Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv shlita has added his holy signature to a psak din against receiving any funding assistance from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews or any affiliated charities, and has told individuals not to derive benefit from the organization since doing so constitutes chilul Hashem and avizraihu de'avodoh zorah (appurtenances of idolatry).
A notice issued by the Jerusalem Eida Chareidis on 18 Sivan 5762 (2002) was recently reissued with the addition of the signatures of HaRav Yitzchok Tuvio Weiss, the Gavad of the Eida Chareidis, and HaRav Eliashiv.
The psak din, published in this week's Hebrew Yated Ne'eman, reads: "We hereby state our opinion, the opinion of our holy Torah, that it is strictly forbidden to accept money or any benefit in any form from the Fellowship or from similar funds. Anyone who joins them or assists them or their associates violates the following prohibitions:
A. The prohibition against avizraihu de'avodoh zorah, for it glorifies the name of their idols.
B. Assisting and facilitating future missionary activity.
C. The prohibition against accepting charity from a non-Jew in public view, particularly in cases of chilul Hashem, which is forbidden by halacha, and particularly in this terrible and unseemly manner.
And even in cases where only one of the above reasons applies it is a very grave prohibition, all the more so when all of them apply."
In the letter the rabbonim stress that the ban pertains to both individuals and organizations. "Unfortunately we have learned that a number of institutions, organizations and chessed programs have already stumbled in this matter. Therefore, all those who are connected to this should withdraw themselves immediately, and may Hashem, in His goodness, grant them atonement."
Yated reports that certain rabbonim familiar with the organization say the aim of the Fellowship ("Keren Yedidut" in Hebrew) is to lead Jews to convert to Christianity, chas vesholom, after luring them with support funding, and that the schemes have succeeded in some instances.
