Every legacy gift begins with a personal story. In our Planned Giving Tips series, supporters share what moved them to include Friends of Yad Sarah in their legacy plans. If you are exploring planned giving, the Becoming a Planned Giver page gathers helpful articles—from retirement and estate planning basics to sample bequest wording and guidance for advisors—along with contact information when you are ready to talk things through.

Diane Brentari and Arnold Davidson are professors from Chicago with a deep commitment to Israel and the Jewish community. Diane teaches linguistics at The Hebrew University and the University of Chicago. Arnold is a Distinguished Professor of Humanities at The Hebrew University's Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Department of Jewish Thought.

Their connection to Yad Sarah began with a personal need. Arnold lives with a rare and serious bone disease and uses a wheelchair. When they made Aliyah five years ago to Jerusalem, finding the right mobility support was essential.

"Whenever we asked anyone where we could go to find this kind of support for my mobility, every person, without exception, said Yad Sarah," Arnold recalls. “So we went to Yad Sarah, and I became one of the users of their services, borrowing a wheelchair. Everybody at Yad Sarah treated me with respectful kindness." As lifelong advocates for inclusion and dignity, Diane and Arnold saw a Planned Gift to Yad Sarah as a natural extension of their values. “When we started to think about where we wanted to donate our money, we realized, even more clearly than before, how central Yad Sarah can be in helping people live full lives,” said Arnold.

They know that with an endowment to benefit Yad Sarah, they are setting in motion a plan for their gift to be used to support individuals in need in perpetuity. The endowment will be a named account in honor of Arnold’s parents, to pay tribute to them.

Diane adds, “When considering what to do as part of our legacy, what makes a big difference is the longevity of the organization. We have every reason to believe Yad Sarah will be here for a very long time.”

Learn more about how you can make a bequest through a will or trust. https://friendsofyadsarah.org/gifts-by-will-or-trust

For more information about making a planned gift to Friends of Yad Sarah, please contact Adele Goldberg at 212-223-7758 or .