Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Receives ‘Woman of the Year’ Award from Jaffa Institute

January 31, 2025

JERUSALEM (January 31, 2025) – The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) is proud to announce that Yael Eckstein, President and CEO, was named ‘Woman of the Year’ by The Jaffa Institute, at its annual gala in Tel Aviv on January 29, 2025. 

Eckstein received the award in honor of The Fellowship’s longstanding partnership with the organization, which works to assist severely disadvantaged children and their families living in Israel’s most impoverished neighborhoods. The Fellowship has supported food donations to Holocaust survivors, the elderly, and families in need for decades.

Dr. David Portowicz, Founder and President of the Jaffa Institute, presented Eckstein the award alongside Chaim Hurvitz, Chairman of the Board of the Jaffa Institute, and spoke of the late Rabbi Eckstein, who founded The Fellowship more than 40 years ago, as a “beloved and unforgettable personal friend…who was, and remains, one of the people who managed to leave a mark on the state and people of Israel.”

Nearly six years after his passing, The Fellowship is now Israel’s largest provider of humanitarian aid. Last year alone, The Fellowship donated more than $80 million specifically for food aid programs in collaboration with government offices and various food organizations, and funded over 3 million meals in soup kitchens, in addition to hundreds of thousands of food packages and food vouchers.

“My father began this partnership over two decades ago, as he worked tirelessly to build bridges of understanding and cooperation between the state of Israel, the Jewish people, and Christians worldwide, and encourage them to join the mitzvah of feeding the hungry and assisting communities in need,” Eckstein said.

Today, The Fellowship helps more than 2 million Israelis and Jewish people globally each year, and in 2024 entered the fight against anti-Semitism as Israel and the Jewish people continue to fight an existential battle on multiple fronts. The Fellowship has provided more than $157 million in emergency aid to Israel since the attacks of October 7, 2023.

“To see the next generation carrying this holy work forward, while having my sisters and daughters and nieces by my side as I receive this incredible honor is the greatest blessing in the world.”