In 1995 Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram's burden for reaching native-born Israelis, launched Tiferet Yeshua (the Glory of Yeshua) — a Hebrew speaking congregation in downtown Tel Aviv with a passion for evangelism and the power of the Holy Spirit.

After several years Asher and Betty Intrater and Eddie and Jackie Santoro teamed up with Ari and Shira, and the congregation enjoyed unprecedented growth. A large number of Israelis received Yeshua during that season and many of them are serving the Lord around Israel today.

In 2013, Ari and Shira felt that it was time to release the congregation to put all their energies into Maoz Israel. They turned to Asher Intrater and Ron Cantor to take the reins of the congregation. For the next three years Ron served as the pastor along with Asher’s oversight from Revive Israel and a team of elders.

In 2016, Ari, Asher and Ron turned the pastoral leadership of the congregation to Gil Afriat, serving together with Moti Cohen, as assistant pastor and evangelist, both of whom are native-Israeli believers.

Gil is a uniquely gifted leader and teacher, and together with his wife Tamar they have attracted many to the congregation. Moti leads amazing street evangelism based on helping the poorest and neediest in south Tel Aviv. The congregation also features a vibrant, multi-talented and anointed worship team, directed by Gil's wife Tamar. There is always a beautiful and tangible presence of the Holy Spirit during the worship times.

• Rooted in the Word of God—Hebrew Bible and New Testament
• First commandment in the first place: loving God with all our heart, soul and strength. The second commandment, an outflowing of the first: loving our neighbors as ourselves. Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37-39
• With the Fear of the Lord—the beginning of wisdom—seeking to walk in His ways and desiring to produce the fruits of the Spirit
• Seeking the Holy Spirit to work in and through us by the gifts of the Spirit
• Spreading the gospel and the light of God in Israel
• Equipping believers to serve according to their unique gifts and callings
• To be a local Israeli Hebrew-speaking community
• Maintaining our Jewish identity in the Messiah
• onnected to the larger body of Messiah in Israel and the World

One God

We believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who is one God and in Him are three—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—united by the perfect love that exists between them. The Father, the Son and the Spirit are the same in their Godly nature but are different in authority and roles, as the Father is the highest authority.

Deuteronomy 6:4, John 10:30, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Isaiah 9:5-6, Matthew 28:19, John 14:28

The Bible

We believe in the full authority of the Bible (Hebrew Bible and New Testament) which was given to men by God. The Bible is true from beginning to end and teaches us who God is and His will for us. Every teaching, argument and revelation must be tested against the Bible and considered truth only if does not contradict it.

2 Timothy 3:15-16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Matthew 5:17-18, John 10:35

Salvation

All have sinned and the punishment for sin is eternal separation from God.A person can be saved—receive forgiveness and enter the kingdom of Heaven—only through faith in Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of God, who gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. No one can be saved by good deeds or keeping the commandments. Salvation is only through faith in Yeshua the Messiah and surrendering to God. God desires all to be saved and invites everyone to accept the free gift of grace through Yeshua the Messiah.

Deuteronomy 27:16, Romans 3:23-26, Isaiah 53, John 3:16, Galatians 2:16, 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Life of Faith

A person who has been saved by faith in Yeshua and has surrendered to God will strive to keep His commandments, being encouraged and empowered by the Holy Spirit: loving God with all his heart, soul and strength, loving others as himself and battling his sin nature. In this way believers experience real transformation which produces the fruit of the spirit for the glory of God: love, joy, peace, patience, generosity, kindness, loyalty, humility and self-restraint.

John 14:15,23, 1 John 2:4-6, Matthew 22:36-40, Galatians 5:22-25

Forgiveness in the Messiah

God is good and always willing to forgive our sins through Yeshua the Messiah when we repent and continue in faith to follow Him. However, the forgiveness of God in Messiah doesn’t give us permission to sin and do as we please. Those who declare themselves believers of Yeshua the Messiah but intentionally and willingly live a life of sin, showing disregard towards the sacrifice of Christ, will not enter the kingdom of God.

1 John 1:8-10, Hebrews 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:20-22

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God acts through believers to testify, share the gospel, teach, encourage, serve, lead and also gives supernatural gifts such as prophecy, revelation, healing, miracles, tongues and interpretation of tongues in order to spread the truth of God and build the body of Messiah.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:7-13

The Kingdom of Messiah

Yeshua the Messiah will return a second time to defeat the enemies of God, to redeem the believers and the people of Israel, to judge the nations and establish His kingdom over the whole world with Jerusalem as its capital. We believe that the second coming of Yeshua will happen after a period of great tribulation that will come upon the whole world as a whole and upon Israel specifically. We believe that the believers will be raptured to meet Yeshua in the clouds at the time of His arrival at the end of that great tribulation and will come down with Him to serve Him in His kingdom. During His reign, also known as the Millennial Kingdom, the Lord Yeshua will restore the earth to the way God intended it at creation.

Zechariah 14:16,9, 3-4, Daniel 12:1-3, Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:10-21, Revelation 20:4-6, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Men and Women

We believe that men and women are one in Yeshua the Messiah and are spiritually equal before God. Within this framework, God has given the authority of leadership in the family to men who in turn are obligated to love, protect, build and sacrifice for their wives as Yeshua loved and sacrificed Himself for the body of believers. Within the congregation, God has given the authority of leadership (the team of elders) to men. Under this authority, women may serve in any role according to their God-given callings and gifts, including teaching.

Genesis 1:27, Galatians 3:26-29, Ephesians 5:22-25, Romans 16:1-2, Judges 4:4-5

The Torah (Law)

We believe that Yeshua did not cancel the commandments of the Torah. Followers of Yeshua are called to live in increasing holiness according to all the commandments of the Bible, including the Torah, but in a correct order of priorities. Love and the well-being of others come before all. We believe that every believer has a place to find the right path to keep the ritual commandments in the Torah guided by the Holy Spirit and with a quiet conscience before God. By saying this, we refer to the commandments of the Bible alone and not to the commandments of the oral law (the Talmudic literature and the Mishna) that come from men and not from God.

Matthew 5:17-19, Acts 21:20-24, Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 23:23-24, Romans 7:6, 1 John 3:19-21

Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 17:1-14, Ezekiel 36:22-28, Jeremiah 21:34-36, 1 Corinthians 7:17-19, Romans 9:4-5, Romans 11:25-31, Matthew 23:39

While we are all equal in Messiah, God has called all of us, Jews and Gentiles, to retain our unique identities (1 Corinthians 7:17-19).We believe that part of our calling as Jewish believers is to maintain our cultural identity as Jews. God has promised that all Israel will be saved (Romans 11) and that Israel will never disappear as a nation from before the Lord. Therefore, keeping our Jewish identity is acting according to God’s promise and glorifies Him who keeps His promises.

How do we keep our Jewish identity?

First, we honor the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament between man and God, such as circumcision, holidays, the Sabbath and kosher foods, understanding that Yeshua did not cancel these laws and our keeping them out of love for God leads to blessing. We also maintain our Jewish identity by keeping a measure of Jewish tradition, such as ceremonial readings from the Old Testament and special blessings to welcome the Sabbath.

Grace and Freedom

We keep honoring God’s ceremonial law in the proper perspective and balance, never in a religious or dogmatic way. These laws come after, not before, the most important moral laws of love, mercy and justice. As for ceremonial Jewish traditions, we honor them in a way that is careful not to sanctify or put them on the same level with biblical commandments. By the Spirit of grace, we maintain a healthy balance in our approach to incorporating Jewish tradition into our services which keeps from unhealthy fixations that lead to a religious spirit.