Holocaust Survivors

Major Program to Help Destitute Holocaust Survivors Announced by International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

Majority of Funds Have Been Donated by Evangelical Christians

Last update: 2:00 p.m. EDT Sept. 22, 2008

CHICAGO, Sep 22, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews announced today a major program to assist Holocaust survivors in desperate need. The Holocaust Survivors Fund will distribute $10,554,470 to 27,785 people in 37 countries. The program, which has been funded by Christians in the United States and Canada, provides the neediest Holocaust survivors around the world with a special gift of between $300-$600. The program was unveiled at the IFCJ's conference in Chicago by the group's founder, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. It marks the 25th anniversary of the organization's existence.
The major two-day conference and celebration in Chicago continues Tuesday. Hundreds of IFCJ supporters, both Christians and Jews, have come together to show their solidarity with Israel including Dr. Pat Robertson, Jonathan Falwell, Pat Boone, Gary Bauer and Ralph Reed, Jr. and the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Sallai Meridor. The full program is available on our web site at www.ifcj.org.
"We created the Holocaust Survivors Fund when we realized the extent of the need," says Rabbi Eckstein. "Despite the billions of dollars that have been pledged to aid Holocaust survivors, there are tens of thousands of them who live in abject poverty. Our program gives them a little something to celebrate the upcoming Jewish New Year -- and just as importantly, lets them know that they are not alone or forgotten."
There are approximately half a million Holocaust survivors alive today. The IFCJ program has identified those most in need, and mostly in those countries where there is little welfare safety net to support them financially. It then went to its donors and asked for their help to provide these suffering people with tangible assistance and a new measure of human dignity.
"When we asked our Christian supporters for help, their response was overwhelming," says Rabbi Eckstein. "We are proud that our supporters have made these gifts of love. And we are resolved that the dwindling numbers of Holocaust survivors be able to spend their remaining days in dignity and comfort."
The funds will start reaching Holocaust survivors next week and will be completely disbursed by October 13. A breakout of numbers of survivors for individual countries is available upon request.
Since its inception in 1983, The International Conference of Christians and Jews has provided more than half a billion dollars of support to Israel and Jews living outside of Israel in a variety of ways. This includes helping Jews immigrate to Israel ("On Wings of Eagles"), assistance to impoverished Jews in Israel and countries of the former Soviet Union, and political advocacy on behalf of Israel. It is recognized as the premier organization that has built ties of dialogue, respect and cooperation between Jews and Christians.