Millions of Christians in churches across the United States on Sunday prayed for Israel in a national day of prayer and solidarity with the Jewish state. Organized by the "International Fellowship of Christians and Jews", thousands of evangelical churches took part in the day of prayer to express their support for Israel both spiritually and materially. Around 15,000 churches participated. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, told the "Jerusalem Post" that because the Bible occupies such a central place in evangelical Christianity – much more so than in mainline Catholicism or Protestantism – this element of religious faith has become very important to evangelical Christians. Israeli officials regularly encourage this trend, despite the reluctance of most American Jewish organizations to embrace such support for Israel.