Ofer and Chris Amitai and family

Pastor of Kehilat El-Roii, Jerusalem Israel Ofer Amitai was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, in 1951, the son of a mother whose family was already several generations in the land, and whose father arrived in Israel as a child from Poland in 1935. He grew up in a secular Zionist family in a village near Tel Aviv.

After fighting in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, his search for the truth, and God, led him to the United States, and then eventually to India. There, in 1976, God revealed Himself to him as Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel. He then returned to Israel, and after a short while went to the U.S. where he met his wife, Chris, and trained for the Lord's work.

Together, they spent fourteen years in training and ministry at the Zion Faith Homes, near Chicago, Illinois. In 1994, they returned to Israel to reside, and have pastored Kehilat El-Roii in Jerusalem since January 1997. Ofer serves on several boards, nationally and locally in Israel, and speaks internationally. Ofer and Chris have two children.

About the Congregation:
Congregation El-Roii is located in the heart of Jerusalem. It was founded in 1989, as the fruit of much prayer over the previous decades. The fervent hope was for an indigenous, Hebrew-speaking fellowship of Messianic believers, which would be able to receive and equip new Israeli believers in faith in Yeshua, the Messiah. Today, that hope is being fulfilled. The congregation has grown and includes a majority of Israeli citizens.

The name El-Roii means "The-God-Who-Sees-Me," (Genesis 16), and reflects our sincere prayer that we will see the God Who sees us, and make Him known to His people. In addition to our weekly service, we have a well-established Shabbat school program with six class levels, a mid-week prayer meeting, a ladies' prayer meeting, an intercessory prayer meeting every Friday morning, and an inter-congregational youth meeting. We also have occasional retreats, heritage tours aimed at connecting especially the new immigrants to the roots and history of our people in the Land, and celebrations of the Biblical feasts. We also conduct a study time for the new believers twice a week.

Kehilat El-Roii Congragation is one of ministries Gratefully Grafted supports. Join others who are reaching out with their gifts and offerings to reach the lost sheep of Israel. Send your tax-deductable donation to the address below.