At an event last week held in honor of the late Patricia Frank at Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Center, Chicagoan Albert Frank, Patricia’s husband and a major supporter of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), met more than 100 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans whose college educations he and Patricia sponsored through the FIDF IMPACT! Scholarship program.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank, who were married for more than 65 years, co-founded the program with Chicagoan Israel Levy in 2002. Mr. and Mrs. Frank also recently endowed a fund that will provide 40 new IMPACT! scholarships for many years to come. At the event, Mr. Frank recounted Patricia’s succinct pronouncement: “It’s not about us, it’s about the soldiers.”
From a modest beginning 15 years ago, the IMPACT! Scholarship Program has mushroomed nationally and has provided more than 10,000 four-year financial need-based scholarships for deserving IDF combat veterans.
"The power of FIDF’s flagship IMPACT! Program resonates far beyond the individual, as each scholarship recipient completes 130 volunteer hours during each year of study. In this way, IMPACT! is the premier community service scholarship program in Israel," said an FIDF announcement.
Mr. Frank is a member of both FIDF’s national board and its Central Region board of directors. A retired U.S. Army second lieutenant, Mr. Frank formed his own construction company and established the village of Buffalo Grove, Ill., in 1957. Along with Patricia, Mr. Frank has been a longtime supporter of many Jewish and Israeli organizations.
“FIDF’s Central Region has supported more than 2,000 IMPACT! scholarships since the program’s inception,” said FIDF Midwest Executive Director Tamir Oppenheim. “I want to take this opportunity to thank the co- founders of IMPACT!, Albert and Patricia Frank and Israel Levy, for their inspiration and leadership in creating Israel’s most revolutionary scholarship program. And I also want to also thank every supporter of the IMPACT! Scholarship Program.”
Nearly 250 people attended the event, including FIDF IMPACT! Committee Members Lt. Gen. (Res.) Shaul Mofaz, the former Israeli vice prime minister who also served as Israel’s minister of defense and the IDF’s chief of the general staff, and Israeli Minister of Construction Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yoav Galant. Other distinguished guests at the event included FIDF IMPACT! Committee Members Maj. Gen. (Res.) Avi Mizrahi; Maj. Gen. (Res.) Avi Zamir; FIDF National Board Member Harry Gross, who is co-chairman of the IMPACT! Program; FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir; former FIDF National Directors and CEOs Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yitzhak (Jerry) Gershon and Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yehiel Gozal; FIDF National and Central Region Board Member Al Brody; Oppenheim; FIDF IMPACT! Program Executive Director Orna Pesach; IMPACT! students and graduates; as well as friends and members of the Frank family, including several of Patricia and Albert’s seven children, eight grandchildren, and great-grandchild.
Earlier last week, Mr. Frank, together with Brody, Oppenheim, and friends and family members from Israel and Chicago, toured Israel and met with soldiers and commanders on IDF bases across the country.
About Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF):
FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of offering educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers who protect Israel and Jews worldwide. Today, FIDF has more than 150,000 loyal supporters, and 15 regional offices throughout the U.S. and Panama. FIDF proudly supports IDF soldiers, families of fallen soldiers, and wounded veterans through a variety of innovative programs that reinforce the vital bond between the communities in the United States, the soldiers of the IDF, and the State of Israel. For more information, please visit: www.fidf.org.