Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah are a small minority worldwide. Those who live in Israel, a country surrounded by Muslim neighbors, are a minority within a minority. Yet their numbers are growing.

Nearly all of the approximately 100 Messianic congregations in Israel are adding members, and many are new believers, sources in Israel say. Israel had an estimated 7,000 Messianic Jews in 2000, up from 250 in 1967, according to Operation World. There are about 332,000 followers of Christ among the world's 15 million Jews.

Many of the Jewish believers in Israel are "aliyah," or immigrants from around the world. Aliyah, a Hebrew word meaning ascent, refers to those Jews who go up to the land of Israel. Waves of immigrants began arriving from Russian-speaking nations after the fall of communism, nearly doubling the population of Israel, and they continue to come, though in smaller numbers.

Some of the immigrants who become followers of Yeshua ? the Hebrew name for Jesus ? do so after arriving in Israel, while others are believers by the time they arrive, Howard Bass, who leads Beer Sheva Messianic Congregation in the Negev region, told religionjournal.com. He and his wife emigrated from the United States in 1981, "not long after being born again."

Other Israelis become believers in Yeshua while traveling abroad, then return to Israel with their newfound faith. The number of native Israelis who become believers is relatively small, but Bass is not discouraged. "I believe that is part of the sovereign and righteous wisdom of our Father in heaven, as He works to redeem His whole family from among all nations, including, of course, Israel in a special way."

Messianic congregations experience "varying degrees of hardship, vandalism, violence and persecution" in Israel, said Evan Thomas, an American pastor who leads a Messianic congregation in Netanya.

Ultra-orthodox Jews have tried to crush the Messianic movement. In the 1990s they used political clout to try to secure anti-conversion legislation in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. The legislation was defeated, due in part to lobbying by the international Christian community.

Pressures also are common within Messianic congregations, composed of believers from diverse backgrounds. A small minority identify themselves as Christian or call their congregations churches, Thomas said. Some choose a more Messianic identity.

A growing number of Messianic communities use the Jewish liturgy and ancient prayers in association with readings from Torah scrolls during their services, Thomas said. Young couples take their vows under the traditional wedding canopy and 13-year-old boys celebrate their bar mitzvah. Despite liturgical differences, "adherence to the teachings of the apostles and belief in the deity of Jesus, and remembrance of His victory on the cross through regular gathering around the table of the Lord, remain central to the majority of Israeli congregations," he said.

Authority issues occasionally crop up. Some believers "still see their former church and pastor as 'home.' This sometimes makes issues regarding authority and accountability difficult at best. That's what keeps us so dependent upon the Lord to build His church," said Bass, whose congregation numbers about 120.

"The Holy Spirit is bringing together all the diverse members of the body, and through overcoming by our faith in the Lord Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we ? Jewish, Arab, and other national believers ? are being made one for the sake of the truth of who Yeshua is, and who we are to Him and in Him."

Messianic believers have begun to hold evangelistic outreaches in Israel, the first perhaps since the time of the early church, Thomas said. A National Evangelism Committee was established for discussion and planning. The need for theological education has resulted in schools to train future ministers and lay workers, such as Israel College of the Bible, based in Jerusalem, and several discipleship programs.

The Messianic community has started to shed its fears and introspection and is "beginning to be recognized by many as an acceptable part of Israeli society," according to Operation World.

A sense of hopelessness brought about by the Palestinian uprising has resulted in more openness to the gospel. "Both the Israeli and Palestinian societies are filled with fear and racial hatred," Thomas said. "This has spiraled into a level of violence that both sides feel powerless to halt." Amid the widespread uncertainty "the Messianic movement in Israel is flourishing. People searching for answers and comfort are more open to the message of the risen Messiah than since the time of the fathers of our faith, when they too preached in Jerusalem within a context of violence and uncertainty."