invite all to come up to the ark and see how complex the window really is. To be able to replicate nature using glass never ceases to amaze me! G-d gave me the skills to be an artist and in doing this window I am showing my utmost appreciation."