Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, receives Jerusalem Post’s 2023 Humanitarian Award

The Fellowship was one of the first organizations on the ground with emergency aid as war erupted, having worked on the ground in Ukraine and the former Soviet Union for more than three decades of the organization’s 40 years in operation.

“I remember visiting Kyiv and meeting with our partners in the field to make an emergency plan in case the situation escalated,” said Eckstein, recalling her trip to Ukraine a few weeks prior to the Russian invasion, when few believed war in Kyiv was imminent. 

On the flight back to Israel, Eckstein approved $1 million in emergency funding and readily took action, sending advance reserves of food, medicine, and supplies to partners throughout Ukraine—supplies that proved to be life-saving for those trapped in the country and in harm’s way during the first days after the war began. Over the course of the first couple months of the war, The Fellowship airlifted 95 tons of humanitarian aid to stranded Ukrainians and refugees.

“I worried for the people of Ukraine, people who we deeply care for and who have depended on us for the last 30 years. I worried they might be facing a very dangerous situation, and I prepared the team to do what was necessary to be able to act quickly and efficiently to save Jewish lives.”

As millions fled the war, The Fellowship continued to assist with evacuations and set up emergency shelters for refugees, providing food, medicine, and beds. In 2022, the organization provided $28 million in aid to the war-torn country, and brought 4,600 Ukrainian refugees home to Israel through aliyah, evacuated 1,600 children and staff from Ukrainian children’s homes and orphanages, and funded emergency medical rescue flights for 50 elderly too weak to flee without medical supervision.

Now, in its second year of war, there are different needs for the thousands still left in Ukraine.

“There are still people without basic infrastructure who are relying on us for life-saving basic needs,” Eckstein said. “We continue to pray for peace, while being prepared for any scenario.”

To learn more about Yael Eckstein and the Jerusalem Post’s 2023 Humanitarian award, click here.

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 non-profit experience in multiple roles, Yael has the rare distinction of being a woman leading one of the world’s largest religious charitable organizations. In addition to her weekly podcast on matters of faith, Holy Land Reflections, each month, Yael invites thought leaders to discuss Jewish-Christian relations and Israel’s significance on her podcast, Conversations with Yael. She is the 2023 recipient of the Jerusalem Post’s Humanitarian Award, and in 2020 and 2021, was named to the publication’s list of 50 Most Influential Jews. Born outside of Chicago, Yael is now based in Israel with her husband and their four children.

About The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
For 40 years, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has been leading efforts to build bridges between Christians and Jews and provide humanitarian care and lifesaving aid for Israel and the Jewish people. Through the generosity and loyalty each year of its donors, partners, and staff, The Fellowship helps over 1 million people living in poverty, has provided nearly 3,000 bomb shelters for security, and has helped 770,000 make aliyah back to their homeland, Israel. The Fellowship will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, continuing a mission to bless Israel and the Jewish people – like our world has never seen.

CONTACT:
Elizabeth Gartman
[email protected]
+1 312-641-8544

SOURCE International Fellowship of Christians and Jews