 "A Friend For Life"
Irina Azar
Irina Azar was born in a Russian refugee camp in Germany at the conclusion of World War I. Her earliest memories included her father's great love for the Jewish people. At the end of each day, he would take any coins left in his pocket and place them in a blue bag at the door. Most often, this would just be a penny, but he'd say, "This is for the Jewish people. God wants us to love them and support them."
As a child, the Germans forced Irina to work in a labor camp. She soon proved herself to be a leader and was put in charge of many of the girls. She was once considered "insubordinate" to a German general when she insisted he get medical help for one of her girls who was very ill. He ordered her in front of a firing squad but while they were waiting for the squad to assemble, a crowd gathered and she was able to slip away.
Irina took her father's advice to heart, befriending Jewish children. Once a Nazi, who had become her new school master, ordered her to give up her special Jewish girlfriend Lolli. She responded, "My Daddy said, 'When you are a friend, you are a friend for life.' I will not give up my friend." She received ridicule and persecution for her stand.
When World War II finally came to an end, Irina came to the United States and continued her support of the Jewish people. As the years went by, she eventually saw Rabbi Eckstein on television and was deeply moved by the plight of suffering Russian Jews. She sacrificially supported The Fellowship monthly and even created a Legacy gift through a charitable gift annuity. Her final tribute to the Jewish people was leaving her home to IFCJ through her will.
Irina passed away on December 16, 2008. Through her bequest and the remainder of her charitable gift annuity, Irina was able to continue to bless the Jewish people long after she went to be with her heavenly Father.
Learn more about supporting God’s chosen people while receiving a lifetime income through a charitable gift annuity
 Sacred Tears of Love
"This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you." — 2 Kings 20:5
Theresa W., a friend of The Fellowship in Massachusetts, will never forget the moment she first saw the television program featuring On Wings of Eagles. "When Rabbi Eckstein wept over the suffering of those people, I wept with him," she says. But Theresa, who has faithfully supported The Fellowship now for many years, has done something simple—yet extraordinary—to demonstrate her compassion for God's Chosen people. She has named The Fellowship as a beneficiary of her last will and testament. Moreover, she has also secured a life insurance policy to create an additional future gift. "It makes my heart happy," Theresa says, "…to share what I have." By doing so, her gifts to The Fellowship will go on for generations to come. Theresa would surely agree with the writer Washington Irving, who many years ago penned these words: "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief…and unspeakable love." The Word of God tells us that the Holy One of Israel sees the tears of His people. It is in troubled times like these that He raises up ordinary individuals like Theresa—and like you—to deliver His message of hope and healing … a message, delivered through tears, that will resonate through the ages.
Learn more about supporting the Jewish people with a gift of life insurance
 "I will stand for Israel and do what I can."
How a supporter of The Fellowship discovered she could do more
Some things are just not easy to explain. That's what Leann, a supporter of The Fellowship in Georgia, says about her love for the Jewish people. "I really don't have any Jewish friends that I know of…" Leann says, "and I don't even remember how I first heard about The Fellowship. But God has placed in my heart a desire to support Jewish people."
Leann has been giving generously to On Wings of Eagles for almost a decade, helping to fund aliyah (immigration to Israel) of numerous Jews from the former Soviet Union. "Although I'm not wealthy, I've worked too hard to see everything I've saved go for naught," Leann says. So several years ago, Leann prepared a last will and testament to ensure that she—not the government—would determine what happens to her assets after her lifetime.
In her will, she made provisions for her family, and for The Fellowship. "I am always—always—trying to think of ways I can help Israel. I think about it almost every day. I can’t sit by and do nothing while the world turns its back on Israel. I want the Jewish people to know that I will stand for Israel and do whatever I can. I'm adamant about that." With her faithful support and the legacy she has created through her estate plan, Leann has discovered a way to bless the Jewish people—not just today, but for generations to come.
Learn more about creating a legacy gift through your will or trust
 The Legacy of The Blessed
Ben and Doris Grossman
The first obstacle faced by Baruch Grossman, a young Russian Jew, when he arrived in America was that the authorities on Ellis Island didn't know how to translate his first name. Yet this was nothing compared to the difficulties he was leaving behind.
When members of the Grossman family sailed from Europe shortly after World War I, they were escaping the carnage of the Bolshevik Revolution and the growing persecution of Jews which would culminate with Hitler's Final Solution. Other Jews from the Grossmans' home town in Russia were among those murdered at Auschwitz.
At the immigration station on Ellis Island, the officer processing Baruch Grossman's paperwork believed—perhaps justifiably so—that the name "Baruch" would be a liability for a newcomer seeking to find work in early twentieth century America. And so the immigrant became "Ben" Grossman. It was in inauspicious beginning to his American dream … one that would become a great success story.
Ben Grossman married Doris and settled in Birmingham, Alabama, later relocating to California. He was a hardworking and skilled printer who in his later years established a trust to benefit the Jewish people, appointing his niece, Naomi Storey, as the trustee.
When Ben passed away in 2003, Naomi helped fulfill Ben's wishes by designating a portion of his trust to The Fellowship's Wings of Eagles program. Just as Ben had left a land of hardship for a land of promise as a young boy, he made a journey of hope possible for others through his estate plan.
Ben Grossman made good on his opportunity and the new name given to him at Ellis Island. But the name he was given at birth, Baruch, is the one that best describes the difference he made. Baruch is a Hebrew name which means "The Blessed." In God's Word, it was a little known but influential man named Baruch who served as scribe to the prophet Jeremiah. It may well have been the Baruch of the Bible who recorded these words, which aptly describe the eternal legacy of Baruch Grossman: "For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers" (Jeremiah 16:15.)
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