Yechiel Eckstein, rabbi who built ties with Christians, dies

Yechiel Eckstein, an Israeli-American rabbi who raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Israel by promoting closer ties with evangelical Christians around the world, has died.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the charity he founded over 35 years ago, said Eckstein, 67, died at his home in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Local media said he died of heart failure.

Eckstein founded the fellowship in 1983, befriending evangelical leaders in the U.S. and building support for Israel.

Over the years, the group raised over $1.4 billion, mostly from individual Christian donors.

Eckstein became a well-known figure in Israel, funding projects for children, new immigrants, Holocaust survivors, orphans, the elderly and victims of Palestinian violence. It also assisted distressed Jewish communities in places like Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union.