It’s not shocking that there is an Orthodox Rabbi from Chicago raising millions of dollars for Jewish philanthropy. It is astonishing that these donations come from evangelical Christians despite hundreds of years of discord and animosity between the two groups. What force could be behind this seemingly insurmountable feat?
Bible Gateway interviewed Rabbi Yechiel Z. Eckstein (@TheFellowship) about the book, The Bridge Builder: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein by Zev Chafets (Sentinel, 2015).
What are the objectives of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ)?
Rabbi Eckstein: The objectives are threefold. One, to build bridges of understanding and healing between Christians and Jews after 2,000 years of enmity, hatred, and separation. Two, to deepen Christians’ understanding of the Jewish roots of their faith and their bonds with Israel and the Jewish people. And three, to form a way to cooperate on issues of shared concern.
More than 30 years ago, what prompted you to see the need for building relational bridges between Christians and Jews?
Rabbi Eckstein: I felt that there was enough common ground between Jews and Christians, especially evangelicals, who, as Paul says in Romans, were grafted onto the rich olive tree of Israel. That dialogue led to the second goal of helping Christians understand their Jewish roots and deepen their spiritual bonds with Israel. And then third, we found issues unrelated to Israel, mainly about religious persecution, that we could come together on.
Today we’re witnessing a world that’s so fractured and divided. There’s so much ethnic and religious hate leading to violence and wars, and we’re all facing the challenge of radical Islam and terrorism. I believe everyone is called to be a bridge builder, especially today.
What challenges did you face when you began IFCJ?
Rabbi Eckstein: First, I didn’t have any money. There was no vehicle through which Christians and Jews could reach out to one another and together bless Israel. And so that was a big challenge to get people to believe in the message. Frankly, it was more difficult with the Jewish community than it was with the Christian community. From the beginning, the Christian community readily adopted this vision of bringing healing and reconciliation by blessing Israel and the Jewish people. The Jewish community in general was more skeptical. I personally suffered a good deal from the challenges within my own Orthodox community, where there still are pockets of criticism to this day. My biography, The Bridge Builder, goes into that matter in great detail. But at no point did I ever waver or question this vision. I believe God anointed me to go out and preach this vision of Christian and Jewish reconciliation and cooperation. We all need to build bridges with others.
How do you hope this book will impact readers?
Rabbi Eckstein: My greatest hope is that people who read about my 40 years of becoming a bridge builder will see that as a model for their own lives. I really believe that each of us is called to be a bridge builder in some way in our lives. It may be with our children. It may be with the guy down the block who hates us. It may be with another community. I believe God is calling us all to build bridges every day. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to hear God’s voice through the clutter of our day-to-day activities.
When Zev Chafets, a New York Times reporter and FOX News correspondent, approached me about writing my biography, I was flattered and humbled. But I didn’t want to make any money from the book. Every penny from the sale of the book and all the royalties go to IFCJ.
Is anti-Semitism lessening or increasing around the world?
Rabbi Eckstein: Anti-Semitism has been growing in the past few years; frighteningly so. We thought that after World War II and the Holocaust the world would get it and would realize finally after all these centuries that unspeakable things happen when anti-Semitism is allowed to grow. Whatever the reason, it’s reared its ugly head again today, and in force. There’s a huge spike in anti-Semitism in the Arab world, where they’re teaching their children to hate Israel and to hate Jews. The boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement is not just boycotting Israeli companies, they’re boycotting Jews and Jewish companies in America, France, Germany. You can’t go into a synagogue in Europe without police guards making sure that you’re not carrying any bombs. And a lot of Jewish institutions are vulnerable.
What role does the Tanakh and the Christian Bible play in your efforts?
Rabbi Eckstein: The Bible is central to both Christians and Jews. We share a common vision of the Bible serving as a source of values, and the truth of the matter is that America was founded on the basis of that Judeo-Christian heritage.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?
Rabbi Eckstein: I’m so thrilled that there is Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App. It’s a wonderful tool; an opportunity for people to study the Bible. I believe there are some more than 200 versions already in the Bible Gateway series. I commend Bible Gateway for enabling millions of people to study the Bible and to have it hopefully be a force in our lives for good. What’s also great about the App is that it makes it so easy to search and delineate those verses that are especially meaningful to you. I do that. I like to come back to verses that are especially meaningful to me and contemplate them, pray over them, and let them inspire my soul. I appreciate that Bible Gateway helps me do that.
Bio: In 1983, Rabbi Eckstein founded the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), devoting his life to building bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews and broad support for the state of Israel. Rabbi Eckstein was a leading Jewish authority on evangelical Christians. The Fellowship now raises over $125 million dollars annually, making it the largest Christian-supported humanitarian nonprofit working in Israel today.
Rabbi Eckstein received Orthodox Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University in New York. He held master’s degrees from Yeshiva University and Columbia University, where he also completed studies for his doctorate. Rabbi Eckstein served on the faculties of Columbia University, Chicago Theological Seminary, and Northern Baptist Seminary.
Relevant magazine has published an interesting 
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