Head of the Lituanian Haredi religious community, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, has issued a ruling prohibiting the taking of monies from the Christian-associated Friendship Fund, headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

In his ruling, he writes that organizations receiving money from the fund are guilty of ignoring the prohibition of idolatry, and are assisting missionary activities in the future, "Sadly, we have heard that some institutions and relief organizations have already failed in this regard," he wrote.