Episodes

Join host Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, as she welcomes to the podcast Dr. Steve Greene, Publisher and Executive Vice President for Charisma Media and Executive Producer for the Charisma Podcast Network. In this far-ranging conversation, Dr. Greene shares his vision for spiritual leadership that is based on building relationships with those you lead and being intentional about forming relationships with others. Yael and Dr. Greene also d...

What comes to mind when you hear the word shalom? Maybe you connect it with the Israeli greetings of “hello” and “goodbye.” More than likely you think of “peace.” But this understanding of shalom doesn’t fully capture the meaning of the word in Hebrew. It is so much more than the absence of turbulence or war. Shalom is rooted in the Hebrew word shalem, which means “whole” or “complete.” True Shalom is the presence of wholeness, unity, and connection with our neighbors. It truly is the greatest b...

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” The words may be familiar to us, but what did Cain really mean when he spoke these words to God? What does it mean to be our brother’s and sister’s keeper? In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein explores the spiritual message from this familiar biblical story and relates it to our own response to the needs of others in the world. At times, we all have turned away from those in need. Yet, in doing so, isn’t that response similar to how Cain replied — that he wasn’t res...

What makes you happy? What brings you lasting joy? Maybe it’s having a comfortable lifestyle. Or being surrounded by friends and family. For some, it’s the material things we have that we think make us most happy. But as we’ll learn on today’s podcast, sometimes stepping into the unknown brings us the most rewards and true lasting joy. Host Yael Eckstein explores the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the Feast of the Tabernacles, which commemorates that time when the Israelites journeyed out of slavery ...

It’s been said that two of the hardest words for people to say are “I’m sorry.” Can you relate? When have you experienced needing to apologize and dreaded doing it? Or maybe, you have been hurt by someone who won’t apologize to you? In this special episode about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, host Yael Eckstein explores how those two words relate to the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Admitting our wrongdoings, committing to making changes, and moving forward is what the Jewish holiday of...

How many of us think about repentance as we celebrate and usher in a New Year on January 1? Probably not many! But when Jews usher in the Jewish New Year on Rosh Hashanah, the main focus is on repentance, or teshuvah, which means to “return” to God and to who we really are. The sound of the shofar, the ritual trumpet, signals this time to reflect on the past twelve months, fix any behavior that isn’t helpful, and return to God who is waiting with open arms. In this special Rosh Hashanah episode,...

Join podcast host Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, as she and Bishop Paul Lanier, Chairman of the Board for The Fellowship and pastor of Hope Community Church in Winston Salem, N.C., talk about the upcoming High Holy Days and how God created these special times of communing with Him. Bishop Lanier also shares how he became involved with The Fellowship’s work after seeing Fellowship founder Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein visiting an elderly Holocaus...

On today’s podcast, host Yael Eckstein talks about the most important choice that we’ll ever make — when we follow the Bible’s directive to “choose life.” If we do this, we can live happier and more fulfilling lives! But what does it mean to “choose life”? As Yael explains in today’s episode, God gives us the choice between life and death, blessings and curses, every day. But they show up in different ways — perhaps as a choice between being happy and being right; between humility and pride; bet...

There are times in life when our faith is strong, but our fears might seem stronger. Maybe you’ve tried to cling to faith over the past year, but then the pandemic completely upended our lives and made us all fear for the future. Here’s the thing — it’s not easy to stand confidently in faith and in peace when life looks scary and uncertain. So what do we do? How do we strengthen our faith? In today’s episode, podcast host Yael Eckstein turns to the Bible and Jewish teachings to explore just this...

Where exactly are you in your spiritual journey? Just like any journey we begin, if we don’t take some time to pause and reflect on where we are headed, we may find ourselves completely lost. In today’s podcast episode, host Yael Eckstein walks us through an ancient biblical Jewish practice – one Jesus likely participated in – that happens during the Hebrew month of Elul, which began this month. During Elul, the Jewish people begin preparing themselves spiritually for High Holy Days, which begin...

People of faith often say they are “walking with God,” but what does that really mean? While it probably means different things to different people, you might say it means having a close relationship with God. Some feel closest to God in prayer, while others might draw nearer to God when reading Scripture. In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein will share with what it means in the Jewish tradition to “walk in God’s ways” and how we can do that and grow closer to God on a daily basis. You may be ...

On the debut of “Conversations with Yael,” join podcast host Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, as she and Michele Bachmann, former member of the U.S. Congress and the current Dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, exchange views on the importance of Israel today and its significance for all Christians. Michele and Yael discuss a wide variety of topics from balancing family and career, to the prophetic fulfillment of...

How many of us have made choices solely to please or impress others? If we’re honest, we all have done that at one time or another. But what would our lives look like if other peoples’ opinions truly didn’t matter to us? Would our priorities be different? Would we spend our time differently? Make different choices if we had no need to impress others? In today’s podcast, Yael Eckstein explores what it looks like if we followed the wise advice Moses gave to the Israelites on this topic. Yael share...

Imagine if you woke up tomorrow with only the things that you had thanked God for today? How would that change the quality of your gratitude? As we’ll discover on today’s podcast, it’s easy to thank God when we are truly in need and He provides for us. But what about when things are going well, and we are blessed with good health, family and friends, and enough food to eat? It’s human nature to take our blessings for granted and forget about the Source of all we have. In today’s episode, host Ya...

If you have ever felt like giving up, today’s episode is dedicated to you. This month, Jews around the world observe the darkest day on the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av. On this day, Jewish people weep for something that occurred more than 2,000 years ago — the destruction of both the First and Second Temples that once stood in Jerusalem. Yet, as host Yael Eckstein explains, while this day is one of deep sorrow, it is also one of great hope — a hope that has sust...

Do you ever wish for an easier life? Or think that if your life were easier it would be better? The Israelites wished for an easier life after they realized how hard it would be to enter the Promised Land. With so many challenges – a difficult land to capture and cultivate — they believed that because God had put them in this position, He actually hated them! In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein explains that the exact opposite is the truth. Jewish teachings tell us that our challenges can hel...

In many ways, it was hard to avoid getting angry at something during the past year. With the elections, the heated political debates on social media, and all the issues that came up during the pandemic, you probably felt your buttons being pushed at some point. Truth is, we all get angry. But as we’ll learn in this week’s episode, there’s a great cost to holding on to our anger. Even Moses grew angry when he thought the Israelites didn’t follow the Word of God. But host Yael Eckstein explores an...

How often do you really take the time to enjoy the blessings in your life? It’s easy to focus on what we don’t have or compare our life to others. But if we’re not careful, we might miss out on what’s right in front of us! In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein turns to the Bible to unpack the powerful message that God knows how unique we are, and because of this, He gives us exactly what we need in life. Our life may look different than someone else’s life, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less. ...

How do you view the bad things that happen to you? Do you feel that God has forgotten you? That He doesn’t love you anymore? Or worse, that He’s out to get you? If we truly believe that God is the source of everything that happens in our lives and that God is good, that means everything that happens to us must also be good. Right? But we sometimes don’t look at it that way. In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein turns to Jewish lessons from the Bible to teach us how to think about the bad stuff ...

When was the last time you saw God’s miracles happening around you? It’s true, the Red Sea isn’t parting in front of us like in Moses’ time and, in fact, if you listen to the news today, it can be difficult to see God’s hand at work in our world. But why do we assume miracles are ancient history that only happened during biblical times? In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein explains that while some of the miracles of the Bible happened in front of everyone, others were more hidden. Yet hidden m...

What does it really mean to be a wealthy person? In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein explores the biblical story of Korah, a man so wealthy that he got a false sense of importance and began a rebellion against Moses – and against God Himself. Do you know what happened next? Let’s just say it didn’t end well for Korah. While most of us know that money is impermanent, sometimes we can lose sight of this in day-to-day life. However, as Yael shares with us, if we count our good deeds instead of o...

The entire fate of the Israelites turned on one word: BUT. Instead of entering the Promised Land, the children of Israel were condemned to wander the desert for another 40 years. One word. If we’re honest, we’ve all made the same mistake. Maybe you’ve said, “I got a new job, but it’s really hard”? Or maybe, “My son gets good grades, but he struggles in sports.” That one word diminishes our blessings, transforms positives into negatives, blocks us from the Promised Land and keeps us in the desert...

What is your name? Do you know the meaning of your name, or why you were given your name? According to Jewish tradition, every person has three names: one that they are called by their parents, one that they are called by others, and one they are remembered by. On today’s episode, podcast host Yael Eckstein shares verses from the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), and some fascinating Jewish teachings that will help us understand the meaning of our names, the role they play in our spirit...

More than 3,500 rockets have been fired into Israel by Hama terrorists in Gaza, and while there have been calls for a ceasefire, Israelis are bracing for more. As casualties continue to mount and conflict has broken out on other fronts, podcast host Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, answered questions about the current situation during a recent Emergency Fellowship Family Meeting with 10,000 supporters and friends on the call. Listen to thi...