San Diego, CA – Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue in San Diego announced recently they were in escrow to purchase their own building for the first time in the congregation’s 35 year history. Most Messianic congregations rent space from local churches, but it is always a goal to eventually purchase their own building. Typically, congregations will build from the ground up or purchase former church buildings from churches that have gone under. In this instance, Kehilat Ariel will be a pioneer in using a state of the art, out of service cruise ship to act as their headquarters and place of meeting.

“We knew it was time to purchase a building of our own, but a building on land in San Diego is really expensive,” Rabbi Barney Kasdan explained. “A retired cruise ship will cost less and give added benefits that we wouldn’t have in a typical building: We’ll be permanently docked on the ocean, so the view will be fantastic. We’ll even be able to do Tashlikh right off of the deck. Not to mention it will be a great spot for spectators of our immersion services and congregational surf sessions. It’s our tradition to have ‘Shabbat at the Shores’ every summer and now we won’t have to worry about finding a spot on the beach. On top of this, we can double as a hotel or housing for out of town friends and relatives. We’ll also be able to provide emergency housing/shelter for anyone in a dire situation. We’ll even have a brig for any counter missionaries that might try to crash our services.”

Kasdan says Kehilat Ariel still needs to raise around $150,000 in the next month in order to be able to purchase their new congregational home. For more information about how to help out you can visit http://www.kehilatariel.org/wordpress/?p=5255

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