The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) has allocated nearly $3 million for programs in Israel in response to the Israel-Iran war as part of a new emergency campaign, with most of it going toward the installation of bomb shelters and the rest to aid for victims of the ongoing Iranian ballistic missile strikes and evacuees, the group told eJewishPhilanthropy.

“We have hundreds of thousands of donors who are mostly Christians abroad who have throughout every crisis so far stood up and said, ‘Hineni muchan um’zuman’ — ’I am here for anything you need’,” IFCJ’s president and global CEO, Yael Eckstein, who had just returned to Israel on one of the first flights able to reach Israel, told eJP. “I believe in a spiritual perspective that when you have the ability to act, you have to act. And then the budget will be taken care of and people will come around to help. So we’re seeing our donors, mostly Christians in America, reaching out, asking what they can do, wanting to do more, and this is a big hug of light in the darkness.”

As of Tuesday, the group has allocated $2.7 million in response to the conflict. Of that, some $1.9 million will go to the installation of mobile, heavily reinforced bomb shelters, and the rest will go to direct assistance to victims and evacuees through one of two mechanisms. IFCJ will distribute roughly $290,000 directly with pre-paid credit cards, and approximately $570,000 through two of its partners, Colel Chabad and the Tzinor Fund.

Since the outbreak of the Iranian attacks last Friday, the organization has acted as a first responder for the emergency needs of those affected, as it has done in similar situations, Eckstein said. Immediately after the first apartment building was hit, the nonprofit started reaching out to local authorities to coordinate with its teams on the ground, delivering hot meals, bringing hygiene kits and going door-to-door to check on residents, she said.

“We know how to do it. We know all the partners, we know all the people, we know in general what the needs are and we know how to provide it,” said Eckstein, noting that the organization’s work is done in coordination with local authorities. “Being an evacuee is an official status. It is not something that we decide or they decide. The government decides and so… we’re working with the government to get all their information very organized.”

Five simple mobile bomb shelters were installed around the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Tuesday, and five upgraded Arbel-model bomb shelters with steel doors will be deployed on Sunday around Tel Aviv, in coordination with the Israeli military’s Home Front Command. There are plans to install an additional 50 of each of both the simple and the Arbel bomb shelters in the coming weeks, IFCJ said.

The Arbel bomb shelter is a heavily reinforced protective shelter designed for use in central regions of Israel, farther from the borders but exposed to more severe threats — such as long-range missiles with large warheads, such as those being launched now by Iran, Eckstein explained. Unlike standard shelters, this upgraded version includes enhanced structural strength and a blast-resistant door, she said. It is significantly heavier and more durable, built to withstand higher-impact explosions and provide a higher level of protection in today’s evolving threat landscape and ensure safety even in areas previously considered less vulnerable, she said.

“We’re getting phone calls around the clock requesting bomb shelters but we work directly with the Home Front Command so they direct us where to put the shelters and we can’t respond to individual requests,” Eckstein said.

As of June 18, approximately NIS 1 million ($285,500) in emergency funds have been distributed across six cities in Israel: Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Ramla, Bat Yam, Rehovot and Tamra, ranging from $5,000 to $80,000, she said. 

Eckstein added that her organization is closely monitoring developments on the ground and mapping needs so that support can be adjusted and increased as needed.