"You Are Not Alone"

The events of October 7 were so unbelievably devastating that initially most Israelis were simply paralyzed by shock. Then, after a few days, hundreds of grassroots initiatives popped up, in an ad hoc, frenzied attempt to meet the massive needs created by the catastrophe. One organization was able to provide large-scale support quickly, effectively, and efficiently: the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Thanks to its decades of experience in the field and longstanding collaborations with key entities throughout Israel – including regional councils, security forces, government agencies, and NGOs – The Fellowship was able to rapidly mobilize and deliver essential supplies to hundreds of thousands of people.

"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. We will continue doing everything we can to help people begin to rebuild their lives," says Yael Eckstein, The Fellowship's President and CEO, who has been working around the clock since that fateful day.

Equipping first responders and evacuees
Many local municipalities and regional councils, as well as the IDF's Home Front Command, turned to The Fellowship for help immediately on October 7. "They know that we get things done and that we work without bureaucracy. During those first few days, we immediately provided whatever they said they needed, without a budget," Eckstein recalls. This included supplying food and water to 500 people stranded in Sderot when the city was still under siege; setting up a facility with a resting area and refreshments near the site where the victims' bodies were being identified, for the benefit of the staff and the victims' families; providing 1,000 ceramic bullet-proof vests to first responders in the Gaza envelope; helping with the evacuation process of communities attacked by Hamas; and much more.

The needs were extremely diverse, widespread, and urgent. The Fellowship focused its activities on helping evacuees and first responders, as well as vulnerable populations such as the elderly, the disabled, and olim. During the first two weeks, The Fellowship implemented nearly 80 separate projects, and created new programs wherever and whenever needs or gaps arose.

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. Among the projects funded and executed by The Fellowship during this period: $7 million to communities near the Gaza border for such basic needs as food and medicine; more than $500,000 distributed to families of soldiers injured in combat; $400,000 to support organizations that help trauma victims; installing 30 portable bomb shelters during the first two weeks of war; and distributing vouchers to 800 first responders.

Another priority has been to support the enormous cohort of people who were evacuated from their homes from both the Gaza Envelope and the northern border regions. By the end of 2023, The Fellowship donated $166,000 to help transport and house elderly people and families who were evacuated, including those with special needs. Nearly 4,000 kits containing games and toys were delivered to children from Netivot, Ofakim, and Sderot; and more than 65,000 meals and 8,000 food boxes were distributed to residents of the Gaza Envelope who were displaced, as well as to those who chose to remain in their homes.

In addition, The Fellowship expanded its flagship program, Kupat Yedidut, which doubles the welfare budget for every city in Israel. "After October 7, we saw that the 200,000 evacuees were a very heavy burden on the welfare systems of the cities where they relocated, and so we created an Emergency Fund which the municipal social workers could distribute to the evacuees," Eckstein explains. The Israeli government followed The Fellowship's lead and agreed to contribute half of the project's $5.4 million budget.

Another important initiative involved equipping volunteer first response teams in communities near Gaza and in northern Israel. The Fellowship distributed over 5,000 critically needed flak jackets, 3,000 helmets, and 1,200 first-aid kits to first responders, as well as delivering two fortified vehicles to local security teams in Ashkelon and Sderot. Volunteers also distributed meals to soldiers serving near the Lebanese border.

Preparing for what might happen next
In 2024, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews plans to allocate $125 million to security-related projects in Israel. The funds will be used, among other initiatives, to place 123 bomb shelters near every bus stop within nine kilometers of the border; and to acquire 23 emergency vehicles for United Hatzalah and nine new bulletproof ambulances for Magen David Adom, five of which were already delivered. In addition, $5 million of Passover food was distributed to disadvantaged populations from the border regions and victims of the Nova festival.

As the threat of war on Israel's northern border grows, The Fellowship also recently announced its partnership with the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) to bolster support of Druze villages in the region. In coming weeks, more than $135,000 worth of civil defense equipment will be distributed to rapid response teams in Druze communities. The support is the latest in a series of large-scale allocations by The Fellowship for Israeli border communities since the beginning of the war. "In the wake of the attacks from Iran, the Fellowship mobilized quickly to approve an additional $600,000 for emergency food and equipment for bomb shelters," adds Eckstein.

"Israel experienced one of the biggest catastrophes ever. It has affected everyone and has left many thousands of Israelis without a roof over their heads, without reliable food supplies, without money, and without a sense of security," she laments. "As soon as the war broke out, we dedicated ourselves to helping Israel's citizens in every way possible. The Fellowship will continue being a key provider of assistance, able to act quickly and efficiently during emergencies in collaboration with the authorities, security and rescue forces, and the food distribution organizations. I hope the war will end quickly so that all those who have been affected can start rebuilding their lives. We will continue to do everything we can to help them."

Largest philanthropic organization in Israel
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is a remarkable philanthropic enterprise founded in 1983 by the late Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. Thanks to the generous support of millions of donors worldwide, many of whom are Christian, The Fellowship proudly celebrated its 40th anniversary last year as the largest and most impactful philanthropic organization in Israel.

"For the first time in our history, we have Christian friends who stand with Israel. In these times of growing anti-Semitism, the message they are sending the people of Israel through their support is simple and powerful: 'you are not alone,'" says Yael Eckstein, The Fellowship's current President and CEO and the founder's daughter. "It's this solidarity that is providing hope and light amidst so much darkness, and is how we know light will ultimately prevail."

The Fellowship's activities focus on three main pillars: fighting poverty in Israel and among Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union (FSU); facilitating aliyah from the FSU, Ethiopia, and many other countries around the world; and providing security to Israel's home front and to Jewish institutions around the world.

For more information about the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, visit www.ifcj.org >>

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Partnered with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews