IFCJ making sure youngsters have a place to play

"[We] are happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the children of Israel," IFCJ head says.

playground 248.88 generic (photo credit: Ruth Eglash)
playground 248.88 generic
(photo credit: Ruth Eglash)
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is joining with Na'amat, Emunah and WIZO to contribute 51 Fellowship Playgrounds to 22 day care centers. The IFCJ is funded by donations from Evangelical Christians who have a love for Israel and the relationships between Jews and Christians. The IFCJ paid NIS 1.4 million toward the project. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the founder and president of the IFCJ, commended the women's organizations for their work with young children. "[We] are happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the children of Israel," he said on Tuesday. "The Fellowship will continue to initiate partnerships which will strengthen Israeli society." The IFCJ chose to sponsor playgrounds because they promote healthy development, Eckstein said. The teachers appreciate the new facilities, too. "Since receiving our playground, the kids are happy to go and play outside," one said. It's not just the children and teachers who appreciate the new equipment, but the parents, too, since they help the children's motor development. The IFCJ gives around $60m. a year to Israeli causes, particularly to poor neighborhoods that lack adequate infrastructure.