The beginning
1886 – German Templars
Colonists from Maine arrived in Jaffa in 1866 and founded the American Colony.
They constructed wooden houses from prefabricated materials they brought with them.
Due to diseases, the climate and the treatment by the Ottomans, many of them died and many others returned to Maine.
In 1868 newly arriving settlers, the German Templars, who viewed themselves as “The new people of Israel” migrated to the area.
Rooted in the Pietist movement of the Lutheran Church, these revivalists desired to establish a
utopian society on the holy land.
1898 – Wilhelm || – the german Emperor
1898 – The german Emperor Wilhelm II and his wife, Auguste Victoria, were on a tour of the Holy Land in 1898.
During their visit in Jaffa, they met with the German Templars.
On that point the Templars used the American wooden houses in which to meet and pray. However, Wilhelm encouraged them to build a church for themselves. Thus, planning began for a Neo-Gothic style church
to be built
1904 – The church was finished
1904 – Church finished
The building of the church took six years and it opened on June 6th, 1904 in order to serve those in the German colony. The original opening date was planned for the 22nd of May.
Unfortunately, Friedrich Braun, the main donor for the church, got “dysentery” after his arrival, and died. This delayed the opening of the church.
There is a memorial for him inside the church.
The church served the German evangelical community until its dissolution at the onset of World War 2.
immanuelchurchjaffa.com 