Yael Eckstein
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Mother’s Day Reminds Us of Protection and Comfort
“Ima, Ima, I’m scared.” That’s what my 11-year-old daughter said to me recently (using the Hebrew for “mother”), as she crawled into my bed in the middle of the night. My daughter is usually the tough one of my four children—the strong, witty, independent one of her siblings. But that night, she was a scared …
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This Mother’s Day, Remember the Mothers Fleeing a War Zone
Mothers are a special breed of human being. History is filled with stories of mothers who defied kings, survived famine, resisted terrorists and faced down bullies to protect their families. Mothers take on governments, drunk drivers, school boards and drug dealers to ensure their children are safe, fed, educated and treated fairly. Every Mother’s Day, …
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The War in Ukraine Reminds Us the Founding of Israel Was Essential
Alla Oleshko, an 86-year-old Jewish woman living in Kharkiv, Ukraine, remembers when the bombs began to fall. The Russians were aiming for the TV tower right in front of her house. “The first time, only the windows of the house blew out. The second time, the front door was demolished by a blast,” Oleshko told …
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As a Jew, This Is the Reason Why I Celebrate Black History Month
Half a century ago, the Jewish community stood side by side with African Americans as they marched peacefully to demand their rights as citizens and as children of God. The voice of the Jewish community was heard loud and clear in support of the civil rights movement, led by the courageous Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, …
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Don’t Skip This Important Part of Our Holiday Traditions
This is a season when a spirit of generosity ignites us and highlights the best of humanity. For those of us in the Jewish community, we have celebrated Hanukkah, lighting the Menorah and giving gifts. Now, my Christian friends are celebrating Christmas by lighting trees and giving gifts of their own. This season of generosity …
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We Need a Personal Trainer for Our Souls
Psalm 62:2 says, “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” People these days spend a lot of money to get in shape. We pay for gyms and nutritionists, and some people will spend hundreds of dollars on personal trainers. We spend the money because we …
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What’s Your Name? And Why Does It Matter?
What is your name? If you are like most people, you probably have more than one name. You may have been given more than one name at birth, or maybe you changed your name at some point for one reason or another. Perhaps you have a nickname. According to Jewish tradition, every person has at …
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Why ‘YOLO’ Is a Biblical Principle
In Israel, after Passover, the school year is practically over. This is not only because summer is around the corner, but almost every week until summer is punctuated with days off from school due to holidays and commemorative days. We mark Passover, Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day), Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel …
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Why Faith Is Your Calm in the Eye of Life’s Storms
My job should make it hard for me to be a good mom. I’m based in Israel and run an international nonprofit with offices in Israel, Canada, South Korea and the U.S. This means that sometimes I have meetings very early in the morning or very late at night to account for the time differences. …
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‘Watch Your Mouth’: The Power of Positive Speech
Occasionally, on Friday nights at our Shabbat meal, my family and I will play the following game. We start with one family member, and then each person at the table has to say his or her three favorite things about that person. Then we move on to the next person until everyone has been showered …
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The 3 Biblical Commands to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude
It has been said that the quality of our gratitude determines the quality of our lives. The more we express thankfulness, the happier we are, and the more we are blessed. I can personally attest to the fact that this attitude of gratitude has served me well. It has trained me to focus on the …
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Why Realizing Your God-Given ‘Special Mission’ Has Enormous Significance
In the Jewish tradition, there’s a well-known story about a rabbi who always carried a piece of paper in each of his pockets. In one pocket, the paper read, “The world was created just for me.” In the other pocket, the paper read, “I am nothing but dust.” It is this balance—between being humble, but …
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How This Historical Jewish Tradition Influences Modern-Day Christianity
When my father, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founded the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), 38 years ago, his vision was to build bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews and to break through the barriers of 2,000 years of misunderstanding and discord between the two faiths. The main tool my father used to …
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The Powerful Lesson About Prayer You Can Learn From Isaac and Rebekah
For a moment, it seemed like we were so close. In Israel, as in some locations in the U.S. it looked like the coronavirus pandemic had turned a corner in June. But in July, both nations saw a resurgence in new cases and, exercising an abundance of caution, both put the brakes on reopening. This …
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Why the People of Israel Will Always Prevail
“Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground in reverence to the king and said, “Let my lord King David live forever'” (1 Kings 1:31). When the mantle of leadership was passed down from King David to his son Solomon, the transition was not exactly smooth. As it became clear to David’s family and …
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