Where Your Israel Donation Really Goes

At a time when Israel is facing the threat of nuclear annihilation and many believe the world is nearing the midnight hour on God’s prophetic clock, millions of evangelical Christians are rallying to support Israel. Even the Jewish community—long suspicious of conservative, Bible-believing Christians—is beginning to notice.

The support comes in many forms, from increased travel to Israel to thousands journeying to Washington, D.C., for a festive “Night to Honor Israel” event as a part of Christians United for Israel’s annual summit—and staying the next day to lobby on Capitol Hill and ensure the United States remains a strong ally to Israel.

Many ministries have tapped into this groundswell of support. They’ve learned that if they highlight end-time Bible prophecy or anything related to Israel, people seem to rally more than they do for other pressing issues, such as the sanctity of life or traditional marriage—or even righteous living, for that matter. Other ministries have sprung up to take advantage of this newfound interest in the six decades since Israel became a state. As a result, an estimated $210 million a year flows into Israel-related ministries.

Yet Christians’ interest in Israel is varied and complicated. Much of it stems from an understanding that Israel’s formation fulfilled the prophet Isaiah’s 2,600-year-old prophecy that a nation would be born in a day (Is. 66:7-8). Most believers also carry a biblical understanding that Israel is key to God’s end-time plan, which includes many Jewish people becoming believers in Jesus as the Messiah. While Jews appreciate support from anyone in a world where they have few allies, it is this last part that gives most in the Jewish community heartburn.

At the same time, Christians’ increasing support parallels the noticeable rise of the Messianic Jewish movement in the past few decades. When Derek Prince, the late Bible teacher, lived in Israel after World War II, there were almost no Israeli-born believers in Jesus. Today the latest reports estimate almost 20,000 and 150 congregations in “the Land” (as Eretz Yisrael is called), while globally the reports range as high as 300,000 Messianic Jewish believers. (For more on this phenomenon, click here.)

Into this complicated milieu have popped up Israel-related ministries as diverse as Jews for Jesus, whose purpose is to evangelize Jews, to Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which promises its Jewish friends they don’t need to fear being proselytized at events. There are compassion ministries, such as Vision for Israel, and there are “activist” movements such as United With Israel. Between these extremes are ministries that focus on everything from prophecy and end-time teaching to media and publishing.

This report aims to sort out the basics of who’s who and to diminish widespread confusion over what some of these ministries actually do. Indeed, there are considerable differences among the motives of these organizations. Yet the average Christian who has a heart for Israel and wants to bless the Jewish people will often send a donation to a ministry that touts its support for Israel without having any idea where that money actually goes. Worse still, many Christians never bother to bless Israel because they fail to recognize the importance of doing so—and the confusion over which ministries do what becomes an easy excuse not to give.

After being aware of these factors and making many inquiries, Charisma decided to shine a light on some of the major Israel-related ministries and, specifically, their financial stewardship. We researched—as much as we could, with the ministries’ cooperation—where money is actually going by conducting interviews and pulling financial records, all so you can make informed decisions with your donation. Charisma‘s readership has historically been among the most loyal and giving Israel supporters in America, and we want you to be wise stewards as you sow into what God calls His people and His land.

The Misperceived Rabbi

Wisdom requires discernment. And when it comes to being wise stewards of what you give toward Israel, it’s crucial to understand some of the glaring misconceptions among Christians. Chief among these is the belief that when you give to help the Jewish people, your donation actually aids believers who administer those funds to further the gospel. The truth is, some organizations—including ones in this report—not only fail to support Messianic believers, but often use donations to support initiatives that actually hinder those brothers and sisters in Christ.

One such example is International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), led by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, chief executive officer of the Chicago- and Jerusalem-based ministry, who is among the most familiar faces on the Israeli ministry scene. Eckstein is an orthodox Jewish rabbi from the Windy City who launched the Fellowship in 1983 with support from well-known Christian leaders, such as Total Living Network founder Jerry Rose, the late author Jamie Buckingham and late Christian publisher Robert Walker.

With the help of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, Eckstein also tapped into the interest on Christian TV for information on Israel and became a fixture at the annual National Religious Broadcasters convention, pitching his various programs, from 30-minute infomercials to teaching series such as Journey to Zion.

Today, programs such as On Wings of Eagles and Guardians of Israel tie directly into supporting IFCJ’s outreach initiatives while being seen by millions on more than 25 Christian stations in the U.S. (and dozens more around the world).

For most believers, these programs come across no different than watching Perry Stone or Benny Hinn on a broadcast airing from Israel, complete with a Bible teaching about the Holy Land. Eckstein has a charming demeanor, is telegenic and is an effective communicator. When he talks about the Torah or Jewish customs, his teaching comes across like something you might expect from a Christian teacher.

That’s part of the problem. Many who support him think he’s a “nice Messianic rabbi.”

“Our biggest concern is that a lot of Christians support his work, thinking they are supporting Messianic Jews and Messianic ministries—but he’s not a believer,” says Sue Perlman, associate director of Jews for Jesus. “He has forthrightly said he opposes Jewish evangelism, and when we tell Christians that, they are shocked because they have been sending money to him [thinking] that in Jesus’ name all this money is going to help Jews come to Israel.”

Reaching out to the Christian community and tapping into its deep love for Israel has not been a wrong strategy for Eckstein, even if he is an Orthodox Jew. His organization claims to have raised more than $600 million since its inception, and it has expanded recently to generate more than $110 million per year in donor money.

Meanwhile, according to 2012 tax returns, Eckstein raked in more than $530,000 in salary and $670,000-plus in benefits last year. His total pay is almost five times the average direct compensation that executive directors at similar-sized religious organizations earn, according to a compensation comparison generated by Linda Lampkin, the resource director at Economic Research Institute in Washington, D.C. (For more on this, see “Worth His Weight in Gold?” on p. 54.)

In addition, Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries in New York City, says both his organization and Jews for Jesus have a global scope unlike IFCJ.

“Both [Jews for Jesus] and I lead organizations that do a lot more than work in Israel and in relief, and Eckstein and some others only do Israel-related work,” Glaser says. “Eckstein is not a believer in Jesus, and his organization should be viewed as a secular nonprofit organization. This is reflected in his remuneration. Believers simply need to understand the difference. If Christians want to help Jewish people both physically and spiritually, there are a number of good options to choose from.”

Eckstein did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

“People need to be discerning and listen to God, knowing He is going to bless their heartfelt gifts to reach Jewish people in Israel—even if they are misplaced in organization’s like Eckstein’s,” Perlman says. “But it’s incumbent on us to help inform Christians that if they want to see Jews come to faith in Jesus, they should be praying and giving to those organizations that have that as their No. 1 priority.”

Straddling Community Lines

Another example where many unwitting Christians think they are helping Messianics in Israel is Christians United for Israel, headed by founder John Hagee and its executive director, David Brog.

Hagee is undoubtedly the most public face of Christian support for Israel. Respected in both the evangelical and Jewish communities, he’s even garnered support from national media celebrities such as Glenn Beck. Politicians recognize his influence and curry his support, though this backfired for him when then-presidential candidate John McCain famously threw Hagee under the bus when a left-leaning Jew accused the pastor of being anti-Semitic. The charge was entirely unfounded and based on a fallacious misinterpretation of an obscure comment Hagee made in a sermon years ago.

Interestingly enough, leaders in the Jewish community were the first to jump to Hagee’s defense. They know he actually may be—as conservative Rabbi Aaron Rubinger from Orlando, Fla., said after attending a CUFI event—the best friend Israel has in America. Hagee has long been an avid supporter of Israel and was influenced by Derek Prince and other believers in the 1980s. Since he launched “A Night to Honor Israel” in 1981, the events have raised almost $80 million for humanitarian aid in Israel.

Charisma publisher Steve Strang attended “A Night to Honor Israel” in 2004 and was dumbfounded when he saw checks presented to three groups totaling $2.3 million.

“I’d never seen anything like it,” says Strang, who was sitting close enough to the recipients to see their emotional reaction to getting the checks.

To show his love and support for Israel, Hagee gives the raised money to charities that help the Jewish people. He makes his decisions on donations with the advice of Jewish friends. But it’s well known that none of the money gets to believers in Israel.

It’s a tightrope Hagee has walked for years. He’s friends with many Messianic believers and is quick to say he is supportive of believers in Israel. (In fact, several Messianic leaders were part of CUFI’s founding meeting in 2006.) But to publicly maintain peace with the Jewish community, which generally rejects Messianics, Hagee keeps his distance, much to the chagrin of the Messianic believers in Israel who often struggle to raise funds for their ministries.

Hagee also gets Jewish advice from CUFI’s own executive director. Brog is the powerhouse behind the Christian organization, yet he’s also a conservative (non-Messianic) Jew. He brought two other Jews on board: Shari Dollinger from Atlanta as one of his coordinators and Ari Morgenstern as communications director. Morgenstern ensures CUFI’s messaging is consistent with what Brog wants—which is to convey that evangelical Christians support Israel, yet (to his Jewish supporters) are also “safe” because CUFI will never proselytize.

Brog, who was chief of staff to liberal Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania for seven years, is said to run CUFI like a political campaign. He has talking points, stays focused and rallies his constituency. He’s well liked by those who work with him and known for being a brilliant strategist. But one by one, the higher-profile Christian leaders who helped Hagee start CUFI are dropping off as the organization becomes more focused on political lobbying.

It’s no secret that one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, D.C., the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has long wanted a “Gentile arm,” and some believe they now have it in CUFI. Jewish leaders and philanthropists love to attend CUFI’s events to see the genuine enthusiasm and love expressed for Israel. Though there’s still rousing Christian music and prayer at these events, there’s most certainly no proselytizing. As a result, many wealthy Jews have pumped tens of thousands of dollars into CUFI.

Like Hagee, Brog has learned how to straddle the line between the evangelical and Jewish communities, and it shows in CUFI’s growth. The organization boasts of having more than 1 million “members,” though insiders know such membership consists of nothing but CUFI having your email address. There’s nothing to pay, nothing to sign. And even if you drop out, you’re still counted as a member. Given this, insiders say the number of actual donors is closer to 30,000 to 50,000.

Meanwhile, little is known about CUFI’s finances other than funds raised. The organization says neither Hagee nor his wife, Diana, receives any compensation from CUFI. Yet when Charisma asked CUFI the same questions asked of other organizations in this report—particularly about administrative costs, leader salaries and budgetary breakdown—Morgenstern declined to comment beyond the following: “The focus of Charisma‘s article is on organizations whose missions center on ‘ministry programs in Israel and humanitarian aid to Israel.’ Having served as one of CUFI’s regional directors, Mr. Strang should be well aware that CUFI’s mission is entirely different: CUFI’s focus is on educating Christians in America about the biblical mandate to stand with Israel. CUFI simply has no place in this article.”

Given the support Charisma readers have given CUFI since its inception, that’s hard to believe.

Faithful With What You Have

What’s equally difficult to believe for most Christians is that there are now more Jews living in the 8,000-square-mile Holy Land than in the entire 3.8 million square miles of the U.S. For evangelistic ministries like Jews for Jesus, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in September, that recent demographic shift and the “spiritual openness of Israelis to the gospel demands that missions to the Jews make Israel their No. 1 priority,” Perlman says. “We have more missionaries in Israel today than any other branch of Jews for Jesus around the world, but we don’t have enough.”

Because of this need, raising sufficient funds to serve the vision and recruit additional missionaries becomes even more vital. And with President Obama calling for limits on charitable tax deductions, Messianic leaders say it’s crucial for Israel-related ministries to be good stewards of donations and to operate without even the appearance of impropriety.

Although an exorbitant salary and benefit package is an easy abuse to spot in the world of religious nonprofits, more difficult to determine is whether ministries are actually being good stewards of the donations they receive.

“I’ve been working with religious nonprofits for four decades, and I can tell you that the vast majority of [them] operate with a genuine commitment to financial integrity and appropriate accountability,” says Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). “But there are a few exceptions. We say to the public that when a religious organization spends money in a manner that may reasonably be perceived by the public as benefiting its leaders in lavish, extravagant, excessive and unreasonable ways, that several bad things happen. First, that kind of conduct damages the organization’s credibility and mission. Secondly, it impacts the credibility of other organizations and raises the risk that legislators and regulators will pursue more burdensome legislation.”

Busby says it’s often difficult to determine how and where ministries spend their funds because there is little consistency in how the organizations report how much is spent on administration, fundraising, ministry programs and humanitarian aid. Lampkin agrees with Busby, saying there appears to be a bit of “creative accounting” going on.

“Different organizations tend to allocate differently among programs and administrative expenses because the incentive is to reduce your administrative expenses and allocate it across all your programs—because everybody wants to pay for programs and nobody wants to pay for administration and management,” Lampkin says. “They have an incentive to report things so they look as efficient as possible.”

Yet as Perlman points out, “When it comes to providing financial information, there is always a danger of comparing apples and oranges. What one organization understands as salary and benefits may be different than how another interprets those categories.”

For example, Charisma‘s analysis found that within the category of “program services” commonly listed on Israel-related ministries’ financial records, the percentage of expenses ranged from a low of 54 percent (IFCJ) to a high of 92 percent (Dugit Messianic Outreach Center).

“In the case where [IFCJ] reported spending 54 percent on programs, if we knew they used the same methodology as [Dugit] that spent 92 percent on programs, then we might be able to draw some conclusions,” Busby says. “We might be able to say that one uses their resources more efficiently than the other. But since the data is so soft, even the country’s top nonprofit attorney testified before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee last year suggesting the IRS drop program spending from Form 990 because it was so ineffective.”

The List

As difficult as it may be to compare efficiency among ministries, donors can at least be knowledgeable not only of the types of initiatives covered, but also how money is being spent. So to help readers pick the best ministries to support financially, the following list of 17 Israel-related ministries highlights how these organizations break down the dollars Charisma readers often give to them.

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

For organizations that operate with a budget well over $100 million, higher compensation packages among top leadership is to be expected. But beyond Eckstein’s $1.2 million salary and benefit package ($530,514 in base compensation; $673,176 in other benefits), as well as at least eight leaders earning around $200,000, critics say their broader concerns about IFCJ involve the percentage of donations spent on fundraising and a mission that has “nothing to do with reconciling Jewish people to God.”

Though officials at IFCJ (ifcj.org) did not grant interviews or provide financial information to Charisma, the organization’s 990 tax return shows it collected $113 million in contributions and grants in 2012. In its most recent evaluation, the independent nonprofit company Charity Navigator reported 54 percent of IFCJ’s income went to programs, 7 percent to administration and 39 percent to fundraising. Charity Navigator gave the organization 43 out of 70 points for financial health and a perfect 70 out of 70 for financial accountability and transparency. Combined, IFCJ received an overall rating of 51 out of 70 points (three out of four stars).

Yet not everyone is convinced these ratings accurately reflect IFCJ’s financial stewardship.

“How can this charity get such a high rating when over [39 percent] of the funds raised go to fundraising expenses?” one reader on Charity Navigator’s website commented. “This is certainly not efficiency.”

In an auditor’s report posted on its website, the IFCJ states its mission is to promote “understanding and cooperation between Jews and Christians and to build broad support and other shared concerns. It is the Fellowship’s vision that Jews and Christians will reverse their 2,000-year history of discord and replace it with a relationship marked by dialogue, understanding, respect and cooperation.”

Aside from media programming, the Fellowship’s main projects include helping Jews make aliyah (return to Israel), aiding needy Israeli families, assisting the Jewish poor in the former Soviet Union and mobilizing Christian support for Israel. Yet in a Jews for Jesus newsletter in 2007, Executive Director David Brickner questioned why so many Christians respond to Eckstein’s appeals for projects that have “nothing to do with reconciling Jewish people to God.”

“I can understand it to a certain extent, inasmuch as Eckstein’s approach to Christians, in my opinion, is ambiguous at best and has misled many in the church who think he is a Jewish Christian,” Brickner wrote. “They do not know that some of the funds Rabbi Eckstein collects go to groups that oppose efforts to tell Jewish people that they need to know Jesus as Messiah and Lord.”

Jews for Jesus

Celebrating its 40th year of existence, Jews for Jesus (jewsforjesus.org) reaches out to both Jews and Gentiles with the gospel through one-on-one evangelism.

“Our mission statement, our purpose, has not changed over all that time,” Perlman says. “We exist to make the messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to Jewish people worldwide. Jews for Jesus is best known as a proclamation ministry—whether it’s in the public area, on street corners, on billboards, one-on-one, on campuses, downtown areas. We are out there meeting the people who have questions about Jesus, and many of them are Jewish people.”

In 2011, according to an auditor’s report, Jews for Jesus received $20 million in donations. Of those funds, 16 percent went for administration, 9 percent for fundraising and 75 percent for evangelism and other ministries.

The ministry uses creative means to find those who are interested in hearing the gospel, including handing out more than 8 million hand-lettered pamphlets—such as I Thought I Was an Olympic Superstar and Jesus Made Me Kosher—each year on the streets. Jews for Jesus also places ads in secular magazines and newspapers and on billboards, and publishes evangelistic books such as Jewish Doctors Meet the Great Physician. The organization has also released books on prophecy, including Future Hope: A Jewish Christian Look at the End of the World, writtenby Brickner. Perlman says Jews for Jesus has its best, brightest and youngest staff in Israel today, and the ministry is committed to growing its presence there as God provides resources.

“People are desperate to hear a message of hope,” Perlman says. “For those of us who know Jesus, we have that message. Our staff is fearless in getting that message out to others, particularly in places where it can be quite a challenge at times.” 

Chosen People Ministries

Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries (chosenpeople.com), has a simple rule about how it spends donations designated for Israel benevolence: “We feed thousands of poor Israelis every month. If somebody gives $100, $90 will go toward our project of feeding poor Israelis. It’s as simple as it sounds.”

Founded in 1894 by Rabbi Leopold Cohn after he heard the gospel on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the ministry began by offering food, education, job and English language training programs to poor Jewish immigrants.

“Chosen People Ministries from the beginning always wedded both benevolence and direct gospel preaching, as well as planting Messianic congregations,” Glaser says.

Today the ministry serves in 13 countries as it evangelizes, disciples and serves Jewish people. In Israel, a nation where 1 in 5 Israelis lives below the poverty line, the ministry has several centers that provide food to elderly and low-income people. It also engages in various evangelistic outreaches, including efforts on social media and an Isaiah 53 campaign that features a website (isaiah53.com), free book (Isaiah 53 Explained) and other resources to educate Jews about the chapter in Isaiah predicting Jesus’ crucifixion hundreds of years before it happened. And then, of course, there’s the massive awareness campaign they launched right in the heart of NYC.

“We had a 20-by-80-foot billboard going into the Lincoln Tunnel,” Glaser says. “We had billboards in Times Square and big signs at bus shelters that said, ‘This chapter will change your life.’ We had almost 5,000 people request the Isaiah 53 Explained book, and we had 10 times that number come to our website. We’ve been following up and have had a wonderful opportunity to minister one-on-one, and some Jewish people have come to the Lord through this.”

With $12 million in revenues in 2012, the ministry spent 71 percent on program services, 11 percent on administration and 18 percent on fundraising, according to ECFA.

Christians United for Israel

Despite describing the ministry as the “largest pro-Israel organization in the United States with over 1 million members,” officials with Christians United for Israel (cufi.org) in San Antonio declined to release any financial information or do an interview for this story.

Charisma was also unable to locate any financial information on CUFI’s website or through GuideStar or Charity Navigator. The organization, whose purpose is to “provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to Biblical issues,” is not accredited by the ECFA.

Jerusalem Prayer Team

Christian Friends of Israel-Jerusalem

As one of the three largest pro-Israel ministries in the world with headquarters in Jerusalem and representatives around the world, Christian Friends of Israel-Jerusalem (cfijerusalem.org) serves as a ministry of reconciliation with the Jewish people. It has welcomed more than 250,000 Jewish people to their homeland through the organization’s distribution center near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.

The ministry, founded in 1985, was present in Israel “when the ‘dry bones’ began to walk home—especially from the ‘land of the north,'” says Sharon Sanders, who co-founded CFI with her husband, Ray.

“After 2,000 years of Gentile Christian persecution of the Jewish people, often in the name of Jesus, we are the face of Jesus which they have never seen,” she says. “Our compassion, service, love and care reflect Him and the love of God, something they have never very often known in the past. We are undoing damage done by the historical church to the Jewish people in the name of Jesus. We are moving out of the way the stones of stumbling that have been placed there by the historical anti-Semitic church and are preparing the way for Him. We believe that true believers in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua [Jesus], have come into the ‘commonwealth of Israel’ [Eph. 2:12] through Him and that we are to provoke the Jewish people to holy envy [Rom. 11:11-14].”

The ministry declined to report how much in donations it receives each year. However, Sanders says 47 percent of the budget goes toward humanitarian aid; 26 percent to outreach projects; 22 percent to overhead (including 3.7 percent for Ray Sanders’ salary and 2.7 percent for her salary); 6 percent for publishing and media products; and 1.5 percent for development and public relations.

Vision for Israel

Operating a multifaceted ministry dedicated to the physical and spiritual restoration of Zion, Vision for Israel (visionforisrael.com) and the Joseph Storehouse distribute humanitarian aid to poor people and those devastated by rocket attacks while offering biblical education, praise and worship music, and news through the Jerusalem News Network.

“Since 1998, we’ve helped over 600,000 Israelis, both Jews and Arabs,” says Barry Segal, president of Vision for Israel and the Joseph Storehouse, which is based out of Jerusalem and has an office in Charlotte, N.C. “A lot of people in previous years have perceived Israel as a modern, wealthy nation that doesn’t have social problems and poor people. A lot of Christians we have met, especially in America, who fall in love with Israel … it’s almost like Israel can do no wrong and doesn’t have any problems. That’s not the truth. In Israel, 1 out of 3 children is living under the poverty line, and about 1 in 4 adults are living under the poverty line.”

To fund its ministries, Vision for Israel receives about $3 million in annual donations. Of this money, Segal says, depending on the ministry’s branch, 2 to 11 percent is spent on administration, 4 to 6 percent on fundraising and the rest goes to humanitarian aid and other ministries. Segal says 100 percent of designated income goes to designated projects.

“I think it’s important for people to partner with Messianic Jewish ministries in Israel because it holds up our arms to do the work, whether it’s humanitarian aid, teaching the Scriptures, being a blessing to our neighbors or being an example in business or military service or any other segment of society,” he says. “This strengthens the testimony of who we are—that we’re not just doing physical acts of good deeds, but we are also expressing our faith as the opportunities arise.”

Jewish Voice Ministries International

A multifaceted Messianic ministry, Jewish Voice Ministries International (jewishvoice.org) formed through the merging of two distinct ministries from two distinct Messianic ministers: the late healing evangelist Louis Kaplan, who launched a radio and TV ministry in 1967, and Rabbi Jonathan Bernis, who held mass evangelistic crusades throughout Eastern Europe and Russia. Since Kaplan’s death in 1998 and the merger in 2001, Bernis has expanded Jewish Voice Ministries International (JVMI) to include a weekly TV show airing around the world; various media outlets (magazine, newsletter, books, CDs and DVDs, and social media); medical, dental and eye clinics in Ethiopia and India; Jewish music and dance festivals; church plants; and a network of ministry speakers.

“Our first objective is to proclaim the gospel to the Jew first and also to the nations, according to Romans 1:16,” Bernis says. “Our second objective is to equip you, the church, by providing education about the Hebraic roots of your faith, your responsibility to Israel and the Jewish people, and how you can share Israel’s Messiah with the Jewish people.”

JVMI brought in more than $21 million in 2012 from donations, products and other sources, and an auditor’s report lists almost $32 million in total assets (which includes property and investments). The same report shows the ministry’s program services account for almost $11 million of last year’s $16 million expenditures—approximately 69 percent. Administrative expenses account for almost $2 million (12.5 percent of total expenses), while the Bernis-led organization spent $3 million in fundraising (19 percent).

For the past two years, the ECFA-accredited ministry has been among the highest-ranked organizations by Charity Navigator, and it earned an overall score of 61 out 70 in 2011, the most recently ranked year.

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (us.icej.org) is a global ministry representing churches, denominations and Christians worldwide who share a love and concern for Israel and who seek to repair the historic breach between the church and the Jewish people. From its Jerusalem headquarters, the work of the ICEJ reaches into more than 140 countries, including established branch offices in more than 70 nations worldwide.

For more than 30 years, this work has impacted villages and cities across the Holy Land with a “benevolence ministry that has helped the poor, ministered to the sick, housed the lonely, encouraged the children and cared for the elderly,” according to Daryl Hedding, the ministry’s U.S. deputy director. “Our Feast of Tabernacles celebration, Israel’s largest annual tourist event, has impacted more than 100,000 Christians with the biblical perspective of recognizing the hand of God in Israel’s modern-day restoration, as well as the need to work with what God is doing and bless it. We’ve also assisted more than 120,000 Jews in making aliyah and immigrating to Israel.”

The Christian Embassy is known for its exceptional educational work. Through a team of international speakers, its publications and website, as well as an array of seminars and small-group study curricula, it has provided the global movement of Christian support for Israel a firm biblical foundation and understanding of the complex issues regarding Israel, anti-Semitism, Jewish-Christian relations and Middle East events. In fact, through a special partnership with Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial and Remembrance Center, the ICEJ is educating Christians to recognize anti-Semitism and how to stand against it.

The ICEJ’s infrastructure includes independent branch offices, and so assessing overall financial numbers for the ICEJ is difficult. The U.S. branch, with offices in Murfreesboro, Tenn., raised $1.5 million in donations in 2011, according to the ministry’s 990 tax return, and spent 68 percent on programs, while 24 percent went to administration and 9 percent to fundraising.

Charity Navigator awarded the ICEJ U.S. branch 50 out of 70 points for financial health and 37 out of 70 for financial accountability and transparency. Overall, the ministry earned a score of 43 out of 70 points.

Susan Michael, director of the ICEJ’s U.S. Branch, said, “It’s a shame that by limiting a ministry to a point system, people aren’t getting the full story not only of what each branch office does, but also the entire scope of the ICEJ, which is powerfully impacting thousands of lives in Israel and providing a critical voice in the nations on behalf of the Jewish people.”

Maoz Israel Ministries

Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, since 1976, Maoz Israel Ministries (maozisrael.org) is one of the pioneering ministries of Messianic Judaism in Israel. The ministry, led by Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram, is committed to reaching every Israeli with the Good News of their Messiah. Their tools: publishing books in Hebrew, CDs by contemporary Messianic worship artists, evangelism outreach, video productions, social media, humanitarian aid through local Messianic congregations and leadership training.

“This is the best time in our lifetime to reach Israelis!” says Ari Sorko-Ram. “We now are able to partner with leaders all over the nation to help them reach our next-generation leaders, impact Messianic music, sponsor leadership conferences and provide practical assistance to those communities under daily duress of attack. We now are making inroads to touch Israelis in the marketplace—Knesset members, firefighters, IDF soldiers and poor immigrants—as well as through our benevolence outreach, istandwithisrael.com.”

“We also help support Arab and Ethiopian congregations, as well as our own Spirit-filled, Hebrew-speaking congregation in downtown Tel Aviv,” he says, adding that after 18 years of pastoring Tiferet Yeshua, the couple has passed the baton to Asher Intrater and is now developing an online Hebrew outreach site (viewthis.com) to reach Israel’s tech-driven younger generations.

Leaders across the globe depend each month on the Maoz Israel Report, still written by Ari and Shira, to get in-depth understanding of current events in the Middle East from a biblical, political and cultural perspective.

The ministry, which also has offices in the U.S., Canada, England, Germany, Brazil and Mexico, received nearly $3.7 million in donations in 2012. Of those funds, 5 percent went to administration, 5 percent to development and 90 percent to program services.

Eagles’ Wings Ministries

More than just an Israel-related ministry, Eagles’ Wings is a global missional community that serves to “touch Israel and the nations with the hope and love of God, to train the next generation of Christian leaders, and to unite and empower believers to make a difference in the world.”  

Based outside Buffalo, N.Y., the ministry has hubs in the New York City area, Karlsruhe, Germany, and Jerusalem, and includes nearly 40 full-time team members and an international family of partners, volunteers and friends. Though Eagles’ Wings is involved in “a variety of strategic projects around the world, with a unique emphasis on interfaith dialogue and humanitarian care,” its Holy Land ties include a “Watchmen on the Wall” program that equips Christians to be articulate spokespeople for Israel and furthers their education through prayer pilgrimages to “The Land.” Founder and Executive Director Robert Stearns also launched The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem in 2003, which is now observed every year on the first Sunday in October by millions of believers in more than 175 nations.

Eagles’ Wings’ latest 990 tax returns from the previous two years were not available through GuideStar; however, its 2010 form stated the ministry brought in $2.4 million in donations that year, of which 67 percent went to program services and 24 percent went to overhead.

Messianic Jewish Israel Fund

As a unique ministry that supports Jewish believers in Yeshua within the Messianic body in Israel, the Messianic Jewish Israel Fund (mjif.org) functions as a vehicle for Messianic believers in the Diaspora (those living outside Israel) and Christians to join with Jewish believers in Israel to provide the assistance they need. Donations to the fund go toward temporary living expenses for poor families, job training, medical and emergency funding, a women’s shelter, soup kitchen, school supplies, Holocaust survivors, support for struggling congregations, spiritual and financial support for the poor, and so much more.

“What makes the MJIF so unique is that nearly all of the funds it raises go directly to believers in Israel,” says Executive Director Dotti Solomon. “Many organizations raise funds that go to the general population, which is also important. However, the believing community in Israel is in great need of support, as it is very difficult for them. The MJIF is there for these brothers and sisters to lend a helping hand. Support has gone to not just one Israeli ministry, individual or congregation, but hundreds over the years. All is done with the accountability of believing leaders in Israel.”

The Roswell, Ga.-based MJIF is actually a semi-autonomous subsidiary of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) in Philadelphia, which is accredited by the ECFA. According to 2012 records, this parent organization brought in more than $9 million in revenue, of which 83 percent went to program services, 10 percent for administrative costs and 7 percent for fundraising. Since its inception, the MJIF has seen more than $3 million raised to bless believers in Israel.

Bridges for Peace

As a Jerusalem-based, Bible-believing Christian organization supporting Israel and building relationships between Christians and Jews worldwide, Bridges for Peace (bridgesforpeace.com) offers 14 different ministries. These range from several tangible projects, including food banks in Israel that provide food to 30,000 people every month, to a program that helps new immigrants during their first year in Israel.

“Bridges for Peace has two areas of work that our board has determined are important,” says Jim Solberg, the U.S. national director of the organization. “One is showing unconditional love to people in the nation of Israel and Jewish people around the world. And the other is an educational ministry, reaching and teaching the church around the world to highlight the importance of understanding the Hebraic roots of Jesus and the New Testament.”

In 2011, the ministry collected $4.3 million in donations, according to its 990 tax return. Of those funds, 7 percent was spent on administration, 11 percent on fundraising and 83 percent on ministry programs. Charity Navigator gave the ministry 48 out of 70 points for financial health and a near-perfect 67 out of 70 for financial accountability and transparency. Overall, the ministry earned a score of 54 out of 70 points (three out of four stars).

“Our overall target is to spend about 10 percent of the dollars on what we consider overhead,” Solberg says. “The other thing important to reference is that we totally honor donor designations. If a donor says, ‘These dollars are given for food,’ then those ministry dollars go for food.”

One for Israel

One for Israel (oneforisrael.org), a ministry uniquely designed to support media evangelism among Hebrew-speaking Jews and Arabs in Israel, shares the gospel in Israel via the Internet and multimedia projects.

“We believe that it is very important to feed our poor and stand with Israel politically,” says Eitan Bar, co-founder of One for Israel and media director at Israel College of the Bible. “However, the single best and most important way to support Israel is by sharing Yeshua with Israeli Jews and Arabs—and that is what we at oneforisrael.org are all about: Israeli Jews who share the gospel with our own brothers and sisters in a relevant way via media.”

In an email interview, Bar said the ministry spent $229,445 over the last three years on online Web ads, evangelistic advertising, conferences and training, travel, equipment, and other expenses.

“None of our donations go into salaries or anyone’s pocket, for that matter (I think we are pretty unique in that matter),” Bar said. “All our staff is in charge of raising their own support.

Dugit Messianic Ministries

Dugit Messianic Outreach Center (dugit.org) operates in the heart of downtown Tel Aviv and reaches out to the “lost sheep of Israel” by sharing the gospel.

According to the organization’s website, its business is to “minister to the mass population of Israelis who bring a wide spectrum of views and beliefs of their own, thus making them open to receiving the gospel.”

Launched in 1993 by Avi Mizrachi, Dugit supplies free Bibles and evangelistic materials to unbelievers in Hebrew, Arabic and Russian. Its Agape Distribution Center provides food and clothing to more than 80 Israeli families in need each month, and the ministry runs in conjunction with Adonai Roi Congregation, which Mizrachi pastors.

Although the ministry did not follow through on requests for an interview and financial information, its 990 tax return shows that in 2011, Dugit received $564,550 in contributions. Of its total budget, 8 percent was spent on administration and 92 percent on program services.

American Friends of Leket Israel

Dedicated to supporting Leket Israel (leket.org), Israel’s largest food bank and food rescue network, American Friends of Leket Israel has a mission to alleviate the problem of nutritional insecurity through the rescue and redistribution of excess food to benefit Israel’s needy. It is not affiliated with Jewish or non-Jewish believers but is simply a relief agency with major influence in the Holy Land.

Like other ministries featured in this story, officials with the Teaneck, N.J.-based organization declined to be interviewed for this story or provide other requested information.

Its 2011 tax return shows it collected almost $3.5 million in donations. Of those funds, 5 percent went to administration, 9 percent to fundraising and 86 percent to programs.

Holy Land Community

The late Arni Adams founded the Holy Land Community (holyland
community.org), a social network of pro-Israel Christians who, together with Israelis, “are creating a worldwide alliance, with the purpose of saving Israel and helping the children of God to live in the Promised Land.”

Officials with Holy Land Community in San Bernardino, Calif., could not be reached for comment. The GuideStar database lists the ministry as a registered nonprofit but includes no 990 tax returns. The website mentions the ministry’s funding comes from donations and land it sells on the shores of the Sea of Galilee as gifts for silver weddings, births and other occasions.

An award-winning reporter and editorial writer at the Los Angeles Daily News, The Press-Enterprise and other newspapers for two decades, Troy Anderson writes for Reuters, Newsmax, Charisma and many other media outlets. He lives in Irvine, Calif.