Messianic Hotel & Moshav Fined Heavily For Refusing To Host Lesbian Marriage

Yad Hashmonah is a Messianic Jewish village community with a hotel facility developed by Israeli believers and Christians from Finland. We urge prayer for Yad Hashmonah. The prayer request from Israel is as follows:

Dear friends in the Lord,

The judge ruled against us, claiming that our refusal to allow gay marriage in the Yad Hashmona guest-house is against the law. we were fined 80,000 shekelsand together with our expenses in this case, its very heavy on us.

This is a quote from the ruling:

“”Every person who opens a public business in Israel should know that they must serve the whole public equally, without discrimination… which covers sexual orientation as well. As soon as the defendants opened their doors to all, they cannot close them for those who they believe do not meet the requirements found in the Bible or New Testament.”

Needless to say, we do not close our doors to anyone who comes to Yad Hashmona, on the contrary, we are a living testimony of good news of the Messiah to many Israelis that pass through us, this is what I am here for. to be a testimony. But to hold a marriage ceremony of a lesbian couple in Yad Hashmona is to violate God’s requirement over this place that we claim to be a Messianic village, and we could not,  do that.

The Lesbian couple’s lawyer, claims that the verdict is a precedent,  in the sense that,  “the court decided that the principal of equality trumps the argument for freedom of religion and beliefs”. So when it came to our,  right for freedom of faith,,  and their right to wed at our village, they won.

What happened yesterday was a shock to me. I know how biased the media is, but the extent of the blindness and aggressive responses, took me by surprise.

Immediately upon advertising the verdict as a lesbian victory in the,  main page of YNET, the Israeli on-line news page, and Ha’aretz, tens of responses appeared praising the couple and calling us many names.

No one even considers the small community in this village and its rights, the right to hold on to scriptural principles, the right to be respected and not violated in your own home.

No one approached us for responses or wanted to hear our side, because the media is not interested in our “primitive stand”. When I tried to write a comment to the article, like hundreds of others, it was not posted!

They rejected again and again my comment and other friends comments who tried to stand with us. Talk about freedom of speech…

Letters of mockery were sent to our reception and this morning we received phone calls by angry Israelis attacking our place, saying they did not know we “believe this foolishness” or are “so old-fashioned”. Two people called to say they are thinking to cancel their events here.

In Haaretz, it was quoted that the couple “… expressed hope that the owners of the hall wouldn’t refuse to hold gay or lesbian events. “Everyone needs to choose where they celebrate. I would be interested to know if they (Yad Hashmona) accept or reject same-sex couples in the future…”so this morning more phone calls were made by guys asking about wedding details, and the receptionist was afraid it is a,  trap done on purpose, and asked for guidance what to say to avoid another law suit.

But also good came of it: I received phone calls by religious people, praising our courage to stand on God’s word, some even said they wished they had,  a stage to respond to this gay issue abuse of society. I had a chance to share with some that I believe God sees and hears and He will bring blessing from this.

I always felt that God’s verse for our place is from Mathew 5: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden”.

Being a group of believers on this hill, a known Messianic village, we cannot hide, even if we wanted to. We cannot hide who we are and that is why we are attacked, it is not us but God on the stand. I may be offended (which I am today, believe me), but God isn’t. He was not surprised when His son was crucified and He is not surprised when people are mocking His principles. He will have the final word and we should not loose heart.

Very soon major decisions will have to be made now in regard to our small,  little hotel’s,  future. We need to redefine what it is that we serve and what is the name of our business.

And if this case means to close the hotel and make it something else..a Bible campus, or a Messianic retreat place… I don’t know what, but we will have to do it.

We are carried in Yad Hashmona on wings of grace, I know that. I pray for guidance, clarity of direction and much peace in the process for the people who live here.

Continue to pray for our nation who is so much in the dark, continue to pray for the light to shine in Israel, continue to pray for,  the “messenger of good news” to do their work.

We need all the prayer we can have to lift this case up before our father for great testimony!

Thank you for standing with me in prayer,
I appreciate it with all my heart,
Ayelet