Photo: Scandinavian Seamens’ Home, 43 Gefen Street, Haifa. Courtesy Gro Wenske Faye-Hansen.

In June 1967, the month of Jerusalem’s liberation and reunification during the Six-Day-War, the Scandinavian Seamen’s church and guesthouse in downtown Haifa was requested by the Israeli authorities to evacuate the old German-Scottish compound where it had been functioning since 1949. Consequently, Pastor Per Faye-Hansen and his KARMEL activities left 41-43 Meir Rutberg Street and moved to a larger place not far away on 43 HaGefen Street.

KARMEL Vicissitudes in Haifa

What had happened to the Protestant Templars’ large compound which was most useful for Faye-Hansen’s KARMEL church in Haifa? Which geopolitical and geo-religious circumstances had caused the moving of the KARMEL church to nearby premises?

In order to understand the course of events one needs to look at the historical developments both locally and internationally.

During the 1930s a great number of the German Christian ‘Palestinian Templars’ turned away from their eschatological vision which had focused on waiting for Messiah Yeshua’s...