Unprecedented Aid Operation

Incredible as it seems, since last May the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) has been involved in an unprecedented mission to bring humanitarian aid to Christian and Druze communities on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. The NGO – Israel's largest provider of humanitarian aid – has so far provided $370,000 worth of food and medical supplies to these communities. The aid was delivered to the Druze and Christians in Syria in coordination with the IDF, which helped transport the supplies across the border.

Lifesaving humanitarian aid
During the first week of May 2025, The Fellowship conducted a first-ever mission to Syria – bringing aid to Christian and Druze minorities in a dangerous overnight operation conducted amid ongoing warfare. The convoy delivered 1,500 food boxes valued at $120,000 that were distributed to families living in extreme poverty.

About 13 villages with nearly 45,000 residents, both Druze and Christians, live near the Israeli border on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, under poor conditions in terms of water, electricity, food, and medical infrastructure. These two groups of people have been persecuted in Syria throughout history, but the violence intensified last spring, fueled by sharply escalating tension between the Druze communities and Syria's new regime. Hundreds of Christians and at least 73 Druze were killed in the violent clashes.

"If there is violence and persecution happening on Israel's border, we cannot look away," said Yael Eckstein, President and Global CEO of The Fellowship. "It is our responsibility to stand with Christians on our borders to provide them with aid, and to stand with all Christians facing persecution across the Middle East in the same way Christians have always stood by Israel during her times of greatest need."

The food boxes provided by The Fellowship included staple food items aimed at alleviating immediate hunger and nutritional concerns faced by those displaced due to the ongoing violence.

While the operation is the first of its kind for The Fellowship, the organization has long supported the Israeli Christian community, by providing Christmas food boxes for those in need, and funding medical facilities, including a hospital in Nazareth.

"We pray that this aid will not only provide for their physical needs, but will give them hope and let them know there are people who care about them," Eckstein added. "The world may be silent about Christians facing persecution, but The Fellowship is not – and our supporters are not."

A surreal experience
On June 23, 2025, amid relentless missile attacks from Iran, The Fellowship, with the help of the Jewish Federation of Chicago, put into action a plan it had been working on for months in partnership with the IDF to procure medical aid to Druze and Christian communities in Syria. That day, medical equipment was successfully delivered to establish a new regional emergency medical field clinic in one of the Druze-Christian villages located in the buffer zone currently under IDF control.

With a donation of $100,000 from the Jewish Federation of Chicago, and $150,000 from The Fellowship, medical equipment valued at $250,000 was delivered, including supplies for routine care and emergency treatment, and medical devices such as X-ray and ultrasound machines. Christian and Druze professional medical staff operate the new clinic, which serves up to 100 patients daily from villages in the area. It provides diagnostic services, emergency and trauma care, women's health, orthopedics, pediatric care, and sanitation infrastructure. The project is fully coordinated with the IDF.

Safwan Marich, The Fellowship's Director of Emergency Response in Israel, who is a member of Israel's Druze community, led the mission to deliver the equipment. He described his experience that day: "I rode in a jeep with the IDF coordination officer responsible for liaising with the population currently under Israeli control in Syria. Many of the soldiers were my friends from military service and from the Druze community. After about 40 minutes, we reached a U.N. checkpoint and passed through the gate. Representatives from the village were waiting for us. It turns out they were already well acquainted with the IDF representatives (many of whom are Druze), and they embraced warmly. We continued in a convoy of local and military vehicles until we reached the village center, where many residents were waiting. Children surrounded us, handed out sweets, and asked to take pictures with the soldiers—a surreal moment. Village elders greeted us and repeatedly thanked us for the assistance. Personally, this was a historic experience for me."

Establishing more clinics
In August, amid the ongoing crisis along the Syrian-Israeli border, The Fellowship delivered further humanitarian support to the Christian and Druze communities in Syria in the form of increased medical supplies and thousands of food packages. The medical aid, delivered in coordination with the IDF, includes antibiotic and other medicines, sterilization equipment and masks, surgical gear, and first aid kits for emergency responders in the field.

The Fellowship is also involved with establishing two separate medical relief clinics and supporting the purchase and delivery of medications and other lifesaving supplies to the Suwayda region. The clinics, which serve tens of thousands of people, are in the most heavily affected areas and have quickly become critical resources for individuals in need of urgent medical care. The clinics were set up quickly within existing structures in the local villages and provide a wide range of medical services.

"The story is both about The Fellowship's humanitarian aid behind the borders of Christians and Druze persecuted in Syria and of bridge building, as this project is done in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Chicago, joining together with The Fellowship to help Christians in need," says Ayelet Tamir, Director General of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

"When our brothers and sisters need help in Syria, we must help when we can," insists Yael Eckstein. "We can't stop terrorists from targeting and killing people and we can't stop the rockets from falling, but what we can do is provide comfort and help for those who need us. We can't help all the persecuted Christians in the Middle East, but when it's right on Israel's Syrian border, we can't turn our backs on them."

Helping rebuild Israel's communities

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is a remarkable philanthropic enterprise founded in 1983 by the late Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, and today it is the largest and most impactful philanthropic organization in Israel, with millions of donors worldwide. Since its founding, The Fellowship has raised over $3.6 billion to support Israel and Jewish people in need.

Since October 7, 2023, The Fellowship has distributed more than $257 million to populations affected by the war. It has provided vital aid to Israel's brave soldiers, first responders and medical teams, including a variety of medical equipment to two hospitals, and hundreds of hospitalization comfort kits for wounded soldiers.

In addition, The Fellowship has made a real difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living in danger zones since October 7 – delivering 200+ mobile bomb shelters in northern Israel, 85,000 emergency food cards and meals to evacuees from the Gaza Envelope, and 3,900 respite kits with games and activities for children in public bomb shelters, as well as supplying basic needs such as food and clothing to more than 100,000 people. In addition, it provides over 1,000 daily meals through soup kitchens.

In July 2024, The Fellowship approved a $361,230 grant for the renovation and construction of treatment rooms for the Sdot Negev Trauma Center in the Gaza Envelope. There was an immediate need to prepare additional treatment rooms in the Trauma Center, and the grant funded its renovation and expansion. The emergency warehouse located next to the Trauma Center was converted into 11 individual treatment rooms, with an additional room for group treatments and therapist training. The Fellowship team attended the Center's inauguration ceremony in July 2025.

The Fellowship also recently approved a $185,294 grant to fund new equipment for 10 kindergartens in the Eshkol Border Communities in southern Israel, as part of the community rehabilitation process. In late August, IFCJ staff volunteered at one of the kindergartens, located on Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha near the Gaza Strip, and helped set up and equip the kindergarten with new tables, chairs, games, and other essentials.

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