About Us

Founded in 1973, Ahavat Zion is a vibrant, warm and family-friendly community in West Los Angeles.  We are inspired by a vision of Jewish life, renewed in Messiah, that is traditional, egalitarian, and engaging.

We exist:

  • To provide a spiritual home for those who are Jewish or intermarried;
  • To impart the holiness of Jewish life, renewed in Yeshua, from one generation to another; and
  • To welcome Jewish spiritual seekers, providing them with a safe place to engage with our claim that Yeshua is the Messiah.

We are affiliated with the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC) and the Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council (MJRC).

 

OUR VISION

We share a vision for the preservation of the Jewish people through a Messianic awakening.  We believe that faith in the Jewish Messiah should inspire greater fidelity in one’s own Jewish identity and greater involvement in Jewish communal life. Therefore, we also envision a Messianic Jewish spirituality that is founded upon the three core pillars of Torah (study), Avodah (prayer), and Gemilut Chasadim (social action).

 

OUR CORE VALUES

We are further inspired by the prophetic vision of Ezekiel 37:21-28 and desire to pass on to future generations our joyful commitment to the Land of Israel, Jewish Unity, Spiritual Renewal, Yeshua the Messiah and Torah Living.

Land of Israel

  • We believe the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and the God of Israel are all deeply interconnected.  Therefore we have a clear responsibility to care as much for our Land as we do for our People and our God.
  • We believe God is prophetically re-gathering the Jewish people through aliyah – the return of the Jewish people to our Land, and we encourage assistance in its rebuilding.
  • We also believe this is a vital part of preparing the world for the return of Mashiach.

Jewish Unity

  • We believe that our Messiah calls us to live and dwell among our people, not only as the messengers of good news, but also as the joint bearers of God’s covenant with our ancestors.
  • We believe that the texts our people have studied for centuries can facilitate a vibrant spiritual life. We strive to receive sustenance from the wisdom of our tradition, while simultaneously engaging it in lively debate.

Spiritual Renewal

  • We believe that the Messianic Jewish community can and should be passionate, vital and deeply engaged in the world.
  • We believe that a synagogue should be a house of prayer, study, and good deeds, a haven for the poor, and a home for the seeker.

Yeshua the Messiah

  • We believe the fullness of Torah is understood most deeply through the Living Torah, Yeshua the Messiah.
  • We believe that the greatest mitzvah is the love of God and the love of others, and that Yeshua’s life and teachings provide a compelling template to pursue these mitzvot.

Torah Living

  • We believe that matters of the spirit are intimately linked to matters of the world, and that our tradition, texts, and history mandate the loving pursuit of justice, tikkun olam, and shalom.
  • Consistent with the teachings of our prophets and our Messiah, we believe that Jewish ritual life only bears meaning when it is informed by the weightier matters of justice, mercy and peace, and when it empowers the powerless.