Kill the Filibuster: Genius or Blunder?

Summary

The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: "Kill the Filibuster: Genius or Blunder?"

Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Charlie Kirk (joined by Andrew Colvitt, Blake Neff)
Special Guest: Yael Eckstein (International Fellowship of Christians and Jews)

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Overview of the Episode

This episode delves into the heated policy debate over whether Republicans should "nuke" the Senate filibuster—a procedural mechanism requiring 60 votes to close debate and advance most legislation. With former President Trump calling for its removal, the discussion unpacks the strategic, legislative, and political consequences on both sides. The episode also includes a heartfelt segment honoring the late Charlie Kirk and his legacy, as well as an in-depth interview with Yael Eckstein, focusing on Israel, faith, and resilience.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What is the Filibuster? (01:09–02:31)

• Blake Neff explains the filibuster as a Senate rule allowing unlimited debate on most legislation, which can only be ended by a vote of 60 Senators (cloture).
• The filibuster has already been eroded for Supreme Court justices and lower court nominations but remains for standard legislation.
• There are exceptions (like reconciliation bills) that require only a simple majority.

"The filibuster... has been curtailed back over time. It used to be you could do it on anything. Then they rolled it back for Supreme Court justices, then any judicial nominations... but it's remained for normal legislation."
— Blake Neff [01:56]

2. Trump and the GOP Debate on Killing the Filibuster (02:31–09:53)

• President Donald Trump is now urging Republicans to terminate the filibuster, threatening political fallout for those who resist.
• Andrew Colvitt and Blake Neff note mixed appetite within the Senate GOP: many don't want to shoulder the political backlash or are unprepared to capitalize on a filibuster-less chamber.
• Neff warns Democrats may do it the next time they're in power if Republicans don’t act.

"It feels like this kind of came out of nowhere based on this shutdown fight... But Trump is right that they are going to do this eventually. It’s not an if, it’s a when."
— Andrew Colvitt [05:04]

Notable Trump Quotes (With Attribution)

"The first day, they're gonna pack the court, they're gonna make D.C. a state, and they're going to make Puerto Rico a state... It's going to be a very, very bad situation. And it's done. It's done as soon as they attain power."
— Donald Trump [05:31]

"It's time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that's terminate the filibuster. It's the only way you can do it... we should pass voter id. We should pass no mail in voting. We should pass all the things that we wanted to pass, make our elections secure and safe."
— Donald Trump [06:04]

Internal Dynamics and Concerns

• Many Republicans are seen as using the filibuster as an excuse to avoid hard votes.
• Republicans risk bearing the political cost of ending the filibuster and then failing to deliver consequential policies.
• If Democrats nuke the filibuster and pass unpopular initiatives, the backlash may help Republicans more than if the GOP kills it first and is then blamed.

"The filibuster does not actually protect the minority. The filibuster protects the majority from votes it doesn't want to take."
— Blake Neff [07:19]

3. Audience Feedback and Party Critiques (12:13–13:47)

• The audience splits: some argue Democrats will nuke the filibuster anyway and the GOP should act first; others see Republican leadership as too feckless to capitalize.
• Several listeners express frustration at Republican leadership and the judicial state of the country, praising any improvements between Trump terms.

"We will never win much because the dummy will always find a way to take down the stupid Republicans... The Supreme Court will run the country."
— Richard (Listener) [12:28]

"Trump 2.0 has been way better than Trump 1.0 and that's mostly because of the personnel. Right, personnel's policy."
— Andrew Colvitt [12:58]

4. Broader Cultural Commentary (13:47–16:03)

• The hosts highlight the election of controversial figures to public office, using the case of Angela Walker—a convicted murderer elected to Bangor's city council in Maine—to illustrate cultural and political decay.

"They have a literal murderer, drug addict on their city council."
— Blake Neff [15:08]

5. Tribute to Charlie Kirk and Reflections on Faith (16:06–18:50)

• Emotional reflections on Charlie Kirk's assassination and its spiritual impact are shared.
• The team notes a spiritual revival, with a 36% spike in Bible sales in September.
• Personal stories reveal how Kirk inspired a deeper connection with God among the team and listeners.

"It has made me seek a deeper connection with God... my life has changed since this happened. The country has changed since this happened."
— Blake Neff [16:25]

"That spirit of Charlie Kirk is still alive in all of us and... in the country."
— Blake Neff [16:55]

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Special Segment: Interview with Yael Eckstein (18:50–39:11)

Remembering Charlie Kirk’s Legacy (18:50–25:16)

• Yael recounts her close friendship with Charlie Kirk, including deeply personal and spiritual conversations about Israel and world affairs.
• She praises Charlie’s humility and passion for truth and peace, calling him a “modern founding father.”

"I'll never forget that day that we sat together with Charlie... he transformed into the most loving, passionate, wise kind of leader I've ever seen."
— Yael Eckstein [19:52]

Reflections on Israel, October 7th, and Peace (25:16–29:24)

• Discussion centers on the recent return of hostages and the profound emotional and spiritual aftermath for Israel.
• Yael shares about faith among survivors and the nation's ongoing search for peace after trauma.

"When I saw those hostages coming back into Israel... I just kept saying, 'redemption from the Lord comes in the blink of an eye.'"
— Yael Eckstein [27:30]

The Fellowship’s Response and Ongoing Work (34:12–38:22)

• The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) has provided over $300 million in aid to all Israeli communities (Jewish, Christian, Druze, Bedouin, Muslim) since October 7th.
• IFCJ is active in rebuilding infrastructural and emotional support such as kindergartens, hospitals, trauma centers, and outreach after the war.

"We've distributed over $300 million of life saving aid in Israel to all communities... to the Jewish community, to the Christian community, to the Druze, to the Bedouin, even to the Muslim community in Israel."
— Yael Eckstein [34:12]

Final Reflections and Call to Prayer (38:22–39:11)

• Yael calls for prayer for a strong America, peace in Jerusalem, and further international unity (e.g., Abraham Accords).
• The episode ends with an encouragement for listeners to continue Charlie Kirk's legacy through activism, faith, and support for Israel.

"With a strong America and a strong and unified Israel, we'll be able to see more countries join the historic Abraham Accords... light always overcomes the darkness."
— Yael Eckstein [38:22]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The filibuster does not actually protect the minority. The filibuster protects the majority from votes it doesn't want to take." — Blake Neff [07:19]
• "It feels like this kind of came out of nowhere based on this shutdown fight... But Trump is right that they are going to do this eventually." — Andrew Colvitt [05:04]
• "All we want is voter id." — Donald Trump [06:54]
• "You have a murderer on a city council in Bangor, Maine." — Blake Neff [15:12]
• "Charlie was a modern founding father because he lived his life in such an exemplary way, in such a passionate way." — Andrew Colvitt [25:16]
• "When I saw those hostages coming back... redemption from the Lord comes in the blink of an eye." — Yael Eckstein [27:30]

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:09 | Basics of the filibuster and procedural rules | | 02:31 | President Trump's push to end the filibuster | | 05:31 | Trump quotes on why the filibuster must go | | 07:19 | Analysis: the real purpose of the filibuster in party politics | | 12:13 | Audience reactions and internal GOP debate | | 15:08 | The Bangor, Maine city council controversy | | 16:25 | Reflections on faith following Charlie Kirk's assassination | | 18:50 | Start of Yael Eckstein interview, reflecting on Charlie Kirk and Israel | | 27:30 | Spiritual response in Israel after hostage return | | 34:12 | IFCJ’s $300 million in direct aid to Israel | | 38:22 | Final reflection and call to pray for America, Israel, and peace through Abraham Accords |

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Summary

This episode of The Charlie Kirk Show provides a thorough exploration of the current debate over the Senate filibuster, its origins, and the high political stakes should it be abolished. The hosts, citing both pragmatic and philosophical concerns, capture the ambivalence within the GOP about taking such a consequential step—especially as Trump applies pressure and Democrats are likely to do the same in the future.

A touching interview with Yael Eckstein highlights the ongoing human and spiritual stories from recent events in Israel, punctuated by tributes to Charlie Kirk’s lasting legacy of activism, dialogue, faith, and hope.

Listeners are left with both a nuanced look into an urgent policy issue and a reminder of the power of conviction, community, and compassion in shaping the future—true to Charlie Kirk's values and vision.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

My name is Charlie Kirk. I run the largest pro American student organization in the country, fighting for the future of our republic. My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth. If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're gonna end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful. College is a scam, everybody. You gotta stop sending your kids to college. You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible. Go start a Turning Point USA College chapter. Go start a Turning Point USA High School chapter. Go find out how your church can get involved. Sign up and become an activist. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade. Most important decision I ever made in my life. And I encourage you to do the same. Here I am, Lord.

[Blake Neff]

Use me.

[Charlie Kirk]

Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. The Charlie Kirk show is proudly sponsored by Preserve Gold. But the leading gold and silver experts and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends and viewers.

[Andrew Colvitt]

All right, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show. I'm Andrew Colvitt, executive producer of this fine show, joined by Blake Neff. We're gonna talk about the filibuster. And you know, because we've had internal debates about the pros and cons of doing it. Now I think back to Kirsten Cinema.

[Blake Neff]

So we set the bigger context here because if they haven't seen it, it's that. So we have the filibuster right now. Yeah, basically what it is is the filibuster is you can. You only need 50 votes to pass a piece of legislation. 50 plus the Vice President as a tiebreaker. You only need that to pass legislation. But they have no limit on debate, basically. And you can extend debate indefinitely and you need 60 votes to overcome.

[Andrew Colvitt]

For cloture.

[Blake Neff]

For cloture, which is where they vote to end debate. Now this has been curtailed back over time. It used to basically be you could do it on anything. And then they rolled it back for Supreme Court justices, then any judicial nominations. Did they do it? On another thing, it was definitely Supreme Court. It's definitely been rolled back over time, but it's remained for normal legislation. You can get around it with, you know, the reconciliation, which they can do basically once or twice a year. But now President Trump has. And as you were saying, Democrats tried to get rid of it, but they failed. Cuz Cinema and Manchin weren't on board with it.

[Andrew Colvitt]

They blocked it.

[Blake Neff]

Now President Trump has said Republicans should get rid of the filibuster. He's loudly agitating for it. He's saying he's going to make it. You know, he's gonna bring hell down on Republican senators who don't wanna do it. But so far, Senator Thune and others have not sounded terribly interested in getting rid of it.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Well, Thune is now saying that he doesn't have enough votes that. So basically, Trump doesn't want to.

[Blake Neff]

Democrats offered him the votes for it.

[Andrew Colvitt]

You think they would?

[Blake Neff]

I wouldn't be. It's weird. Like, the more time passes, the more incentive they have to do it. Because if you're a Democrat, and I think the biggest reason to be hesitant about this is I think Republicans are putting themselves in a position where they might destroy the filibuster, take all of whatever backlash there is to be had for doing that, and then not do anything with it. All they'll do is they'll end the shutdown.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah.

[Blake Neff]

And that's it.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. I tend to agree. So I don't think there's enough consensus within the Republican caucus to do anything useful with it.

[Blake Neff]

Exactly. If you were going to nuke the filibuster, I would say, at a minimum, you want the following things. You want to fix the immigration system for real. So we have all these rules in place where this is what the judges who are blowing up all our immigration stuff are relying on. They're saying, oh, you can't override the asylum proceedings.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Oh, you have to give these people.

[Blake Neff]

The right to these hearings before they can be deported. You could throw out all of that. You could pass a new bill that has way harsher on illegal immigrants, radically curtails whatever BS rights they're being given before they're deported. You can limit legal immigration. You can change the balance of who we're letting in. You know, get rid of the diversity lottery. You know, roll back H1BS because we're, like, losing our own skills in the workforce. Lots of things you could do there, you could mess with the college cartel. So, for example, Biden was just trying to unilaterally forgive student loans. We could do something like say, we're going to do. We're going to roll back student loans, by the way, what we're going to do is, if you ever want to get a student loan again as a college, you have to pay into this giant fund to fund this forgiveness. Imagine if we did that. We're like, hey, Harvard, if you ever want a federal grant again, you need to give us $10 billion out of your endowment to help deflate the student loan bubble. Reform that. You can radically Deregulate huge chunks of America so that we can build more houses, build more infrastructure, remove those barriers that have made it so hard to build things in the United States. One thing after another. There's so many things you can do if you have only. If you only need 50 votes to pass things and you're ready to do it. I worry the Republican Party isn't ready.

[Andrew Colvitt]

No, they're not ready. They're not ready because I do. It feels like this kind of came out of nowhere based on this shutdown fight, which now we find out that Sean Duffy saying we're gonna reduce air Travel flights by 10% because, you know, there's staffing shortages and all kinds of stuff. But Trump is right that they are going to do this eventually. They will do this eventually. It's not a win. It's not if it's a win. So let's go ahead. And this is 354Trump warning about what will happen when they do.

[Donald Trump]

The first day, they're gonna pack the court, they're gonna make D.C. a state, and they're going to make Puerto Rico a state. So now they pick up two states, they pick up four senators. Okay. You think you have problems? They're going to do all of the things. They're going to pick up electoral votes. It's going to be a very, very bad situation. And it's done. It's done as soon as they attain power. Now, if we do what I'm saying, they'll never. They'll most likely never attain power.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. And so Trump is saying, here's why he wants to do it. 352.

[Donald Trump]

It's time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that's terminate the filibuster. It's the only way you can do it. And if you don't terminate the filibuster, you'll be in bad shape. We won't pass any legislation. And John, I think they've done an extension every single time they've ever been asked forever. But if they won't do an extension, they won't do any bill, even a simple bill. And we should do our own bills. We should get out. We should do our own bills. We should open up. We should start tonight with the country is open. Congratulations. Then we should pass voter id. We should pass no mail in voting. We should pass all the things that we wanted to pass, make our election secure and safe. Because California is a disaster. Many of the states are disasters. But can you imagine when they vote almost unanimously against voter id? All we want is voter id.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. I mean, I have legal questions of whether not you could do it for.

[Blake Neff]

Keep in mind, everything we do. Keep in mind everything we do will be blocked by some lower district court. So that would honestly, if you want to get rid of the filibuster and for example, do those reforms that were discussed on what lower courts can do with injunctions, I think we had Senator Leon to talk about that once. That would be a great thing to pass.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah, absolutely. That would be.

[Blake Neff]

So injunction reform, there's so many things you could do. And I bet, you know, the infamous Project 2025 probably has examples of things you could do. There's certainly many ideas out there. The question is, do you have Republicans ready to pass them? And the problem is, is you have a senatorial class that's gotten very spoiled. And a line I like to tell Charlie and I've told other people is the filibuster does not actually protect the minority. The filibuster protects the majority from votes it doesn't want to take. And Republicans are a masterclass of that because a lot of Republicans, for example, don't want to reduce illegal immigration or legal immigration. And what they can do is they confront as, oh, I'm really concerned about Los Alamo immigration stuff. Sadly, we need 60 votes to pass anything. I'm so sorry. And then if you get rid of the filibuster, suddenly, suddenly they're called out. Now they actually have to vote up or down on it and they're caught out.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. I mean, listen, if we had a more unified caucus, I'd be entertaining this right now. But the truth is, the political dynamics are the interesting part. So if we nuke the filibuster, we get saddled with the blame for doing that. Right. Abolishing this tried and true institution, or at least this procedural institution. But the truth is, we just simply do not have the votes. They're up 392. This is. John Thune is defying Trump on the filibuster. His explanation is that we do not have the votes. And I believe him. I think he's probably one of them, you know, to be perfectly candid. And I mean, can you imagine McConnell voting to nuke the filibuster? Susan Collins.

[Blake Neff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Rand Paul.

[Blake Neff]

I don't think they're ready to do it. And if they did do it, I'm really worried they wouldn't be ready to pass anything useful. And, you know, he probably is right. Democrats probably will get rid of it the next time they're in power. But it will depend what is the nature of their majority, if it exists. And John, also, it will also probably take them a little bit of time to do it. And as we're learning in these admins, you know, the days and weeks that you have to actually pass things matter a lot. So if you want another example of how this party could be better, I think the House has been in recess for like 40 straight days or something like that. The House clearly just hates doing work. That could be a great bill to pass. What if we like pressured them into passing a bill that said they actually have to work?

[Andrew Colvitt]

Well, imagine getting them to pass that bill. I think this is another instance of Trump not being crazy. Trump just being early and the party in the caucus has yet to catch up with him. I do tend to think that they are going to nuke the filibuster and we are going to get up or down votes on Puerto Rico and D.C. becoming states. Maybe you get a John Fetterman that blocks it, maybe you get some sane Democrats. But to stake your entire political and the fortune of the country on Democrat sanity, I think is a losing formula. Which, you know, we better figure out these midterms. Blake. That's the point. That's the main point. This is Lane Schoenberger, chief investment officer and founding partner of Y Refi.

[Blake Neff]

It has been an honor and a.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Privilege to partner with Turningpoint and for Charlie to endorse us. His endorsement means the world to us and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Turningpoint for years to come. Now hear Charlie in his own words tell you about why Refi.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm going to tell you guys about yrefi.com that is yrefy.com why refi is incredible. Private student loan debt in America totals about $300 billion. Why refi is refinancing distress or defaulted private student loans. You can finally take control of your student loan situation with a plan that works for your monthly budget. Go to yrefi.com that is why refi.com do you have a co borrower? Why Refi can get them released from the loan. You can even skip a payment up to 12 times without penalty. It may not be available in all 50 states. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com let's face it, if you have distress or default to student loans, it can be overwhelming because of privacy loan debt. So many people feel stuck. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com Private student loan debt relief yrefi.com.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Let us know what you think. Freedomarliekirk.com, freedomcharliekirk.com do you think the Senate is wrong for most people want to.

[Blake Neff]

Get rid of the filibusters?

[Andrew Colvitt]

Well I want to hear, I want to hear what does the grassroots in this audience want to do? Do you want to nuke the filibuster? Do you think Trump is right or do you think it's an important institution?

[Blake Neff]

Even if Democrats are going to do it anyway, I will just remind you if they nuke it themselves and then pass radical stuff that ends up being unpopular, that is more helpful situation to us then we blew it up and they just take advantage of it.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Steven disagrees. So Stephen says Andrew, you are missing the point. Thank you Stephen. The Dems will do it anyway and we will get blamed anyway as we are being blamed right now for the shutdown. Yeah, we will have to hold the rhinos feet to the fire to get anything done. But at least Republicans will be able to protect themselves from the cheat that gets Dems elected in the first place. So that's from Stephen. That's interesting. Okay. Pathetic Republican says Richard. Guys, we will never win much because the dummy will always find a way to take down the stupid Republicans. The dummy. I guess that's the Democrats even if they are not in power. Another Trump 1.0 term. The low life judges have taken over and eventually the Supreme Court will run the country. Let's say it how it is, man. I hope, listen, I really hope that you're wrong. I think Trump 2.0 has been way better than Trump 1.0 and that's mostly because of the personnel. Right, Personnel's policy. We had Sarah Rogers for example on the show. She's part of the State Department. She's amazing. And these are the caliber and the type of people that we have in Trump 2.0 that we simply did not have in 2.0. For sure, for sure. And by the way, remember the border is closed. That would have never happened. Okay. That's a huge historic accomplishment that we cannot forget about and Trump deserves a ton of credit on that. And listen, the economy is mixed right now. I agree. We need to focus on domestic stuff. We need to show improve big, bold, audacious ideas on the domestic front to get people believing. You got an email up.

[Blake Neff]

It was just about. It was the kind of a centered idea. I want to flag this very quickly because we just, I like to. Charlie was always good at reminding people of how insane Democrats have been this is a. This is like a kind of obscure element, but put up the photo I sent you guys of this Angela Walker woman in Bangor, Maine. They just elected a progressive slate on the city council, and they elected Angela Walker. Angela Walker is a, by her own admission, former drug junkie. And 20 years ago, she and her brother murdered a Canadian tourist. They, like, stuffed sand down his throat so he would asphyxiate. And her brother got sentenced to, I think 12 years served. 5. She got sentenced to, apparently time served for this for murdering a tourist because she said he called her a mean name. Apparently he. They alleged. And these people always lie, so probably lied. She alleged that the guy called her a squaw, which is a slur to some in American Indian communities. And like, her brother is also just this serial criminal who goes around and committing tons of crimes and then accusing. She's at the city council of Bangor, Maine. Your. Your city council. And I'm not lying. We got an email from someone in Bangor, Maine, during this show, and they were complaining about the gas prices. And I just sent back. Bangor has bigger problems than the gas prices. They have a literal murderer, drug addict on their city council.

[Andrew Colvitt]

That's. That's shocking, but not shocking.

[Blake Neff]

It is not shocking.

[Andrew Colvitt]

It kind of makes. It kind of makes.

[Blake Neff]

Coming to a city near you. Yeah.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Now we have. What do you call this one? It's the exception, not the rule. But now you have two elected officials in the Democrat Party that one fetishizing about murder, the other actually did it. And so now we have a pattern of behavior where it just sort of feels like when you live in this post sort of truth world and everything's on social media, and gosh, we're seeing it with, you know, the Charlie's assassin. It's like. It's like, you know, Charlie used to joke that he's like, we're all living in a. In an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Where the points are made up and the rules don't matter.

[Blake Neff]

The rules are made up and the points don't matter. That's what it was.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. And it's just like this is. This is case in point where, you know, we have a murderer on a city city council in Bangor, Maine. Yeah, this. And she got a wound.

[Blake Neff]

We need a palette cleanser for that.

[Andrew Colvitt]

We want to.

[Blake Neff]

Before the end of this segment, we want to highlight something that's really good. It's the impact Charlie continues to have on people's faith. So that's one last great thing from the Jesse erica interview. Let's do 357.

[Andrew Colvitt]

I feel like his assassination has changed you as a person. Like there's a difference in you. How has this impacted you?

[Blake Neff]

It has. It has. It has made me seek a deeper connection with God. You know, I was. They call it a cne Christian. You go to church on Christmas and Easter. I went to Sunday school as a kid, but I found myself reading more about Jesus Christ. And, you know, my life has changed since this happened. The country has changed since this happened. And you can't not feel that.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Everyone feels it.

[Blake Neff]

It's something that you have to nourish like a flame and protect and keep because that. That spirit of Charlie Kirk is still alive and all of us and. And still alive in the country.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah, really powerful. Bible sales spiked 36% in the month of September and so many other pieces of that. President Trump walked into a catch 22 when taking office. Do nothing and America would be staring at a ticking debt bomb, the kind of crisis that could cripple our future. Instead, he's taken action with strong policies to slow the train and buy us some time. But the effects of past administration spending are still working through the system, and experts predict dramatic price increases and market uncertainty. Trump is all he can, but no matter who's in office, protecting your retirement savings is ultimately up to you. And that's why many Americans are turning to real assets like gold and silver. Preserve gold is our go to choice here at the Charlie Kirk Show. We use them because they make it easy to own physical gold and silver even inside your retirement accounts, like an IRA or 401k. Now hear from Charlie in his own words.

[Charlie Kirk]

Preserve gold is my go to choice for all my precious metal needs. They are the real deal, and I recommend them to my friends, family, family and viewers.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Get their free wealth protection guide now by texting Charlie to 50505. President Trump is fighting for America's future. Now it's your turn to help protect yours. All right, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show. I'm Andrew Colvitt, executive producer of this fine show. And I am so excited about this next guest. Somebody that not too long ago, we spent some really amazing time right here in a conference room. I could walk to it in about three seconds. And that is, of course, Yael Eckstein, IFCJ Global president and CEO. That's the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Yael, welcome to the Charlie Kirk Show.

[Yael Eckstein]

Thank you so much, Andrew. What a blessing to be here with you.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. And it's the first time you've been on obviously since the tragic news that we got, that we. That Charlie had been taken from us and taken from this world. And when it happened, Yael, I couldn't help but recall, as I just said, that time we spent in June, so just a couple months ago together in the conference room here in Phoenix. And it was one of the most memorable meetings that I'd ever had with Charlie, as a matter of fact. And you were so sweet and you wanted to just engage in these ideas and Charlie was, was riffing and he had all these like, thoughts and you were just like, I want it. Like, let me get my note back. And I take this down. Charlie was like, absolutely. So the floor is yours. Yal, maybe just, you know, start there and reflect on your personal friendship with Charlie and kind of what that meant and what you learned and how you're thinking about these weeks since he was taken from us.

[Yael Eckstein]

Wow. Well, to see you there, Andrew, in the studio doing this podcast gives me so much hope for the future. And to see Charlie's empty chair is something, something that I think will all feel in our hearts forever. I'll never forget that day that we sat together with Charlie. We had around a 10 minute meeting scheduled and Charlie came in. He was so busy. And I know that look and I know that feeling. And I was like, okay, I'm here for as long as you have. Don't worry about anything. He said, what do you want to talk about, Yell? I said, share your heart with me, Charlie. You could tell me anything. Tell me the hard things. Tell me the hard things about Israel. Tell me the hard things you're going. Tell me anything that you want. You could just share with me. And it was incredible how suddenly he transformed into the most loving, passionate, wise kind of leader I've ever seen in my life. And I've sat with a lot of world leaders. And what I saw in him was both this humble servant heart. Of course, being that I live in Israel, I represent Israel and Jewish Christian relations and where Jews and Christians find that common bond spiritually. I saw a spirit that was alive and in love with Israel. And he was someone who I think held such truth in the sense of he was able to be critical of policies of the Israeli government without at all being critical of Israel as the spiritual homeland. He was able to both say, this is a just war. We have to get these hostages back. And when the hostages came back just a day before Charlie's birthday, I know you and me both, Andrew, were like, thank you, Charlie. We know you were praying for this. We know you had a part in this. But what I saw was he was able to recognize what Israel's going through and the complexity within it, recognizing good as good, bad as bad, and also recognizing you can have concerns and be critical of Israel without completely saying Israel doesn't have a right to exist or that the Jewish people shouldn't have a homeland or any of the other things that so many people are saying today.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Man. Yael, I want to give you a compliment on this because, you know, I obviously had heard Charlie in those kind of conversations multiple times. And you just had such a sweet spirit and such a welcoming. And it was. And you could just feel that you were sincere, that you were like, please, I want to know exactly what you really think. And I could just sit.

[Yael Eckstein]

Andrew.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. And Charlie just blossomed. No, and Charlie just blossomed in front of you. And that. And that's exactly. Like, you could see just all of his, like, that loving nature, that kindness, and just that earnest desire to help. Cause he was frustrated about some things, and he was frustrated about the messaging and all this stuff. It's all been very publicized, you know, at this point. But, like, you gave him a floor to say all these things that he'd been keeping in his thinking really deeply about for a long time. And I just loved when you got out your notepad and you're like, can I take notes? You're like, yes. And. And he gave you, like, seven points or something. And I'm sitting there going like, wow, this is really, like, detailed Charlie, you know, and you just started writing it. And I just. I remember being so impressed by just the warmth, because, I mean, you could have got defensive or something. I don't know. But there's many options of how you could have reacted in that moment. But you were so loving. And Charlie just walked away from that and be like, she's the best. She's the absolute best. Yeah.

[Yael Eckstein]

Well, I remember that hug that he gave me after, right before we parted, when we went over those seven different points that he told me. And then, you know, we. We spoke for an hour and a half, and we were supposed to only have five or 10 minutes. And we got up, and I was like, can I give you a hug? And he gave me a hug that I will feel forever. And he also gave me a cell phone number, and we would text each other, shabbat shalom. And we would talk about how it's really this spirit of love and hope and positivity that's going to change the world. And it's what I saw in Charlie. And everything he did, what Charlie did, he went to people that he disagreed with and he said, tell me your story. Let me try to understand you. I can disagree with you and I can love you. And what Charlie stood for was changing the world and making the world better. And he would always say what the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is doing of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and helping both the Jews and the Christians in Israel. We've built hospitals for the Christian community in Nazareth. We give food boxes for Christians in the Old City. The same way we're feeding Jewish Holocaust survivors. We're helping persecuted Christians in Syria. We built them clinics and health clinics and distributed food boxes. And Charlie always said, like, the answer to everything is love, especially when it comes down to the Holy Land. So still on my desk, I have. I have three pieces of paper that I have hanging up in front of my desk. One of them is those notes that I took that you're talking about, Andrew, with the seven points that Charlie. It says, Charlie Kirk meeting in Arizona even before he was assassinated. I have a list of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes, which I always want to hold in my heart. And I have a list of the five things that King Solomon prayed to God for when he became king. So that meeting was life changing even before he was assassinated.

[Andrew Colvitt]

What company Charlie gets to keep on your wall there. I mean, that is. I mean, and I like to say that Charlie is a modern founding father because he lived his life in such an exemplary way, in such a passionate way that you couldn't help but be. It was just, it was contagious to be around him. You would feel his energy, like that motor was just never stopped churning. And he was always thinking creatively about how to get to the next solution and get over this current problem or whatever. And one of those problems that we talked about was the hostages. And I'll never forget, we prayed for the hostages to be released in our office here. And so, as you mentioned, October 13, the day before Charlie would have turned 32, the hostages get released, and there's this massive, massive peace in the Middle east summit. President Trump flies there. There's this, this huge moment in the Knesset. And I just thought, oh, gosh, I wish Charlie could have seen this because we had been so desperate for this war to come to an end and just hope that so many of these friction points, these tension points that we're all navigating, maybe they could just be finally put to rest and that Israel could find peace and closure after October 7th. So I just. You know, I gotta ask, what was that day like for you? Because you prayed about it with Charlie. I could tell it was like, first and foremost on your. On your heart and your mind. And that even just in June when we were meeting and how much you were thinking about it. So then you were probably in Israel when it happened. I can only imagine, because you do travel back and forth a lot. But I'm assuming you were there. What was that moment like for you? What were you thinking about? What was it like on the ground?

[Yael Eckstein]

Wow. Well, there's a Bible verse that actually, it came to me when I was in labor with my second son, who's now almost 17. But between each contraction, I would say, yeshua tashem keharafain, redemption from the Lord comes in the blink of an eye. And I would have a contraction. It was so painful, and I felt like I was gonna die. And then suddenly it would calm down.

[Andrew Colvitt]

And I would this too shall pass. Yeah, this too shall pass.

[Yael Eckstein]

Exactly. And when I saw those hostages coming back into Israel after two years of living, something none of us could ever imagine, I just kept saying, yeshua tashem keharafain, redemption from the Lord can come in the blink of an eye. It felt like I was watching Andrew, like the Ezekiel prophecy of the dry bones coming to life, that they really. They were like dry bones underground, coming and finding life again. And I was in the Knesset. I was invited there when President Trump spoke. And I felt Charlie Kirk. I felt him there. And I kept thinking, honestly, if he was alive, he would be here. Yeah, if he was alive, he would be here.

[Andrew Colvitt]

I totally felt that with you. Well, Charlie probably would have been doing his show. Cause I would have told him, no, Charlie, we need to get this. It's too big of a news day. You gotta do your show. But, yeah, I mean, listen, the spirit of Charlie Kirk lives on. There's no doubt. And I don't mean that in some, like, hocus pocus way. I just mean we carry him with us. We carry him in our hearts. And I know Israel does, too. I mean, of all the countries that mourned Charlie's passing, I mean, I mean, second to America, I think it must have been Israel, because I saw so much going on there. So many vigils, so many mourners, but we are all carrying this with us. And I think the whole world was. Yael, honestly, I think the whole world wanted to achieve some sort of peace. I think the whole world, not just in Israel, but Around the world. I think Charlie's legacy. He was so anti war. People don't fully appreciate how deeply disturbed Charlie was by any form of war. He just wanted peace. And so that day, I totally relate to you on that, and I am with you 100%. I kept thinking about Charlie. We said it in our group chats. It's just like, man, I wish Charlie could see. See this. He wanted this so badly, you know?

[Yael Eckstein]

Yeah.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah.

[Yael Eckstein]

And what's incredible, Andrew, is something that I didn't expect. You know, the fellowship, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews ministry that I oversee. We've been working and supporting the families of the hostages for the past two years. Being there with them, telling them Christians around the world love you and stand with you and support you. And I was sure that the. The survivors of this hell would come out and they would have lost all faith, that we would have to rebuild it. And they came out with faith stronger than ever. One of the hostages said, I went into the tunnels with a little bit of faith. I came out speaking to God as my best friend. My faith is stronger than ever. There was another hostage who said, the only thing that I had was a little prayer book, and I would say psalms on repeat every day. And another hostage said, I never kept the Sabbath in my life, but in those tunnels, I kept the Sabbath and prayed out to God louder than ever before. And these were people who were so starved, who were tortured, who were chained, and they were told if they convert to Islam and read from the Quran, they'll get food. And they looked at their captors and said, no way I'm standing with the God of Israel. I'm not converting. And so to see them walk out of that torture of two years with faith intact, it's something that I believe. I believe there's a message for all of us there that justice wins.

[Andrew Colvitt]

That, as they say. Yeah, as they say, there's no atheist in the foxholes. So I think that was a good example of it. If you're a listener to the Charlie Kirk show, you know that Charlie built an amazing community through conversation. And that was online, that was in person. It was everywhere.

[Charlie Kirk]

We're able to go very viral about what we're able to do on TikTok. Billions and billions of views, but it.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Was one connection at a time. TikTok offers opportunities for respectful exchanges of ideas, and through that, opportunities for community not to talk over each other, but to talk with each other. On TikTok, you'll find creators who teach and encourage a carpenter passing on his craft. A mom explaining how to make a budget stretch, or a gardener showing us how to bring a backyard back to life. Different stories, but the same drive. The desire to connect and to understand. That's what makes a strong community. A common desire to connect, to find a way forward through respectful dialogue, building trust and feeling heard. Freedom to speak what we know and hear each other out. That's the power of TikTok. It gives everyone a seat at the table, a place to speak, to listen, and to remind each other of what connection really looks like. Conversation build connection, and connections build communities. So, Yael, so I just. How many kids do you have?

[Yael Eckstein]

I have four kids.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Thank you. You have four? Wow. I have three. So you beat me by one.

[Yael Eckstein]

I said, andrew, there's still time.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Well, I know, I know, but not according to my wife, there's not. But my poor wife. Yeah. I've been traveling a lot, especially in recent weeks, so she's the real mvp, as Kevin Durant said. But, yeah. So do I hear this right? She's joining the idf? Is this right?

[Yael Eckstein]

Yeah. Yes. I have a daughter. My oldest is 19 years old. Yeah. And just like all the kids in Israel, when they turn 18, they join the IDF. And it's something I've been thinking about from the time my kids have been born. It's both so such a privilege and blessing to be born in this Generation where after 2000 years of exile, we have the land of Israel that was prophesied in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. And we're seeing all these prophecies come to life. And it's the biggest privilege to live in this land right now. And it's also a huge responsibility. And so every kid, when they turn 18, goes and protects these borders. And so as a mother, what I've realized, Andrew, is the only thing we have in our hands, the only choice we have, is are we going to pray or not? And so I'm praying very hard.

[Andrew Colvitt]

My goodness, I feel that, too. Gosh. With my, you know, with my kids, you know, all of this has just spun our lives into a totally different direction, and I have to help host the show. And, you know, all the things that we do, we're moving and, you know, you. Prayer is powerful and it's comforting, but prayer is powerful. That's the main thing. And especially when we pray for our kids, I think, you know, that's something that God puts on our hearts as parents, and we need to be faithful to that and do it a lot and get on our knees and pray for the future of Our kids and future of our country and peace. Because what are we going to do if we don't have that? So I want to. So this is a remarkable stat that was just shared with me that since October 7th, the fellowship provided over $300 million in direct aid. Did I get a zero? Did I accidentally add an extra zero on there?

[Yael Eckstein]

Or is that God is so much bigger than anything we imagine? Yes, we've distributed over $300 million of life saving aid in Israel to all communities in Israel, to the Jewish community, to the Christian community, to the Druze, to the Bedouin, even to the Muslim community in Israel. Of course, 20% of Israel's population are non Jews. And so we distribute aid according to need, not according to religion or anything else.

[Andrew Colvitt]

So I mean, that's a huge accomplishment. And so congratulations to that and what a blessing. But I have a question because. So now that we're in peace, obviously you guys were so focused on the war effort and helping all the need that was arising out of this tumultuous situation. So now where is the focus of IFCJ going to be placed? Or is it still kind of, is there still more that we don't know about kind of going on with the in and around Gaza or with the idf? Like what's, what's happening now?

[Yael Eckstein]

Well, we look at the scriptures and we're told to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the poor. That's what the Fellowship has been doing for over 40 years. So we're going to continue to do that. Right now, in a way, during these times of quiet, is our opportunity to be able to seed into the peace of Jerusalem, seed into bringing food and hope to the Holocaust survivors, going to the orphans and the children who have been affected and bringing them food and clothing and telling them Christians and Jews around the world stand with you. That in so many ways, Andrew, now that the war ends is when the real work begins to rebuild these communities. The Fellowship just built kindergartens on the border with Gaza that were destroyed on October 7, so the kids couldn't go back to school.

[Andrew Colvitt]

School.

[Yael Eckstein]

And so we're here in Israel planting those seeds. We built a hospital in Nazareth and we'll continue to do everything to help the people.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt because I know you, you've probably got like a bunch of projects you could rattle off. So. But with the kibbutzes, so there was a. I mean, these things, these kibbutzes got totally devastated. Where are they at in rebuilding or have they. Have they Been abandoned. Are they getting rebuilt? Like what's the, what's the status with some of those communities?

[Yael Eckstein]

It's a great question. I was just recently in near Oz, which is on the border with the Gaza Strip and one in four people from that Jewish kibbutz were either kidnapped or killed. Every single house was burned down and it still hasn't been rebuilt. But the people want to come back and so they're putting caravans next to the kibbutz, they're putting anything that they could in order to go and move back and show the, this resilience, this hope, this their seeds that are blooming with hope for the future. And now that the war is over, we'll start to rebuild those kibbutzim. But there is so many needs. There are trauma centers that there are wounded soldiers, you have generation of 18 year olds that are missing limbs, but they're determined to go out and work. We actually, we had one man who we brought from the former Soviet Union on Aliyah, this biblical prophecy coming to fruition of the ingathering of the people. And he came from this biblical land of the north with the fellowship to Israel and he ended up joining the IDF as a lone soldier. He was injured by terrorists that they threw an anti tank missile at his missile at his tank and he lost his leg. But he's now volunteering with the fellowship, distributing food boxes to elderly and he even learned how to ride a handicap bike and is competing on behalf of the state of Israel in, in the competitions for handicapped. So we are seeing a resilience that I couldn't even imagine before October 7th. And the fellowship is there both to give hope and strength then.

[Andrew Colvitt]

That's awesome. I love those kinds of stories and the resilience of the people of Israel has been truly amazing. So we prayed last time and I got one minute left, Yael, before we have to say goodbye to our show today. But we prayed for the hostages to get released. So what is what, what should we be thinking about and praying about now? What is the next call to action?

[Yael Eckstein]

Well, I pray for America every single day. I believe a strong America is a strong world. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, just as the scriptures tell us. And I believe that with a strong America and a strong and unified Israel, we'll be able to see more countries join the historic Abraham Accords. Um, this is something that I believe is blessed in the eyes of God. That's possible. And we have to believe that light always overcomes the darkness. We've seen darkness and now it's time for light.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Yeah. And if you guys want to get on board with that, I totally agree. The Abraham Accords, all this peace is just exploding in a, in a good way. It's probably the wrong choice of words, but throughout the region and we're, we thank God for it. Go to IFCJ ifcj.org if you want to get involved with what Yael's doing. Ifcj. Org. Thank you, Yael. It's been such a pleasure. Thank you so much.

[Yael Eckstein]

Bless you. You're doing amazing. Andrew with you.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Thank you.

[Blake Neff]

For more on many of these stories and news you can trust, go to charliekirk.

[Andrew Colvitt]

Com.