JERUSALEM — To mark the 100th day of the Israel-Hamas War, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) today released details of its 2023 impact, which includes emergency aid support for those affected by the ongoing conflict.
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 war. Beyond the aid and impact listed below, additional aid and security measures provided by The Fellowship over the past decades continue to protect and care for Israelis throughout the country.
“It has been 100 days of war, sorrow, and uncertainty. But after these 100 days, the one thing I’m certain about – and have always been certain about – is that the Jewish state and the Jewish people have true friends in Christians around the world,” said Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of The Fellowship. “In fact, I have seen this more strongly than ever before in the days since October 7.”
100 days later, there are still more than 100,000 people displaced throughout Israel in the wake of the war. The Fellowship will continue throughout 2024 to support the evacuees, and displaced victims of the war with basic needs and other essentials.
“The Fellowship has been on the ground for more than 40 years helping provide for the people of Israel and the Jewish people. We were on the ground distributing aid on October 7 as terrorists were still roaming our streets, and we have been doing so every day since,” Eckstein said. “In many ways, our work is really just beginning, but we will continue doing everything we can to help people begin to rebuild their lives.”
Security Support
- Transportation and installation of 30 portable bomb shelters—during the first week of the crisis— along the northern border and in the Galilee region
- 5,038 ballistic and protective flak jackets to firefighters and emergency teams
- 2,900 helmets to emergency and rescue teams
- 1,200 medical and equipment bags to paramedics and other emergency teams
- 2 new fortified security vehicles to local security teams in Ashkelon and Sderot
Fellowship Mobile Emergency Response Center support locations
- Casualty Identification Center in Ramle
- Givat Haviva campus (support to evacuees from Ashkelon)
- Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek in northern Israel (support to survivors of Kibbutz Nahal Oz)
- Kiryat Uno Campus (support to evacuees from Ashkelon, Sderot, and Netivot)
Emergency Needs Support
- $7 million in various basic needs and assistance to local communities near the Gaza border, such as food, medicine, hygiene products, transportation and evacuation, providing caretakers, housing, etc.
- $400,000 in support of trauma organization and its helpline
- More than $500,000 (about $1,250 per family) distributed to 400 families of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel injured in combat
- Vouchers to 800 first responders
Evacuee Support
- Vouchers to 4,394 families evacuated from their homes or with missing loved ones
- $166,000 for transportation and housing for elderly and families, including those with special needs from Netivot, Sderot, Eshkol, Ofakim, and children from the Zhytomyr children’s home (originally from Ukraine)
- 3,900 children, some with special needs, received respite kits with games and toys in Netivot, Sderot, and Ofakim
Food Distributions
- 5,850 prepared meals and 70 food boxes to elderly besieged in their homes during the first week (Oct 9-15)
- 65,000 meals and 8,000 food boxes and 4,900 food cards to evacuees (families and elderly) from settlements and cities around Gaza and those who remained in their homes
- Distribution of food and prepared meals to soldiers serving on the northern border, in cooperation with the Beit Batya Soup Kitchen
Overall in 2023, The Fellowship helped more than 2 million people by providing basic needs and support to more than 1 million, provided security to 1 million people worldwide, and helped more than 4,000 Jews make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) from 35 countries worldwide.
To pray for the people of Israel during these unprecedented times, submit a prayer request at www.ifcj.org/pray. To learn more about The Fellowship and its work, visit www.ifcj.org.
About the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
For more than 40 years, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) has been the leading nonprofit building bridges between Christians and Jews, blessing Israel and the Jewish people around the world with humanitarian care and lifesaving aid. Each year, The Fellowship helps over 1 million people living in poverty, provides security to 1 million people, and helps thousands make aliyah back to their homeland, Israel.
About Yael Eckstein
As President and CEO of The Fellowship, Yael Eckstein oversees all programs and serves as the international spokesperson for the organization.With over a decade of nonprofit experience in multiple roles, Yael has the rare distinction of being a woman leading one of the world’s largest religious charitable organizations. In 2021, she launched her podcast, Nourish Your Biblical Roots, in which she shares spiritual insights and lessons from the Torah, and invites leading Christian and Jewish thought leaders to discuss Jewish-Christian relations and Israel’s significance on the world stage. She is the 2023 recipient of the Jerusalem Post’s Humanitarian Award, and in 2020, 2021 and 2023, was named to the publication’s list of 50 Most Influential Jews. Born outside of Chicago, Yael is based in Israel with her husband and their four children.
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gartman, press@ifcj.org, 312-641-8544
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