Beth Messiah Messianic Congregation

Beth Messiah is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Livingston, New Jersey, established in 1983. Jews and Gentiles gather there for worship, prayer and the study of God's Word. Shabbat service begins Saturday at 10:30 a.m., both on-site and online. The service includes praise and worship, the Shema and other Hebrew liturgy, a reading from the weekly Torah or Haftarah portion, and teaching. A Kiddush table with refreshments follows.

The congregation holds that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah promised in the Jewish Bible for both Jews and Gentiles. It affirms the Shema and teaches that God is a Tri-unity. Israel's election is irrevocable, in its view, and the body of Messiah is distinct from Israel. On the Law of Moses, Beth Messiah teaches that Jewish and non-Jewish believers are free to observe it or not. Such observance, it holds, carries no saving or sanctifying benefit. For Jewish believers, it understands these observances as expressions of a God-given Jewish identity. The congregation describes itself as independent, with friendly ties to other Messianic Jewish groups.

Irving Salzman was installed as Messianic Pastor/Rabbi on June 2, 2001. He grew up in a traditional Jewish home and attended a yeshiva run by the Lubavitcher Hasidim. Children's classes through age 12, a teen program and a supervised nursery run during Shabbat. The community also holds Hebrew classes, home Bible studies, Jewish holiday services, a Passover Seder and Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation.