International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
,_logo_2012.jpeg){kind=logo} |
|
| Founded | 1983 (originally known as the Holyland Fellowship of Christians and Jews) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Yechiel Eckstein |
| Type | 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization |
| Focus | "To promote understanding and cooperation between Jews and Christians and to build broad support for the State of Israel." |
| Location | |
| Method | Raising funds among its partners to help Jews in need and Jews living under the threat of anti-Semitism on five continents with programs which include aliyah (immigration) to Israel; providing basic necessities to needy families, the elderly and children in Israel; providing basic necessities including food, clothing and shelter to destitute Jews in the former Soviet Union; and providing informational and educational materials that help people become better advocates for the Jewish state. |
| Website | www.ifcj.org |
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (also The Fellowship) is a philanthropic organization founded in 1983 by Yechiel Eckstein whose stated goal is to promote understanding and cooperation between Jews and Christians, and build broad support for the State of Israel.
As the national Co-director of Interreligious Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League in Chicago, Eckstein, an Orthodox rabbi, began to forge partnerships with evangelical Christians. In 1983, he established the Holyland Fellowship of Christians and Jews to promote Jewish-Christian cooperation on projects for improving the safety and security of Jews in Israel and around the world.
In 1991, the organization was renamed the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
The Fellowship collects over $100 million a year in donations for Israel, half of which are spent in Israel itself, supporting soup kitchens, absorption centers, and bomb shelter renovations. $25 million a year is spent on Jewish aid programs.
In 2003, Eckstein founded the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews of Canada; in 2006, La Fraternidad Internacional de Cristianos y Judíos;, in 2012, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews of Australia, and, also in 2012, a new Fellowship affiliate in South Korea.
The organization has headquarters in Chicago and Jerusalem. It is supervised by an independent board of directors, Jewish and Christian. In May 2010, Israel’s Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog presented Eckstein with the government of Israel's first-ever Award for Special Contribution to the Welfare of the People of Israel. The following month, Newsweek named him one of the 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America. Eckstein has received about 50 awards total for his public service work, including the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s prestigious Raoul Wallenberg award in 2014.
In 2005, Eckstein was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of the State of Israel, with special emphasis on Israel’s relationships with evangelical communities in Latin America.
...
Wikipedia