jews use fraudulent claims to scrub internet of truth about rabbi's salary scam

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Criticism of prominent rabbi's salary may have been erased from the internet due to fraud, investigation claims
https://www.jta.org/2023/02/23/united-states/criticism-of-rabbis-salary-may-have-been-erased-from-the-internet-due-to-fraud-investigation-claimsDid someone associated with the late Rabbi Yehiel Eckstein's nonprofit pay a company to remove criticism of his and his daughter's salaries from the internet?

That's the question being raised by a recent Washington Post investigation into the allegedly fraudulent activities of a firm that launders clients' online reputations.

The large organization Eckstein founded, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, raises funds from evangelical Christians and other donors for impoverished Jews. It also facilitates Jewish emigration to Israel, including from Ukraine. Eckstein founded the group in 1983, and died in 2019.

But the issue of his compensation came up last week in a Washington Post expose about a company that allegedly makes baseless claims to protect the reputations of public figures. The Post reviewed nearly 50,000 records of the company, Eliminalia, documenting its activities on behalf of almost 1,500 clients over six years. Some paid more than $200,000 for the company's services.

In the Eckstein case, Eliminalia is accused of demanding that the publishing platform WordPress erase two blog posts criticizing Yechiel and Yael Eckstein's salaries as excessive, on the fraudulent basis that the posts were plagiarized from other sources.

The blog posts were written by Geri Ungurean, whom the Post identifies as a 71-year-old retiree in Maryland, and who also appears to identify as a "Jewish Christian." Both posts, published in 2015 and 2018, were titled "Why Christians should Not Give Money to Rabbi Eckstein of IFCJ."

INSERT:

Why Christians Should Not Give Money to Rabbi Eckstein of IFCJ :: by Geri Ungurean
https://www.raptureready.com/2015/02/20/christians-not-give-money-rabbi-eckstein-ifcj-geri-ungurean/

With Passover fast approaching, we are all seeing the commercials from Rabbi Eckstein of IFCJ (International Fellowship of Christians and Jews), asking for your money to support his cause. He shows Jews in Israel – so hungry, that they are fighting each other to get the boxes of food. He says "Jews are so poor; they cannot even afford to buy matzo for Passover."

Well, I have a few things to say about the good Rabbi – did I say good? Maybe you won't think so after reading about this man and his organization.

Years ago, I began getting emails and mail from IFCJ. At first I thought that this was wonderful. But I wanted to vet this man to make sure he was on the up and up.

I knew many believers who gave religiously (pun intended) to Rabbi Eckstein. They seemed to think this man could do no wrong, and wanted to be a partner in supporting the Jewish people.

I started reading about him. He was not a believer in Yeshua. As a matter of fact, he is an Orthodox Rabbi. I actually wrote to him several times, and told him of my belief in Yeshua. I told him that he could not be saved without the forgiveness and belief in Yeshua. I never received a reply.

A few years ago, I saw Rabbi Eckstein on a Christian TV station. He was singing Jewish songs, and talking about Judaism. It seemed to me that his purpose in doing this was perhaps to get his followers to become Jews. Now, with the Hebrew Roots cult abounding everywhere, I wonder how many of these folks were influenced by the Rabbi.

Before Moishe Rosen of Jews for Jesus went home to be with Yeshua, he wrote in "Moishe's Musings" an article in which he spoke of Rabbi Eckstein. Here is an excerpt from his article:

"There is another kind of "lifestyle evangelism" that I can't endorse. It's the kind where people congratulate one another that actions speak louder than words, and that if others know they are a Christian, they need not say anything about Jesus so long as they live exemplary lives.

Isn't it interesting that Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, an Orthodox Jew, promoted this kind of evangelism in his article "Witnessing vs. Proselytizing," which was posted online at the Christianity Today website. Eckstein concludes, "If Christians want to share their faith with Jews, they should start by being good friends and neighbors, and wherever possible, 'good Samaritans.' Evangelicals call this style of witnessing 'lifestyle evangelism,' and it seems to me a self-evidently superior form of outreach." [Before you take that ringing endorsement of how to witness to Jewish people, you need to know that] Eckstein is a man of great sensitivity and tact, but he is not a believer and his goal is not to see other Jews become believers. Helping people win Jews to Christ would make Eckstein anathema in the Jewish community. Yet some Christians regard him as an expert on how to successfully share their faith. Ecktstein claims to uphold the Christian mandate to witness, but eventually he discloses his opinion that it is arrogant for Christians to think that Jewish people need Jesus.

I think that Christians should be concerned that Rabbi Eckstein has gained quite a platform among evangelical Christians. As reasonable and affirming of the Christian religion as Eckstein might seem, his commitment as an Orthodox rabbi is still at odds with those of us committed to seeing all people, including Jewish people, find salvation in Jesus.

I'm afraid that some Christians have been so flattered by Eckstein's approach that the utter lack of logic in using him as an authority on Jewish evangelism escapes them. In a way, I am glad that Eckstein speaks so highly of "lifestyle evangelism" because it affords thinking Christians the opportunity to reflect on how to fulfill the Great Commission. The kind of lifestyle evangelism Eckstein praises centers on how nice people can be, whereas the Bible centers on why the cross is so necessary." [1]

And then there is the matter of his income. Oy vey – WHAT an income!!

I found this information on many credible sites, but this from Charisma Magazine, articulated the facts so well:

As the head of a nonprofit that is almost entirely supported by donations, what makes Yechiel Eckstein's compensation noteworthy is its proportion to his organization's overall income compared to other ministries. While the salary and benefit package of the head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (ICFJ) is at least five times higher than any other leader of an Israel-related ministry, clocking in at $1.2 million, Eckstein's compensation is more than double what the president of World Vision—a ministry with a budget 10 times larger—earns.

World Vision's Richard Stearns earned $456,718 in salary and benefits in 2011, according to the organization's tax return. But World Vision has a $1 billion annual budget, whereas last year IFCJ's budget was $113 million.

Meanwhile, Billy Graham, founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), earned $228,448 in total compensation in 2011, and his son, Franklin Graham, president of BGEA, earned $115,307. The organization is similar in size to the IFCJ with $92 million in revenues in 2011.

Linda Lampkin, resource director for the Economic Research Institute office in Washington, D.C., calculated the average direct compensation for executive directors at similar-sized religious organizations and found Eckstein's pay is well above the average, which is $276,807. The computer-generated comparison showed executive directors at organizations with similar-sized budgets—$100-$110 million—earned anywhere from $163,675 to $389,938 annually.

"It is fair to say an executive director at a religious organization who makes nearly $500,000 annually in direct compensation and also has significant other compensation is paid well outside the mean ranges of executive directors at similar organizations with an approximate $100 million to $110 million in revenues," Lampkin told Charisma.

How much are those in charge of these Israel-related ministries actually making?

It's often implied that any leader of a nonprofit ministry or organization who earns more than Mother Teresa is somehow gouging the public. Obviously, that isn't true. Running a large organization—whether a college, a hospital or a church—is complicated and requires hard work. By not paying market-rate salaries, the talent needed to run such organizations tends to go to where he or she can be compensated commensurate with his or her ability. Even Jesus said a "laborer is worthy of his wages" (Luke 10:7).

Some organizations don't like to reveal what their leaders make, however, because they fear donations would decrease if people knew. In the world of Christian ministries, that's especially true—as proven by such examples as the short-lived "scandal" surrounding Franklin Graham's compensation package as the head of both Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

At the same time, in American culture there is a feeling that some financial matters should be out in the open. For example, it's required by law that the public knows the salaries of elected officials. And those who run a publicly owned company must publicize the salaries of top management so investors can make investing decisions based on whether they feel those leaders are looking out for the investor or themselves.

Even the Bible says people do things differently in the light than in darkness. So in that spirit, Charisma inquired about the salaries of some of the ministries' leaders.

We found ministry leaders' pay ranged from zero to that of Eckstein. By comparison, leaders from three of the other largest Israel-related ministries earned substantially less: Jonathan Bernis earned $224,233 in total compensation (salary and benefits), Jews for Jesus Executive Director David Brickner earned $200,000 and Chosen People Ministries President Mitch Glaser earned $174,767. (The salary and benefit package of Christians United for Israel Executive Director David Brog could not be obtained.)

Among the other ministries, no salary was above $90,500. And with Eckstein's removed from the equation, the average salary of those leaders willing to disclose their compensation—and including those who take no salary—was $85,856.

How We Came Up With This Report

Given the magnitude and importance of the mission of Israel-related ministries—and in an effort to help promote financial transparency, integrity in fundraising efforts and the proper use of donations—Charisma requested financial information from 17 Israel-related ministries.

To begin its seven-month investigation into the financial stewardship of these ministries, Charisma requested financial information from each organization, along with an interview with its president or lead representative. We also obtained the 990 tax returns that some of the ministries voluntarily filed with GuideStar, which tracks the finances of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. Under federal law, ministries are not required to publicly disclose tax returns, but some do so voluntarily to be financially transparent.

In its examination of ministry finances, Charisma also consulted with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which accredits various ministries, and Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit organization that evaluates American charities. Of the 17 ministries, the following seven are accredited by ECFA: Chosen People Ministries, Jews for Jesus, Christian Friends of Israel, Bridges for Peace, Maoz Israel, Jewish Voice Ministries International and the Messianic Jewish Israel Fund.

Having worked with many of the ministries in the past and seen their fruit up close through the years, Charisma's intent was not to dig up any figurative buried skeletons, but instead to inform our readers as to the unique vision, purpose and scope of ministry for each organization. We believe financial stewardship goes hand in hand with this and, as a result, celebrate those Israel-related ministries that are taking every precaution to be faithful with what God has given them. [2]

Over $1 million a year?? That is absolutely sinful and wrong on so many levels. There is a word for a person like this in Yiddish – Goniff. It means a thief. I'm sorry to have to use this term, but what else can I call him?

Publicly accessible tax documents show Eckstein's total compensation in 2018 was more than $700,000, and that his daughter Yael Eckstein, who then served as executive vice president, earned more than $400,000. In 2019, the year the elder Eckstein died, his total compensation jumped to roughly $3 million, which an IFCJ spokesperson, Shavit Greenberg, said was due to a death benefit paid out to his widow. The nonprofit's revenue in both years exceeded $100 million. A Haaretz article published in 2017 also questioned the size of Yechiel Eckstein's salary.

The top salaries of Jewish nonprofit executives and their employees has long been a topic of discussion and concern among Jewish groups. In 2017, the Forward counted 18 CEOs who were earning more than half a million dollars. The introduction to the survey said that since the Forward's previous survey of CEO compensation, "the gender gap at Jewish non-profits has only widened and a few non-profit executives are receiving extraordinary payouts." This year, a survey of Jewish nonprofit employees by Leading Edge, which focuses on workplace culture at Jewish groups, found that fewer than half of respondents said their "salary is fair relative to similar roles at my organization."

In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Greenberg said the organization "has never engaged Eliminalia or any firm that engages in unethical practices." She said that IFCJ asked the Post to send documentation of the payment to Eliminalia but did not receive it.

Greenberg's statement added that the organization could not say whether Yehiel Eckstein paid for the service himself — though it did not rule that possibility out. If Eckstein did have a role in hiring Eliminalia, it would have been well before the company's alleged activity on his behalf took place: The Post article made clear that Eliminalia was hired on the Ecksteins' behalf in 2020, more than a year after the elder Eckstein died.

"If there is a record of Rabbi Eckstein making such payment over five years ago, it was a personal decision made completely independent of The Fellowship," Greenberg said. "Rabbi passed in 2019 and is the only one able to comment on the alleged payment to Eliminalia."

Asked about the discrepancy in dates, Greenberg wrote via email, "The Fellowship nor our current president has ever engaged with Eliminalia and had never heard of the company until the article."

The Post wrote the expose with the assistance of Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based consortium of investigative journalists. Forbidden Stories had obtained internal documents detailing Eliminalia's methods. Eliminalia did not respond to the Post's requests for comment, citing "business secrecy."

Eliminalia's techniques, according to the Post, include burying negative stories in search results by supplanting them with positive ones from fake news sites — a practice that media watchdogs see as unethical, but not illegal. What is illegal is another practice: making false claims to web hosts that content on their sites has been previously published by other outlets, and is therefore copyright protected and should be erased.

That, according to the Post, is how Eliminalia approached WordPress about Ungurean's blog in 2020. Two companies claimed copyright of Ungurean's 2015 and 2018 blog entries. According to the Post article, those companies show no sign of existing other than to make those claims.

Eliminalia was paid roughly $6,400 for the action, the Post reported. Ungurean shared emails with the Post from Automattic, WordPress's parent company, that said the company ignored the requests, finding them suspect.

Nonetheless, the 2015 post disappeared. The 2018 post is still online. Automattic told Ungurean that someone using her log-in erased the 2015 post in January 2022. Ungurean told the Post she did not erase her content and believes her account was hacked.

The Post compared two searches on Yahoo for "Yael Eckstein salary," one in October 2020 and one from last month. On the 2020 search, the 2018 blog post by Ungurean shows up fifth; last month's search did not turn up the blog post in its first 100 entries. Among the top posts, however, is an advertisement entitled "Yael Eckstein: Salary, Spending and the Non-Profit Double Standard," in which the younger Eckstein posits that non-profit executives should get salaries commensurate with the for-profit sector.