Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Barry and Suzanne Gurvitch, of Lawrence, were honored by the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces last week, for strengthening the organization’s mission through service and generosity, as well as their values.
“We know that Suzanne and Barry belong to this amazing community,” Steve Weil, FIDF’s chief executive officer, said at the FIDF’s Five Towns and Greater South Shore Evening of Solidarity at the Sands in Atlantic Beach, on May 8, “and I always think about it, and it tings in my head that this community, percentage-wise has the biggest percent of lone soldiers going out to serve in the IDF.”
The Gurvitch’s son, Elijah, an IDF Sergeant, is one of those lone soldiers, a member of the IDF who has no family in Israel. In an emotional surprise, he was flown in by the FIDF to see his parents honored.
Weil presented the Gurvitches with a plaque that read, “Suzanne and Barry, with profound gratitude for unwavering devotion to Israel and the courageous soldiers of the IDF. We all salute you.”
The couple were recognized for their dedication to the organization, and for sending clothes, first aid kits, personal hygiene kits and other supplies to Elijah’s entire battalion.
The Evening of Solidarity highlighted the group’s mission to assist active IDF soldiers, veterans and family members. It was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors, and is the only organization authorized by the Israeli army to collect charitable donations for the IDF in the United States.
The motto of non-political, non-military organization is, “Their job is to look after Israel. Ours is to look after them.”
According to fidf.org, “Our purpose is to champion the soldiers of the IDF and care for their needs as they protect the State of Israel, democratic values and Western Civilization.”
Attorney Benjamin Brafman, of Lawrence, the night’s emcee and a 2024 honoree, said that “the stakes could not be higher” and those attending are “guardians of a promise.”
“While we stand here in safety, brave young men and women tonight are standing on the front lines in Israel,” Brafman said, “risking everything to protect our homeland and, by extension, each and every one of us tonight.”
He added, “Israel is not just a place on the map, it is the beating heart of the Jewish people, and the IDF is the shield that keeps the heart beating.
“We need to stand with Israel now more than ever, and we need to be here now more than ever,” Brafman said. “When you are here, FIDF helps support and provide assistance not only to lone soldiers, but to all of our troops. When you come to a dinner like this, your participation helps secure that fight.”
Lone soldier Jacob Verschleiser was also honored, presented with a citation by Lawrence Mayor Samuel Nahmias on behalf of the village.
Orna Sheena, the FIDF’s Long Island chapter director, said that the organization makes a life-and-death difference on the battlefield within 24 hours of a call for help.
“When we build and stock field hospitals, send fleets of bulletproof ambulances filled with cutting-edge military supplies, FIDF is not just saving a soldier’s life,” Sheena said. “They are stopping a child from being orphaned, a wife from being a widow and a parent from burying a child.”
As the only official partner of the IDF, the FIDF receives lists of necessities from the Ministry of Defense in Israel.
According to Sheena, 853 IDF soldiers have died since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, in the ongoing war in Gaza.
“I want to express our heartfelt and sincere thanks to our lone soldiers, and the families who are here tonight, for choosing to serve even in the toughest times,” she said. “Even as we honor and remember those who are part of the 1,200 innocent and brutally stolen from us on Oct. 7.”
