This was to encompass the rejection of attempts to convert Jews to Christianity, and the desire for dialogue and mutual respect in place of confrontation and triumphalism.

Among those thinking this way, were some who thought a concrete expression of this new approach could take the form of building a living Christian community in Israel.

This idea, after fund-raising and promotion among churches in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA, resulted in the purchase in 1960 of 250 acres (1.0 km2) of land from a Druze sheikh in the Galilee.

It was similar to a kibbutz or more exactly to a moshav shitufi, a collective settlement but where families were living with their children in their own houses.

The community could assist by bringing technical experts from the Netherlands to develop the cut-flower industry as an export crop.

A lively community life ensued, and hundreds of young Christians worked there for short or long periods before returning to their churches in Europe with the knowledge learned there.

To make matters worse, Israel's high-tech economy pushed up costs and made the cut-flower trade no longer viable.

In 2012, the community decided to adopt a more inclusive inter-faith "dimension", and to transform its facilities into a meeting place for Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel.