In the weeks after October 7, 2023, the needs across Israel multiplied faster than in any crisis in decades, and few organizations had the infrastructure, experience, or resources to respond to displaced families, shattered kindergartens and schools, and a nation in shock and terror. Elderly residents in Jerusalem lacked sufficient food, and northern communities were left exposed when Hezbollah rockets destroyed buildings and stripped away any sense of safety. The scale of suffering was enormous, and it demanded more than good intentions.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews stepped in at the height of the crisis. Known widely as IFCJ, the organization has been doing exactly this kind of work since Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein founded it in 1983, building bridges between Christians and Jews while delivering humanitarian aid to Israel and Jewish communities. Today, The Fellowship is active in more than 47 countries and helps approximately 2 million people in need each year. Since its founding, 3.1 million people in the U.S. and around the world have supported Israel and the Jewish people through The Fellowship, which has raised $4.4 billion to help Israel and the Jewish people.

And it shows no sign of slowing down.

The seven project spotlights below capture what that mission looks like on the ground in 2025 and 2026. Each one reflects a different community, a different crisis, and a different kind of care. Together, they form a clear picture of what IFCJ does when the world is watching and, more importantly, when it isn’t.

Shelter and Soup: Elderly Housing in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is one of the most recognized cities on earth. It’s also home to thousands of elderly residents living in poverty, cut off from community and struggling to find consistent meals.

IFCJ’s project spotlight on an elderly housing complex and soup kitchen in Jerusalem highlighted the organization’s support for a facility that provides both stable housing and regular hot meals to older residents in need. For many of the people served, this combination of shelter and food represents the difference between dignity and desperation.

This kind of work reflects a commitment that goes back to IFCJ’s founding. The organization has always understood that humanitarian aid isn’t one-size-fits-all. Elderly Jews, in particular, face compounding vulnerabilities, and IFCJ’s programming accounts for that reality.

A Summer Worth Having: Activities for Olim Children

Children who immigrate to Israel, known as olim, often arrive with little more than their families and a fragile sense of hope. The transition is hard for adults. For kids, it can feel isolating in ways that are difficult to name.

IFCJ supported a summer activities program designed specifically for olim children, giving them a chance to connect, play, and begin building roots in their new home. The program provided structured, joyful experiences during a season when school is out and social isolation can deepen.

It’s a small intervention with lasting effects. Children who feel connected to a community are more likely to thrive. And families who see their children settle in are more likely to stay.

First Responders Ready: Emergency Repair Kits for Yedidim Volunteers

Yedidim is a volunteer organization in Israel known for rapid emergency response. When communities are hit by conflict or disaster, Yedidim volunteers are often among the first on the scene. But responding fast requires having the right tools ready.

IFCJ provided emergency repair kits to Yedidim volunteers, equipping them to address urgent needs in the field. This kind of supply support might not generate headlines, but it’s the kind of practical investment that saves time when time is the most critical resource.

IFCJ has long understood that supporting Israel’s humanitarian infrastructure means more than sending aid directly to individuals. It means strengthening the organizations and volunteers who deliver care on the front lines.

A Foundation When Everything Shifts: Emergency Support for Olim

Immigration is rarely smooth. New immigrants to Israel frequently face bureaucratic delays, language barriers, and financial shortfalls that can leave entire families without the basics in those first critical months.

IFCJ’s emergency support program for olim provided direct assistance to immigrants navigating these gaps. The support included funding to cover essential needs while families worked to establish themselves in their new country.

This project connects directly to one of IFCJ’s longest-running commitments. Since its founding, the organization has helped hundreds of thousands of Jews escape poverty and anti-Semitism and return to their biblical homeland. Emergency support for olim isn’t a new program. It’s an extension of a mission that has been central to IFCJ’s identity for more than four decades.

Children Return to School: Nahal Oz Kindergarten Reopening

Nahal Oz was one of the kibbutzim devastated by the October 7 attacks. The kindergarten there, like so much of the community, was left in ruins. For families who chose to stay or return, the absence of a safe school was a constant reminder of what had been taken.

IFCJ supported the reopening of the Nahal Oz kindergarten, helping restore a space where young children could learn and play again. Getting a school back open isn’t just a logistical achievement. It’s a signal to families that their community has a future.

The project drew on IFCJ’s broader mission of providing life-giving aid to Israel’s victims of war and terror. Yael Eckstein has spoken consistently about the importance of meeting communities where they are and supporting rebuilding efforts that reflect local needs and priorities.

Metula and the North: Repairing Damaged Homes

The town of Metula sits at Israel’s northern tip, close to the Lebanese border. During the conflict with Hezbollah, Metula took significant damage. Homes were struck. Residents were displaced. And when the immediate danger passed, the slow work of rebuilding began.

IFCJ directed funding toward repairing damaged homes in Metula, giving residents who had fled a reason to return and giving those who stayed a safer place to live.

• Damaged structures repaired to make homes livable again
• Funding targeted at residents with limited means to cover repairs independently
• Work coordinated with local partners who understood community-specific needs

This is precisely the kind of project that IFCJ’s network of offices and on-the-ground partners makes possible. With offices in Jerusalem, Chicago, Toronto, and Seoul, the organization can identify needs quickly and move resources where they’re needed most.

Protection in Place: Mobile Bomb Shelters for Northern Israel

In communities across northern Israel, residents lived for months under the threat of rocket fire without adequate shelter nearby. For families, for schools, for small businesses trying to stay open, the absence of a bomb shelter isn’t an abstract risk. It’s a daily calculation about whether it’s safe to step outside.

IFCJ placed mobile bomb shelters in northern Israel communities, addressing one of the most urgent security gaps in the region. Mobile shelters can be deployed quickly and repositioned as needs change, making them especially valuable in areas where permanent construction isn’t immediately possible.

The project fits squarely within IFCJ’s stated mission to promote security on behalf of the Jewish state. And it reflects the kind of practical, needs-driven thinking that has defined the organization’s approach under Yael Eckstein’s leadership.

What These Seven Projects Say About IFCJ

Taken together, these projects span housing, education, emergency response, immigration support, home repair, and physical security. They serve children and elderly residents, new immigrants and long-established communities, kibbutz families and border-town homeowners.

That breadth is intentional. IFCJ has always operated on the principle that need doesn’t sort itself neatly by category, and that an organization serious about helping people has to be serious about meeting them in the specific circumstances of their lives.

For donors, the organization offers clear accountability. Seventy-six cents of every dollar raised goes directly to ministry programs, exceeding Better Business Bureau standards. IFCJ holds BBB Charity Seal status and voluntarily complies with the financial standards of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability. Donations are 100 percent tax-deductible, and the organization does not sell or publish donor information.

• IFCJ is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
• The BBB Charity Seal since 2004
• 76 cents of every dollar goes directly to programs
• The organization has raised more than $3.1 billion since 1983
• The Fellowship is active in over 47 countries

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein founded IFCJ on the belief that Christians and Jews could work together to care for the Jewish people in concrete, measurable ways. His daughter Yael Eckstein, who now leads the organization from Jerusalem, carries that same conviction into each new chapter of the work.

The seven projects highlighted above aren’t the whole story. They’re a glimpse of what is possible when donors and partner organizations unite with IFCJ for a common cause. And behind each project is a family, a child, a volunteer, or an elderly resident whose life looks different because someone decided to act.