International Fellowship of Christians and Jews/ Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein 
Summary
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews ("IFCJ") was founded in 1983 to promote greater understanding between Jews and Christians and to build Christian support for Israel and other shared concerns. Based in Chicago and under the leadership of its founder and president, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the Fellowship is governed by a national Board of Directors comprised of leading Christians and Jews. Its motto is: cooperate whenever possible, oppose whenever necessary, and teach and sensitize at all times. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.
Contact information
Mailing address:
30 N. LaSalle St.
Suite 2600
Chicago, IL 60602-3356
Website: www.ifcj.org
Phone: (312) 641-7200
Email: info@ifcj.org
Organization details
EIN: 363256096
CEO/President: Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Chairman: John French & Robert Mazer
Board size: 16
Founder: Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Year founded: 1983
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews ("IFCJ") was founded in 1983 to promote greater understanding between Jews and Christians and to build Christian support for Israel and other shared concerns. Based in Chicago and under the leadership of its founder and president, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the Fellowship is governed by a national Board of Directors comprised of leading Christians and Jews. Its motto is: cooperate whenever possible, oppose whenever necessary, and teach and sensitize at all times. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.
IFCJ expresses its goals and current projects as follows:
To educate Christians and Jews about one another by interpreting Jews and their faith to the Christian community and Christians and their faith to the Jewish community.
To help Jews emigrate from the former Soviet Union through our program On Wings of Eagles, and to assist the poor and hungry Jews remaining in the former Soviet Union though our Operation Isaiah 58 project, thereby providing Christians with concrete means to express their love and support for the Jewish people and Israel.
To build a broad network of cooperation and support for shared concerns such as the moral condition of American through our public policy office, known as the Center for Jewish and Christian Values.
To alert, activate and coalesce the communities of faith in America to come to the aid of persecuted people of faith worldwide, and especially persecuted Christians, through our Operation Alert! Campaign and our Religious Liberty Forum to provide a forum on dialogue on the relevant issues on this critical topic.
To encourage Christians and Jews to embrace their shared values and morals while affirming their own religious beliefs. Our project Protecting Religious Expression in Public Schools aims to address this goal.
To resolve tensions and mediate disputes that may arise between Christians and Jews.
Since its inception, the Fellowship has been led by a Board of Directors with a strong belief in its mission of building bridges between the Jewish and Christian communities, support for Israel, and other shared concerns.
Mission statement
To foster better relations and understanding between Christians and Jews, help build greater support for Israel, and cooperate together in building a more moral society through open dialogue, education and programs designed to encourage the joint pursuit of common biblical objectives for the family, American culture and people of faith around the world.
Statement of faith
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews express that they have no written Statement of Faith.
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Advocacy
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 341 of 442 | 19 of 25 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 375 of 442 | 21 of 25 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 365 of 442 | 21 of 25 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 151 of 442 | 10 of 25 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Median % for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 7% | 13% | 13% | 15% | 15% | 13% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 6% | 13% | 12% | 15% | 15% | 13% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 95% | 100% | 96% | 99% | 100% | 100% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 14% | 12% | 15% | 16% | 16% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 5% | 0% | 4% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| Operating ratios | Median % for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 73% | 79% | 75% | 74% | 73% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 99% | 95% | 108% | 101% | 95% | 82% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 70% | 85% | 76% | 70% | 60% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 1% | 5% | -8% | -1% | 5% | 18% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 15% | -28% | -3% | 16% | 60% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 13% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 11% |
| Investing ratios | Median measure for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.27 | 1.88 | 2.42 | 2.16 | 2.14 | 2.07 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.53 | 1.10 | 1.05 | 1.02 | 1.01 | 1.01 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.46 | 2.06 | 2.54 | 2.20 | 2.16 | 2.08 |
| Liquidity ratios | Median measure for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 7.97 | 5.82 | 5.89 | 6.72 | 10.18 | 9.08 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.11 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.10 | 0.11 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 4.05 | 4.83 | 3.92 | 4.65 | 5.01 | 5.13 |
| Solvency ratios | Median % for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 10% | 37% | 37% | 26% | 21% | 22% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 63% | 33% | 26% | 34% | 37% | 38% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Cash | $18,027,281 | $13,582,022 | $16,795,121 | $15,029,423 | $22,569,438 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $7,156,240 | $7,402,489 | $8,750,011 | $8,409,003 | $8,169,303 |
| Short-term investments | $30,031,838 | $32,365,299 | $34,863,232 | $34,562,331 | $19,511,617 |
| Other current assets | $1,090,226 | $1,074,553 | $1,080,574 | $916,543 | $610,501 |
| Total current assets | $56,305,585 | $54,424,363 | $61,488,938 | $58,917,300 | $50,860,859 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $5,358,470 | $2,736,247 | $1,071,043 | $578,463 | $368,795 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $5,358,470 | $2,736,247 | $1,071,043 | $578,463 | $368,795 |
| Total assets | $61,664,055 | $57,160,610 | $62,559,981 | $59,495,763 | $51,229,654 |
| Liabilities | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $9,309,567 | $7,937,174 | $8,017,093 | $4,730,904 | $4,468,046 |
| Other current liabilities | $372,475 | $1,303,363 | $1,135,669 | $1,056,459 | $1,136,104 |
| Total current liabilities | $9,682,042 | $9,240,537 | $9,152,762 | $5,787,363 | $5,604,150 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $13,375,675 | $11,891,172 | $7,009,135 | $6,545,155 | $5,903,003 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $13,375,675 | $11,891,172 | $7,009,135 | $6,545,155 | $5,903,003 |
| Total liabilities | $23,057,717 | $21,131,709 | $16,161,897 | $12,332,518 | $11,507,153 |
| Net assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Unrestricted | $32,695,245 | $34,900,604 | $45,894,940 | $38,270,801 | $29,885,434 |
| Temporarily restricted | $5,911,093 | $625,153 | $0 | $8,395,221 | $9,837,067 |
| Permanently restricted | $0 | $503,144 | $503,144 | $497,223 | $0 |
| Net assets | $38,606,338 | $36,028,901 | $46,398,084 | $47,163,245 | $39,722,501 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Total contributions | $121,705,365 | $123,754,072 | $131,749,181 | $135,041,466 | $129,248,740 |
| Program service revenue | $1,754,507 | $141,514 | $87,322 | $103,576 | $112,343 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | ($1,870,175) | $4,347,899 | $1,793,875 | ($541,170) | $516,837 |
| Other revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $75 |
| Total other revenue | ($115,668) | $4,489,413 | $1,881,197 | ($437,594) | $629,255 |
| Total revenue | $121,589,697 | $128,243,485 | $133,630,378 | $134,603,872 | $129,877,995 |
| Expenses | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Program services | $84,668,389 | $109,365,000 | $101,137,352 | $93,850,975 | $77,330,787 |
| Management and general | $14,983,422 | $13,099,401 | $13,743,191 | $13,448,517 | $11,806,348 |
| Fundraising | $16,295,964 | $15,936,124 | $20,265,187 | $19,972,698 | $16,755,568 |
| Total expenses | $115,947,775 | $138,400,525 | $135,145,730 | $127,272,190 | $105,892,703 |
| Change in net assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $5,641,922 | ($10,157,040) | ($1,515,352) | $7,331,682 | $23,985,292 |
| Other changes in net assets | ($3,064,485) | ($212,143) | $750,191 | $109,062 | ($260,178) |
| Total change in net assets | $2,577,437 | ($10,369,183) | ($765,161) | $7,440,744 | $23,725,114 |
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
History
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews was founded in 1983 to promote greater understanding between Jews and Christians, to build Christian support for Israel and other shared concerns. Based in Chicago, under the leadership of its founder and president, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the Fellowship is governed by a national Board of Directors comprised of leading Christians and Jews.
The Fellowship's dream is that Christians and Jews would reverse their 2,000-year history of discord and replace it with a relationship marked by dialogue, better understanding, respect, fellowship, and active cooperation on issues of common concern. Through our programs and publications, we attempt to foster better relations and understanding between Christians and Jews, help build Christian support for Israel, and cooperate in building a more moral society through open dialogue, education, and sensitization of people of faith around the world.
All of our work is guided by the Rabbi's personal motto "Cooperate whenever possible; oppose whenever necessary and teach and sensitize at all times."
From its very inception, the Fellowship has organized dialogue programs between Christian and Jewish leaders, setting the stage for the ambitious projects that followed. Over the years, the Fellowship has hosted "Solidarity with Israel" programs featuring noted speakers such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Pat Boone, Donald Rumsfeld and Federal Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz.
We have also coordinated and participated in a number of important conferences between Christians and Jews both here in America as well as in Europe, Australia and Israel. These have included special tours of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and briefings at the Israeli Embassy. The Fellowship has developed a variety of educational resource materials that are widely used by churches, synagogues, individuals and study groups to further Christian and Jewish understanding of one another and appreciation of their respective faiths.
The Fellowship has, over the years, organized a variety of leadership programs fostering Christian and Jewish support for the State of Israel. These have included tours to Israel with celebrities like Pat Boone and with groups like Pat Robertson's CBN, the National Religious Broadcasters, and a special trip for Christian media leaders in the immediate aftermath of the Gulf War.
The Fellowship also helped coordinate activities for the Government of Israel's "Operation Brainstorm" to increase Christian tourism to Israel as well as "Operation Independence" which assisted Israel economically.
More recently, we arranged for key Christian leaders to receive briefings from Israeli government officials including the President and the Prime Minister.
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is trusted and respected by leaders in both communities and has, over the years, frequently been called upon to serve as peacemaker and troubleshooter, mediating disputes between the communities and replacing acrimony with dialogue.
Rabbi Eckstein addresses the US Congress: In pursuit of its goal of building bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews, when Evangelical-Jewish tensions were particularly high in 1994, the Fellowship organized a historic Evangelical-Jewish Leadership Congress at the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C. For the first time ever, leaders from both communities gathered behind closed doors for an all-day meeting to reconcile their differences and begin building an agenda for the future based on shared values and concerns rather than on historical prejudices.
Participants in the Evangelical-Jewish Leadership Congress included: Dr. Ralph Reed, Executive Director of the Christian Coalition; Dr. Jerry Farwell, Chancellor of Liberty University; Dr. Richard Land, President of the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League; Philip Baum, National Director of the American Jewish Congress; and Rabbi David Saperstein of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, among others.
Speaking at a news conference following the meetings, Rabbi Eckstein said, "We agreed to disagree without maligning or impugning the motives or characters of one another... We've come a long way in just one day of dialogue. There was a real spirit of Shalom in this meeting."
Today our bridge building work continues in the United States, Israel and the former Soviet Union. As recently as December, representatives of the Fellowship's Christian supporters held the first ever dialogue between Christians and representatives of the Jewish community in Odessa, Ukraine. Fellowship staff, in cooperation with METV, a division of the Christian Broadcasting Network, is developing a video/discussion series on the Jewish Roots of Christianity.
Our bridge building is not one sided. At its first meeting of the new millennium, the Fellowship's board voted to commit substantial resources to reach out to the American Jewish community.
Program accomplishments
For years International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has helped build bridges for greater understanding and cooperation between people of the Jewish faith and Christian faith. Among other things they have helped hundreds of thousands of Jews escape poverty and anti-Semitism and return to their biblical homeland Israel, funded humanitarian assistance to millions of Jews in Israel and around the world, provided life-giving aid to Israel's victims of war and terror thus fulfilling God's promise to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you."