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Beit Tefilah Israeli was founded out of a personal need of a small group of activists who sought a way to live a life of spirit and community in Tel Aviv—one that reflects the spirit of the time and place, combining a commitment to tradition with a desire for renewal. From a single experimental Kabbalat Shabbat on June 25, 2004, Beit Tefilah Israeli has grown into a large, creative, vibrant, and inclusive community—becoming a model for Jewish renewal in Israel and a community-based organization offering services to the general public, as well as to Jewish and communal organizations across the country. Over the past two decades, it has established itself as a central force in the field of Jewish renewal in Israel.

BTI was founded by Esteban Gottfried and Rani Jaeger – together with Yoav Rosenberg, Ezri Tarazi and Elisheva Greenbaum (the late). Esteban and Rani lead the community and the organization to this day.

BTI has created a dynamic and pluralistic Jewish-Israeli community in Tel Aviv, celebrating Shabbats, holidays and life rituals together, holding educational events, and committing to social action. The unique approach that combines the old and the new, the Jewish and the Israeli, the momentary and the deep of time, has made it a home for many Israelis who are interested in shaping a meaningful community life for themselves and a central player in the arena of Jewish renewal in the country in general and in Tel Aviv in particular.

The innovation of BTI is the fusion of contemporary Israeli culture and Jewish tradition in creating formats of Jewish practice that are adapted to the Israeli context. The target audience of Beit Tefilah Israeli is the broad and diverse range of Israelis who are located between the old definitions of "religious" and "secular".

Celebrating Shabbat and holidays, study evenings, and workshops of BTI combine traditional prayers alongside new Israeli poetry and music, and thus the cultural product that an Israeli prayer house offers is tailored to the needs of a large public of secular and traditionalists who are interested in taking an active part in creating an Israeli Jewish culture relevant to their lives. Its non-affiliation with any religious stream makes it particularly friendly and accessible to a wide audience. 

The rare combination of liberal Judaism that does not draw its cultural language from models shaped in the Diaspora but seeks to be deeply anchored in the Israeli and Tel Aviv experience enables the deepening of Jewish identity and explains, to a large extent, the fact that Beit Tefilah Israeli has become a magnet for thousands of Israelis who regularly participate in BTI's activities, and some are inspired by its model to establish similar communities throughout the country. 

About a thousand people participate in BT's Kabbalot Shabbat every Friday during the summer months at the Tel Aviv Port. Hundreds of people participate in the community's holiday events at central locations in the city such as Tzavta, the American Zionist House, the Ariela Library, and more.

 Every Friday, 70-100 people participate in the Kabbalat Shabbat held by Beit Tefilah Israeli in the heart of Tel Aviv and take part in a vibrant community life that attempts to add something sacred to the mundane, thus creating a space of exploration that is attentive to the voices of the past and committed to the future.