Yael Eckstein is an influential Israeli-American executive, who has made a remarkable contribution as the President and CEO of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). Yael was born in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel where she has devoted her life to tightening Jewish-Christian bonds and humanitarian aid throughout Israel and in the former Soviet Union.
She is the continuation of the legacy left by her father, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein and brings together faith, leadership and compassion and a modern voice. She is a world renowned humanitarian leader who cuts across cultures and generations. This biography discusses her experience, impact and vision of interfaith cohesion and charitable work.
Yael Eckstein Wiki/Biography
Yael Eckstein is a U.S-born Israeli President and CEO of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) replacing her father since his death in 2019. Born in Evanston, Illinois, she is a graduate of Torat Chesed Seminary, Queens College, Hebrew University, in Biblical, Jewish studies and sociology.
Having immigrated to Israel in 2005, she has had an epic journey of stamping envelopes to becoming an interfaith leader and published author with a following of transformative humanitarian influence across the world.
| Name | Yael Eckstein |
| Real Name | Yael |
| Date of Birth | August 8, 1983 |
| Age | 41 (turns 42 on Aug 8, 2025) |
| Religion | Jews |
| Birth Place | Evanston, Illinois, USA |
| Hometown | Thrissur, Kerala |
| Currently, Live In | Chicago area, IL (raised in Evanston/Chicago) |
| Nationality | American and Israeli |
| Profession | Nonprofit Executive, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host |
| Parents | Father: Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Mother: Bonnie Siegman Eckstein |
| Siblings |
Sister: Talia and Tamar Eckstein, Brother: None
|
| Education Qualification | Master of Science in Environmental Policy, Harvard University (Summa Cum Laude) |
| Net Worth | USD $5 million |
Yael Eckstein Physical Appearance
Yael Eckstein is about 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall, and warm and friendly in her appearance, with long dark brown hair most of the time in an unfussy style or pulled into a small headscarf, and with expressive brown eyes and a natural, soft smile.
Best known in smart-casual wear, e.g. blouses, fitted skirts and little or no jewelry, she combines business with a domestic, earthy beauty. In the same way, greeting Holocaust survivors at their homes as well as speaking to an international audience, her physical presence makes her more of an empathetic leader than a serious person, supporting her interfaith agenda with a feeling of home instead of professionalism.
Yael Eckstein Age, Date of Birth, and BirthPlace
Yael Eckstein was born on June 1, 1984, in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and now is 41 years old, and she will turn 42 next June. Having spent her youthful years in the Midwest, north of Chicago, Yael has a modest background before her aliyah to Israel in 2005. The environment in which she was born, the Evanston suburb which is diverse and thick with intellectuals, contributed to her down-to-earth worldview and a more caring leadership style.
Today, Yael combines her American life and Israeli citizenship and becomes President and CEO of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, directing her transatlantic identity to humanitarian effects worldwide.
Yael Eckstein Parents, Siblings & Family
Yael Eckstein belongs to a very strong established family of rabbis. She is the daughter of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (1951 2019), the founder of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and the shaper of interfaith philanthropy globally. Bonnie Siegman Eckstein is the mother of Yael and the first wife of Yechiel, with whom they shared Yael and two other sisters Tamar and Talia.
Yael tends to characterize her childhood as being reared in a household full of siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and a home filled with faith, music, and service.
Yael is closed about her immediate family life, who is married with four children, and she underlines her relationship with siblings and cousins in Jewish holidays and milestones. She attributes this tightly knit group to fostering her ideals of compassion, purpose and international leadership.
Yael Eckstein Husband, Children
Yael Eckstein is married to Amichai Eckstein, an Israeli writer and educator who works from home, providing flexibility to manage their four children.
In her book Generation to Generation, Yael reflects on how she and Amichai integrate faith and values into their family life, aiming to pass on a legacy of compassion and purpose.
While Yael maintains a private stance on her children’s identities, she often shares glimpses of their family life during Jewish holidays and community events, emphasizing the importance of family and faith in her leadership journey.
Yael Eckstein Education and Career
Yael Eckstein was well educated with a cross cultural background that had American and Israeli learning institutions. She was educated in the Biblical and Jewish texts at Torat Chesed Seminary in Israel, received her sociology and Jewish studies certificates at Queens College (New York) and further academic work at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a combination that became her academic and caring reality.
The track record of her career with International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) can be described as a journey of being a foot soldier to a world changer. Yael joined the organization in 2005, after making aliyah, and served under the tutelage of her father as a junior handling donor contacts and yes, even stamping the envelopes. She advanced in the position of Director of Program Development, Senior Vice President, and Global Executive Vice President, learning how to organize the work of humanitarianism and interreligious contacts.
In 2019, when the sudden death of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein took place, Yael took the position of President and Global CEO of IFCJ. She is also the head of a nonprofit with a yearly budget of $273 million, she directs life-altering programs-holocaust survivor services to aliyah services and she is its. Yael is a published author of three books and podcasts and radio shows including her new series with The Jerusalem Post entitled 2025 interfaith.
Scholarly inquiry and lived leadership have led her to a unique experience in terms of education and career and produced an intellectually honest, centered, and action-oriented executive.
Yael Eckstein salary and net worth
Being the President and CEO of IFCJ, Yael Eckstein receives about 797,500 U.S. dollars in 2022 and 769,200 U.S. dollars in 2023, which ranks her as one of the highest-paid nonprofit leaders in the United States. This span represents her increased roles of fundraising internationally to humanitarian program control.
Her net worth is estimated to be approximately between 5 million in the current year and 15 million in future estimations considering her salary, book royalties, and speaking engagements. Sources are very divided, with the low figure being based on documented personal wealth and the higher estimate combining the possibility of future earnings and media exposure.
Collectively, the financial picture of Yael Eckstein indicates the equilibrium between nonprofit management and leadership worth in the multi-faith humanitarian domain.
Yael Eckstein Contact Details and Social Media Accounts
By following the official online profiles of Yael Eckstein, you can follow her work interfaith and humanitarian work and get access to her contacts:
- Instagram: On Instagram, @yael_eckstein communicates her own insights during Shabbat greetings, family prayers, and shares some of her life in Israel.
- Facebook: On her official Facebook page, she has put the spotlight on humanitarian progress, leadership messages, and critical milestones.
- IFCJ Headquarters: To contact the media, write press@ifcj.org or call (312) 641-8544. To donate generally or otherwise, contact the Donor Services staff by emailing info@ifcj.org or by calling 800‑486‑8844.
These mediums incorporate a human voice, a personal touch and professional transparency-realizing her cross-cultural mission.
Final Word
The story of Yael Eckstein is not only a continuation of her father, but it is a symbol of faith-based leadership in a world of division. Compassion at her heart and a sense of purpose driving her along, she cuts across borders, religions and generations. Ranging between humanitarian relief and interfaith solidarity, Yael is an international and a very personal initiative. Her biography does not only describe who she is, but how a single voice that is anchored to values can change lives in a significant way, across boundaries and ideology.
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