An Account from Israel's Frontlines by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein / AH : Jul 28, 2006
IFCJ-Reprinted with permission

An interview with Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Part 1:

How has The Fellowship been responding to the current crisis in Israel?

When the missiles started flying about 12 or 13 days ago, our staff went north to meet with the various mayors. Within 24 hours we were able to give each of the cities and villages on the northern border 40, 50, 60 thousand dollars for their immediate needs. So the Fellowship was and is really appreciated here because before any other groups came, before the government was able to get itself together, we were in the position to help with the basic needs as people started going into the shelters.

How were you able to act so quickly?

We've been working with our Guardians of Israel program with these and 100 other cities for a couple of years, so we know the officials - we know the welfare department heads, we know their transparency in terms of documentation and numbers. We have an emergency fund precisely for situations like this. That's why within 24 hours we were up there and within 24 hours after that we were able to provide the basic things that were needed as people started moving to shelters. That means air conditioning or fans, beds and mattresses, food, diapers, toys for children - all the things you don't even think of that now have to be put into a shelter. For some of the civil workers it meant flak jackets because they had nothing to protect them.

That is what we did at the very beginning, and we've been continuing going around [seeing] what else we can do. What I did now was to come myself to the northern border to see the situation first hand and how we are getting out the stuff, to meet with the mayors and to see at 2 weeks end, what are the needs are today.

How are the Israeli people holding up in your view?

I also went into the shelters and gave encouragement to the people and brought them food and water and things like that. I want them to know that American Christians are standing with Israel. Through the course of the day we started at one town, where right away we experienced three sirens. They give you 12-15 seconds to find a shelter and that was my first exposure to it. When the siren sounded I started to walk fast and people started yelling at me, "Hey this isn't a game - you've got to run to the shelter, you only have a few seconds." So we all started running. There were three such episodes while we were there. One rocket hit just a mile or two away from us and unfortunately killed a 15 year old girl, an Arab girl in a village that we also helped. (Photo: A soldier helps a young girl. - FOXNews)

So we went from place to place - in one place it seemed like there was a bomb going off every 5 seconds. I did a TV program there for the news. As we made our way slowly back to Jerusalem, one thing was clear - the morale of the people in the shelters is very high. You can imagine how difficult it must be to spend a day or night together with 25 or 30 other people in a crowded, hot, stuffy and tense room - and then to multiply that by 12-13 days. Meanwhile you're not working, you're sitting inside, your kids are crying, you don't have money, you're unsure if you'll have a job when you get out … it is a very difficult situation, but people's spirit is so strong they all say they will stand behind the army as long as it takes if it means putting an end to the Hezbollah threat. They would rather endure this for longer if it gets the job done than to compromise and be subjected to terrorist threats from the northern border.

The IFCJ has written a letter of encouragement, which Americans can sign, to be given to officials in cities in which the Fellowship is helping. To read the letter, and sign it, CLICK HERE.