Our Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein | July 12, 2018
Dear Friend of Israel,
After we prayed together, I asked the scores of Iraqi Christians assembled at St. Mary’s Church in Amman, Jordan, two questions.
First: How many of you have seen firsthand the brutal persecution of Christians by terrorist groups like ISIS? All raised their hands. Second: How many of you have held on to your faith and still see it as a source of guidance and hope? Again, all hands went up.
It was deeply humbling. In my lifetime, I have not endured a fraction of the pain and persecution that these people have experienced. They’ve seen friends and family members murdered or tortured simply because they are Christians. They have been hungry and homeless. They fled to Jordan because it was, quite literally, a matter of life and death. They have been living on faith alone.
I was invited to Jordan recently by my dear friends Father Khalil Jaar and Canon Andrew White, who are helping coordinate The Fellowship‘s aid to persecuted Christians. Uprooted and feeling abandoned, so many Christians in the Middle East are in desperate need not just of physical aid, but of the assurance that they are not forgotten. I came to them with a simple message: You are not alone. We will not abandon you.
The Fellowship has taken the first steps to help these Christians with their immediate needs by funding a medical clinic and providing them with medicine, food vouchers, and money for housing. But there is so much more to do, and we cannot – we must not – turn away from them.
Please join me in praying that God will shower His blessings upon these people who have suffered so greatly. And, as we pray, may we also “pray with our feet” by giving persecuted Christians the necessities they need not just to survive, but to rebuild their shattered lives.
I went to Jordan on your behalf, and during the entire trip I felt your generous, compassionate spirit for those in dire need. Working together, our fellowship of Christians and Jews can show the world the truth of the biblical verse “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity” (Psalm 133:1) by giving hope to Christians whose lives have been devastated by ruthless terrorists.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Founder and President