Back in 1975 Walter and Linda Lieber came to visit Cleveland where a small group of Messianic Jews were meeting on a weekly basis in home groups. They felt lead to move from the Akron/Canton area and take up residence in Cleveland Heights where they joined the small fellowship of Jewish believers including Howard and Cynthia Rose and opened up their home for a Erev Shabbat (Friday evening). As the work grew in numbers, Walter consulted with other established Messianic Fellowships and discussed legalizing the Fellowship under the name of Tikvat Yisrael (The Hope of Israel). The small fellowship became chartered with the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) and eventually moved to the Church of the Western Reserve in Gates Mills where it continued meeting on Erev Shabbat. The work continued to grow and Tikvat moved to larger quarters. During the year of 1982 Walter stepped down from his position and was relieved as Leader by Pastor Steve Coyle who later was followed by Rabbi Howard Silverman. In 1985 Walter again assumed leadership until 2004 when he announced that he was moving to Miami, Florida where he had accepted another position in International Ministry.

Tikvat Yisrael searched for a new rabbi for several years while they met at the First Assembly of God Church on Richmond Road in Lyndhurst, OH. The Board of Elders reached out to the MJAA (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America) for referrals. Eventually, Rabbi Eric David Lakatos became a candidate in early 2008. He and his wife Gisela were residing in Cincinnati Ohio and attending Beth Messiah Messianic Synagogue. Rabbi Eric had previous experience as the spiritual leader of Adat Adonai Messianic Synagogue in Toledo, Ohio, where he is originally from. After eight months as a candidate, Tikvat Yisrael offered Rabbi Eric the pulpit and after much prayer and discernment, he relocated his family to the Cleveland area. In the first year Tikvat Yisrael has experienced a quick doubling, and new ministries have sprouted up: Intercessory Prayer, addition of new Worship Teams, Havurah Groups, Sisterhood, Men’s Club, Outreach Team, Hospitality Committee, Youth Program. It is a “New Day” at Tikvat Yisrael, and with it comes a fresh vision for the congregation which is now aligned with the I.A.M.C.S. (International Alliance of Messianic Congregations & Synagogues www.iamcs.org ) a ministry of the MJAA (www.mjaa.org ). Our prayer and endeavor is to establish a permanent home for our synagogue with a building of our own. We covet your prayers standing with us and your financial support. Tikvat Yisrael is a 501 c-3 non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible. (see donations page). Thank you for your continued support!