JERUSALEM — In 2021, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) helped more than 2 million people by supplying basic essentials and financial assistance to 1 million people, providing security to more than 800,000 people encountering threats of terrorism and anti-Semitism, and helping more than 5,000 Jews return home to Israel. Throughout this year, more food, security, and assistance with immigration was provided than in any other year in The Fellowship’s history, thanks to donations mainly from Christian friends in the United States, Canada, and South Korea.
“Once again, The Fellowship has outpaced the previous year by helping more Israelis and Jewish people in need than we ever have before,” said Fellowship President and CEO Yael Eckstein. “This has only been possible because of the faithful generosity and commitment of our Christian and Jewish friends, who have given in spite of their own challenges. Thanks to our amazing staff and more than a half million supporters, we have helped Holocaust survivors get the food they lack, enabled families to sleep peacefully at night by providing dozens of bomb shelters and security projects throughout Israel, and we’ve provided a way for many Jewish immigrants to leave hostile situations and find shelter in Israel. At The Fellowship, we’re saving lives – quite literally – and I can’t say thank you enough to those who help make this important work possible.”
The Fellowship has been able to help people like Sophia, a 7-year-old girl from a Jewish family in Ukraine. Recently, Sophia’s mother has spent all of her time and resources caring for Sophia’s grandmother now that she has fallen ill. “My heart breaks for my little girl,” Sophia’s mother told Fellowshipstaff. “She is my whole world and I wish that I could give her a better life.” The Fellowship has stepped in, and now this family receives boxes of nourishing food. And Sophia has also been given warm clothing for the brutal Ukrainian winter. Their home will also be repaired so the family can live comfortably.
Lev, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, has said that without The Fellowship, he wouldn’t know where to find his next meal. In addition to the monthly supermarket food card he receives from The Fellowship, he says a Fellowship coordinator, Lia, calls him regularly to check up on him. He also added that just hearing from her on the phone is comforting, especially during lonely winter months and a global pandemic. “I told Lia I didn’t have money to buy a blanket, and she brought me one,” Lev told Fellowship staff earlier this year. “It warms my heart that someone cares about me.”
Throughout 2021, The Fellowship was also recognized with a number of honors, such as being named one of 2021’s “Best Nonprofits to Work For” from the NonProfit Times. They were also selected as “Organization of the Year” by ANA Nonprofit Federation, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews of Canada was named to Charity Intelligence’s “Top 100 Rated Charities.” In addition, Yael Eckstein was named to the Jerusalem Post’s “50 Most Influential Jews of 2021”.
Yael Eckstein is available for interviews to reflect on the work The Fellowship has done as the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Israel and why it’s critical now for Christians to support Israelis and Jewish people throughout the world. To find out more about more of the lifesaving work The Fellowship is providing, visit https://www.ifcj.org/who-we-help.
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) was founded in 1983 to promote better understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews and build broad support for Israel. Today it is one of the leading forces helping Israel and Jews in need worldwide — and is the largest channel of Christian support for Israel. Founded by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, The Fellowship now raises more than $120 million per year, mostly from Christians, to assist Israel and the Jewish people. Since its founding, The Fellowship has raised more than $1.8 billion for this work. The organization has offices in Jerusalem, Chicago, Toronto and Seoul. For more information, visit www.ifcj.org.
Yael Eckstein is the President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. In this role, Eckstein oversees all ministry programs and serves as the organization’s international spokesperson. She can be heard on The Fellowship’s daily radio program airing on 1,500 stations worldwide. Before her present duties, Yael served as global executive vice president, senior vice president, and director of program development and ministry outreach. Based in Jerusalem, Yael is a published writer, leading international advocate for persecuted religious minorities, and a respected social services professional. As President and CEO of The Fellowship, she also holds the rare distinction of being a woman leading one of America’s largest religious not-for-profit organizations.
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