Since 1983, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (also known as IFCJ or The Fellowship) has stood at the forefront of building interfaith understanding while providing vital humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities. Emerging from modest beginnings, IFCJ has blossomed into one of the world’s leading nonprofits, strengthening cooperation between Christians and Jews.
Built on a foundation of bridge-building and goodwill, IFCJ channels over $130 million annually to support critical social initiatives assisting families in need across the globe. As it advances its vision of unity and ‘tikkun olam’ (repairing the world), IFCJ continues to evolve innovative solutions to prevailing social challenges.
Background and Inception of the IFCJ
IFCJ’s origins trace back to the vision of an Orthodox Rabbi named Yechiel Eckstein. Moved by the opportunity to foster understanding between Christian and Jewish communities, Rabbi Eckstein established The Fellowship in 1983 to promote interfaith dialogue. This humble start seeded a fledgling organization devoted to cooperation grounded in shared values.
Over four decades, IFCJ blossomed under Rabbi Eckstein’s leadership. Today, it raises over $130 million annually, and it has offices in four countries. After the Rabbi’s passing in 2019, his daughter Yael Eckstein assumed the role of President and CEO, leading all ministry programs and serving as the international spokesperson for the organization.
Before taking on her current role, Yael Eckstein held positions like Global Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President, where she oversaw program development and outreach ministries. Living in Israel with her husband and four kids, Yael is an accomplished writer and respected social services leader. Yael carries IFCJ’s torch in new directions while always illuminating the same mission.
Fundamentally, IFCJ understands that poverty and persecution transcend religious boundaries. Its outreach centers around providing lifesaving humanitarian aid to vulnerable Jews in Israel and worldwide. This relief takes diverse forms, from supporting immigrants fleeing war zones to feeding Holocaust survivors facing destitution in their final years. Behind the aid exists a recognition that when we care for our shared humanity, divisions fade away.
IFCJ's Humanitarian Aid
Central to IFCJ’s mission is providing humanitarian aid, encompassing critical services that support dignity and quality of life. In 2022 alone, IFCJ delivered basic supplies to over 1 million impoverished Israelis through initiatives combating food insecurity, a lack of adequate healthcare, and financial hardships.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensified in 2022, IFCJ, led by Yael Eckstein, responded swiftly and decisively. With their hearts open, they provided $28 million in emergency relief to displaced families and refugees. This critical aid reached those in desperate need—families forced to leave everything behind and who faced extraordinary hardship and uncertainty.
Through IFCJ's compassion and generosity, over 4,600 Ukrainian refugees found refuge in Israel, escaping the horrors of war through resettlement. In a remarkable undertaking, the IFCJ facilitated the evacuation of 1,600 vulnerable children and staff from Ukrainian orphanages. As these children arrived safely in Israel, they were embraced into welcoming communities.
As we enter the third year of this devastating conflict, IFCJ and Yael Eckstein remain committed to supporting those whose lives have been upended. Their relief efforts continue, bringing vital aid and possibility where there had been only despair.
Extensive poverty alleviation drives reach struggling communities that are often neglected. In Israel, IFCJ supports 40 soup kitchens, distributing 1.8 million nutritious meals a year to sustain the underprivileged. Across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, The Fellowship supplies vital food and living essentials during brutal winters when resources are scarce.
Assisting immigration to Israel represents another crucial IFCJ undertaking. Over the past four decades, The Fellowship has facilitated aliyah (immigration to Israel), returning more than 750,000 diaspora Jews to resettle in their ancestral homeland. Furnishing airfare, absorption costs, and integration resources, IFCJ empowers those seeking self-actualization in Israel.
Likewise, IFCJ security initiatives are vital to upholding Jewish communities against external threats. State-of-the-art equipment, fortified infrastructure, and emergency response training help safeguard 800,000 globally against violence. For Argentine widow Luisa, bulletproof vests donated by the IFCJ to security forces ensured children like her son could attend school safely when anti-Semitic crime surged.
Nearing the end of March 2024, The Fellowship launched an initiative worth more than $1.5 million to establish 123 shelters.
Building Bridges, Transforming Lives
While IFCJ direct aid assists millions, its unifying interfaith efforts foster even wider positive change. Christians and Jews comprise over half the global population, sharing intrinsic values yet historically prone to discord. IFCJ shifts this prevailing paradigm.
Behind the numbers, IFCJ aid programs profoundly transform individual lives. Sponsoring youth enrichment for orphans and children from unstable homes, IFCJ disrupts generational poverty cycles by empowering those in need.
For Liana, two years in IFCJ’s Atzumim young adult training program provided skills and encouragement, fueling her dream of becoming a nurse. A laptop, tuition grant, and mentorship helped the promising teen gain acceptance to nursing school, setting her future alight.
IFCJ Rallies Support for Israel Amidst Crisis
IFCJ, led by Yael Eckstein, is actively supporting Israel through the ongoing conflict with Hamas by addressing economic and humanitarian needs.
Here are some key efforts:
Emergency Aid - From October 7 through December 31, 2023, The Fellowship provided $19 million in emergency aid and assistance to hundreds of thousands of Israelis affected by the Israel/Hamas war and has committed to providing $125 million in security-related aid support in 2024.
Security - They purchased 1,000 bulletproof vests for security personnel and helped install portable bomb shelters along the northern border and Galilee.
IDF Support - Over $500,000 was allocated to help families of injured IDF soldiers cope with the impact.
Evacuee Aid - They distribute grants and debit cards to evacuated families, providing financial relief and supplies. They also help relocate children from Ukraine.
Food and Supplies - They distribute meals to affected towns and soldiers near the northern border, working with local groups to meet needs.
Trauma Support - Over $375,000 was granted to organizations like NETEL to expand support hotlines for those impacted.
These efforts further their mission to provide vital humanitarian assistance to vulnerable groups during this difficult time.
Leadership and Vision
IFCJ’s President and CEO Yael Eckstein’s bold vision for steering the organization blends innovation with compassion. Applying her global perspective and tireless drive, she propels the expansion of aid efforts while forging unity across faith lines. Yael, who took on the position after her father, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, passed away, has been commended for her contributions. She was awarded the Jerusalem Post's Humanitarian Award for 2023.
Eckstein nurtures a culture facilitating dignified care, remarking, “Our clients are not projects but human beings worthy of living meaningful lives.” This ethos of empowerment through human-centric solutions underlies IFCJ operations.
President and CEO Yael Eckstein's rise coincided with turbulent times as escalating military conflicts in Israel overlapped with the global pandemic. Rather than retracting support as needs rose, under Yael’s direction, IFCJ expanded assistance across all major program areas. Her hands-on, compassionate approach carries forward her father's legacy while bringing renewed energy and vision.
Yael understands that philanthropy depends not on dollars and cents but on the hearts that give. Her focus on relationship building fosters a spirit of generosity spanning continents. Supporters multiply when shown evidence of real impact—hence, IFCJ’s detailed outcome reports highlight individuals aided.
Far from resting on past achievements, Yael constantly strengthens and innovates assistance models to overcome evolving barriers experienced by marginalized Jews. Creative initiatives like microloan programs empower self-sufficiency by funding small business ventures. Other pioneering approaches on the horizon include affordable housing projects to address chronic homelessness and mobile health clinics expanding access in isolated areas.
While tackling systemic inequities poses no small task, IFCJ leverages partnerships to stimulate progress. Collaboration magnifies the capacity to uplift vulnerable groups. Understanding this interdependence, the organization invests in nurturing relationships as well as dispensing relief.
The Road Ahead for IFCJ
Challenges confronting Israel and impoverished Jews rage on globally, but so too does the IFCJ’s commitment to care for those caught in the firestorms of war, poverty, and displacement.
Looking ahead, Eckstein aims to deepen IFCJ poverty intervention, reaching marginalized communities like youth, the elderly, and struggling families through comprehensive long-term initiatives. Meanwhile, fortifying security protects the Jewish diaspora against escalating threats. New mobile bomb shelters along Israel’s borders exemplify this commitment.
Reinvigorating interfaith engagement remains an IFCJ priority to advance future generations. Eckstein shares, "By creating understanding between global Christian and Jewish communities today, we shape increased cooperation, protecting and uplifting all vulnerable groups tomorrow.
Since pioneering early interfaith bridge-building, IFCJ has blossomed into a trusted humanitarian force, providing vital assistance to populations in need while fostering Christian-Jewish collaboration.
Through compassionate poverty relief, aliyah facilitation, and security aid, IFCJ brings essential dignity and hope on both individual and societal levels. Under CEO Yael Eckstein’s bold direction, IFCJ remains committed to this mission of transforming lives through caring human connections.
By supporting IFCJ programming, people of all faiths can contribute to mending our world through hands-on kindness and understanding between traditions.
This article was written in cooperation with Tom White