REMEMBERING
Elwood McQuaid
1930-2024
Elwood and Maxine McQuaid
To honor Elwood's life, love, and unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people, we invite you to give in his memory.
Dr. Elwood McQuaid, executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry from 1989-2001, was promoted to glory on March 31, 2024, at 93 years old. He joins his beloved wife, Maxine.
The news of his passing leaves a tremendous heartache for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, but also a debt of gratitude to the Lord for His gracious provision of Elwood and the steadfast leadership he provided while he served here.
For each generation, the Lord raises up the right leader for the times. That was certainly true of Elwood when he became executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry in 1989. For 12 years he faithfully served in this role, using his unique ability to step into an unexpected leadership transition with a steady hand, steering the ministry into calm waters—which was exactly what was needed.
Prior to his entering into this role, Elwood traveled to Israel several times and forged numerous Jewish friendships that served him well in leading our historic Jewish ministry. A gifted wordsmith, he wrote several books on the miracle of modern Israel and the Christian connection to the rebirth of the Jewish state.
Elwood authored It Is No Dream, a masterful account of the miraculous rebirth of Israel, and The Zion Connection, telling the incredible story of the historic role evangelical Christians played in the restoration of Israel. However, his most widely read book is Zvi, the riveting biography of a Holocaust survivor who, after immigrating to Israel following WWII, came to believe Jesus is the Messiah, and then spent his days sharing his faith on the streets of Jerusalem.
Elwood put his journalism skills to good use advancing Israel My Glory magazine both in quality and influence. His years of speaking in the pulpit and at Bible conferences honed his communication and teaching skills, which enabled him to launch The Friends of Israel Today radio ministry. The radio program expanded The Friends of Israel’s teaching ministry and grew a stronger connection with Christian Zionists around North America—and continues today.
Since I became executive director, my appreciation for all the Lord accomplished through Elwood’s faithful work has grown exponentially, but I am most grateful for the personal time he took to guide me and point out the dangers that can sink the ship. I held tightly to his words, as his sage advice came from one who had safely sailed us through difficult seas.
I am forever indebted to Elwood McQuaid for setting the example and showing me the way. Following in his footsteps, I, along with Bill Sutter, have a unique appreciation for the path he walked and the challenges he faced as executive director. His total impact on The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry can never be fully understood this side of glory. But one thing that is beyond dispute is that God raised him up for such a time as this and he served well. His promotion to glory leaves us with a loss but heaven with a gain.
Please join us in both praising the Lord for Elwood McQuaid’s life and praying for those who grieve his loss here on Earth.
Jim Showers, DMin
Executive Director/President
Remembering Elwood McQuaid
Tributes from Close Friends and Colleagues
When Elwood arrived at The Friends of Israel (FOI) in 1989 as its new executive director, he came with much support and many qualifications. A number of FOI's staff members were already familiar with Elwood from his earlier term of service as FOI’s Western States director. With his stellar reputation as a godly pastor in Virginia who loved Jesus Christ, Israel, and the Jewish people and maintained numerous warm relationships with local and national Jewish leaders, he was the Lord's perfect fit to assume the mantle of leadership of FOI's worldwide ministry.
Following the rather sudden departure of FOI’s previous long-term executive director, a change of leadership typically would have been disruptive, even potentially devastating, for any ministry. But Elwood's strong, calming aura of Spirit-filled leadership avoided that prospect.
Although I was already part of FOI's administration, I did not have the advantage of knowing him personally in advance of his appointment. However, I quickly came to value the life-impacting blessings of our day-to-day working relationship, which extended throughout the 12 years of his leadership as executive director. Little did I understand then Elwood's key role in paving the way for my 11 years as executive director to follow.
As a dedicated servant of Jesus Christ, with an abiding love for the Bible as the Word of God, Elwood was undaunted by trendy theologies and the shifting winds of popular culture. He inspired me and countless others toward a proper biblical love for Israel and the Jewish people. Very early in our relationship, I learned from him, as did many others, why Bible-believing Christians are Zionists, having an accurate understanding from Scripture of God's eternal promises to the Jewish people.
Elwood never appeared discouraged, and he never discouraged others. His upbeat personality extended to many FOI ministries for which he was uniquely gifted—radio broadcasting, writing, administration, and leadership. As an effective communicator of God’s Word, he shied away from being overly "preachy." Instead, his advice was, "Just speak to the people," and the people responded.
The numerous ministry resources and teaching aids he authored and introduced to FOI’s growing number of constituents helped undergird FOI’s financial base well into the future. Most importantly, Elwood impacted many lives for God’s glory.
Bill Sutter, former executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry
The only time I’ve been to Israel was in 1997, and it’s a trip I’ll never forget. Elwood McQuaid and David Levy were the tour leaders. I was a little afraid of talking to Elwood because he was the executive director of The Friends of Israel and I was the wife of a junior staff member. As a Jewish believer, I had written a few articles for Israel My Glory for him and did a radio interview for him. But beyond that, he was virtually a stranger. All that changed on this trip, as God began turning him into one of the most cherished people in my life.
Elwood knew we didn’t have much money then, and the trip was gifted to us by our church and other friends. At the breakfast buffet in Tiberias, he walked up to me and said, “Try the herring.”
I told him I already tried it and that I’d never had anything so delicious. We chatted, and then I felt him quietly pass something into my hand. I looked down and saw a $100 bill. Surprised, I told him I didn’t need it. “Keep it,” he said. “Use it for lunches.”
On the bus, someone told me, “Elwood will take good care of us. He’s very paternalistic.” On that trip, my husband and I spent hours and hours with Elwood and got to know him as a deeply caring man of faith.
Two years later, he hired me full-time as an editor, and working with him was the greatest joy and privilege of my life. Our relationship blossomed into a deep, deep friendship based on mutual respect, a love for the Lord and the work to which He had called us, and a love for Israel and the Jewish people. I’ve never met a Gentile who loved Israel as much as Elwood did.
And he was like a prophet. He could see clearly into the world’s political future because he knew God’s Word so well. Fifteen years ago, when Russia was in deep financial trouble and many thought the country would never rise again, Elwood wrote, “Russia has not been happy sitting in the back of the bus,” and warned, “Russia and Iran are on the march, and they have evil intentions when it comes to Israel.” How right he was.
He foresaw everything that is happening today, and yet he always had deep faith in God’s love for Israel and God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people.
His sincerity, sense of humor, brilliant mind, masterful ability to articulate his thoughts, and his genuine humility of spirit endeared him to many, including officials in Israel. When then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was flying home from one of his trips to the United States, Elwood and his wife, Maxine, were on the plane. When Sharon learned Elwood was on board, he dispatched a member of his security detail to deliver a pillow to Maxine.
Elwood had casual friendships with four Israeli prime ministers, including Golda Meir, with whom he corresponded, and Benjamin Netanyahu. But one of his closest friendships was with David Bar-Ilan, the concert pianist and editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post who became chief spokesman for the Israeli government under Netanyahu from 1996 to 1999. After David’s debilitating stroke, Elwood visited him at his home in Israel until Bar-Ilan’s death in 2003.
Elwood has associated with dignitaries too numerous to name, yet on the 1997 tour, I watched him kneel in a puddle during a driving rain in Jerusalem to tie the shoes of an elderly woman.
When he retired as editor-in-chief of Israel My Glory and I took over, he continued to write regularly for the magazine until he decided to give that up too. A few years later, I persuaded him to write an article. When I heard from my proofreaders, one of them said, “I’m so glad you got Elwood to write. No one writes like Elwood McQuaid.”
No one does. No one will. He was a godly man of great faith, with the soul of a poet—which made him a joy for me to edit for the past 25 years and an even bigger joy to talk to. I’ve lost one of my very dearest friends. My consolation is that he and Maxine, who died in 2016, are now together. And someday I will see them both when we meet again at the feet of Jesus.
Lorna Simcox, author and consulting editor of Israel My Glory magazine
Dear Uncle Elwood,
I wanted this tribute to be addressed to you, not just about you, to honor you personally one last time.
From the moment you entered my family’s lives, you immediately became a family member; and I gained an uncle.
It was only natural that I introduced you as “Uncle Elwood” to my wife, Anat, when she and I got married, long before our Friends of Israel (FOI) journey began.
I can recall your smile, your calming presence, and your joyful spirit from as early as my childhood when my father, Zvi, instructed my siblings and me to perform our best for you on our various musical instruments. When I spoke with you, I always felt as though you were compiling a story or a song, for rhyming and poetry flowed out of you effortlessly, seamlessly, and endlessly. You were truly a writer and poet in every way, shape, and form.
As I recall countless conversations with you, all of them are enveloped by the feeling that you had an inexhaustible depth of wisdom, sharpness, discernment, and knowledge. How grateful I am to God for blessing me with you, with your scripturally based pearls of wisdom and influential words that guided so many a step. While one might think you were a chatterbox, the opposite is true. When your radiophonic voice was heard, you wasted no words. Every sentence dripped with value and meaning.
Uncle Elwood, my relationship with you and the warm and loving care that my family has received from you were out of the ordinary. Whether during the years you were my manager at FOI or before or long after, the attention you gave us is engraved in our hearts with deep appreciation.
I remember, relatively early on in our friendship, that I sat in your office and you asked me what kind of food I like. "Red Lobster," I answered immediately. For the next few hours, you set all the meetings you had for that week at the Red Lobster restaurant so that I could enjoy the food there until I couldn’t eat it anymore. To this day, I remember how fatherly that gesture was, how attentive, kind, and generous you were.
In matters of ministry, you read every word we shared, asked with deep interest about a variety of topics, and expressed loving care toward our personal lives. My children—Jael, Ronit, Daniel, and Michal—won another set of grandparents and all the gifts that came with you; and we were privileged to have a spiritual pillar in you, a lighthouse in a fallacious world.
But your impact and your meaning to us has gone even further.
We as a family owe you the depth of our gratitude, appreciation, and recognition for making my father’s legacy available and accessible to many. Your investment, commitment, artistry, deep love, and appreciation for my father laid the foundation for honoring the Kalisher legacy, by the grace of God. It was your patience, attention to both the small details and the big picture, and strong belief in the guidance of the Holy Spirit that led you to write Zvi's biography, which is an integral part of the history of the Holocaust and the Jewish people.
I am filled with mixed emotions to say goodbye in light of the richness and depth that your life generously contributed to all of us; but on the other hand, I know with joy and excitement that you are now in the presence of your Lord whom you loved and served with fervent allegiance. Thank you for a life full of sacrifice; faithfulness; art; and, above all, love for your Savior and the people He loves.
Uncle Elwood, we will miss you endlessly—until we meet again in glory.
In loving memory,
Meno Kalisher
Four Questions
I first met Elwood McQuaid almost 50 years ago when he was an instructor with The Friends of Israel (FOI) for our summer team in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His amazing knowledge of prophecy, Jewish history, and doctrine was coupled with great insight into people. He made a deep impact on my life. Four exchanges—all questions—stand out. I asked him one, and he asked me three. Truth be told, since he was my boss, his questions were more like commands cloaked in question marks.
Question 1: I had recently moved to Chicago to begin my ministry with FOI. An issue needing great wisdom and scriptural clarity came up, and I knew the man who could help me. Elwood was Western States director for FOI at the time, and he had no jurisdiction over me living in the Midwest; but that didn’t matter to me. I needed a spiritually seasoned leader to guide me, someone who had the capacity to steer with a steady rudder, someone to provide a calm response to the issues I faced. He was that man, so I asked for and received his sage advice.
Question 2: I faithfully promoted Israel My Glory magazine for years because I knew what 180,000 subscribers knew: It is an amazing magazine. Its authors are gifted and experienced theologians, and its articles are insightful. Years had passed since I asked Elwood, who had become FOI’s executive director, to advise me. He asked me to write for Israel My Glory. What an honor! I wondered if I could live up to the challenge. His confidence made it easy for me to say yes. Despite my doubts, he knew I could do the job.
Question 3: In December of 1995 Elwood called to ask me to become director of North American Ministries. I told him he had the wrong person and recommended a coworker I thought was more qualified. He said, ”I’m not asking the wrong person. I know my responsibility, and I’m asking you to take the position.” Once again, his confidence empowered me to say yes.
Question 4: Several years later, Elwood and I were scheduled to lead FOI’s Up to Jerusalem trip to Israel. Tour participants were meeting at FOI’s home office before driving to the airport. Elwood hadn’t arrived yet. Then I got a phone call—from Elwood. “Something came up. I can’t go to Israel, but I know you can handle it. Have a nice trip.” Click. He didn’t really ask me as much as he told me. As before, I wondered if I could handle the responsibility; but if he thought I could, I knew I could. Elwood will be remembered rightly as a great teacher, preacher, pastor, leader, director, and writer. He was all those things. But I will always remember him as the man who gave me great responsibilities and the confidence to carry them out.
Steve Herzig, Vice President of North American Ministries.
I was first introduced to Elwood McQuaid through his writing when I wrote a report on his book Zvi for my 9th-grade English class. I didn’t realize then that this was just the beginning of how the Lord would use Elwood to influence my life.
Later, when Elwood first became executive director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI), he was my Bible teacher. I fondly remember his teachings on the Gospel of John. Much of what he taught about John is in his book The Outpouring. It is a shining example of how profoundly insightful the Jewish context of Scripture is for understanding God’s Word fully.
A few years later, I began working closely with Elwood as part of FOI’s radio team. He had a fantastic ability to make his audience feel like he was with them, speaking to them directly. In this setting, working alongside him for many years, I went from seeing him as a favorite author and teacher to knowing him as a visionary leader, godly mentor, and faithful friend.
My favorite memories of Elwood are of our weekly radio recording sessions. I marveled at how he could be laser-focused on the quality of content while bringing joy to the process with his great sense of humor. He was a gifted communicator who could mine the depths of God’s Word and passionately share what he discovered with others so that they would grow in their desire to study the Bible.
Elwood loved Israel and the Jewish people. He helped many better understand God’s program for Israel, the church, and the nations through a biblical lens. His insightful commentaries on Middle East news came from a deep connection with his long friendships with Israelis.
As a leader of an organization, Elwood had a great vision for how future advancements in media could be utilized to reach many with the Good News of the Messiah. On a more personal level, Elwood was a spiritual mentor. He not only communicated the truth of the Bible eloquently but also allowed it to change his life. Elwood's joy in his salvation fueled his love for helping others experience God’s love for them.
I rejoice in knowing that Elwood is with his Savior. His example will continue to inspire me long beyond his years here on Earth.
Steve Conover, executive vice president of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry
From the book,
Come Walk with Me
by Elwood McQuaid
If
If all our dreams and hopes were bound by earth and time,
If all our lives were fading, frail todays,
Then even crowned with robust length of years,
Our lives would prove a pilgrimage of tears.
All the good, the best that this world gave,
Would end in muted dirges at the grave.
If all our dreams and hopes are fixed on Jesus Christ,
If all our lives are rooted in His Word,
Then all that’s bright in life looms brighter still
As we become the subjects of His will.
And when my bark shall quit life’s
stream where once it meets the sea,
There Savior, loved ones, sainted friends
will wait to welcome me.
Insightful and Encouraging Resources
by Elwood McQuaid
Almost There
Step back in time with Elwood McQuaid for a look at the life of a young pastor of a rural church in 1950s small-town America. In this autobiographical snapshot of a simpler time, Elwood takes you to Goodview, Virginia, and tells the stories of the good people who shaped his pastorate and his seven-decade career serving the Lord.
There is Hope
There Is Hope encourages believers by detailing the wonderful events God has planned for His church. Learn how the church is programmed for a sudden departure, is going where death has no domain, has no reason to fear the Antichrist, and should look beyond His "Coming with Clouds."
Zvi: The Miraculous Story of Triumph Over the Holocaust
This 2001 Gold Medallion Book Award Finalist is wonderful! It is the compelling, true story of how a 10-year-old Jewish boy survives the Holocaust, finds life-transforming faith in the Messiah, and becomes God’s man on the streets of Jerusalem. Experience the history of modern Israel from 1948 to the present through the eyes of a miracle man in a miracle land."
Not to the Strong
The period of the Judges was a time much like our own—full of spiritual disintegration and moral decay. This book isolates the four “heroes of the faith” found in Hebrews 11. Like us, they had tendencies toward fear, isolation, insecurity, and failure. Be inspired as you read how God corrected, tempered, and forged these men into instruments of His will. What God did for them, He can do for us as well!
It Is No Dream
This newly-revised and updated color edition of It Is No Dream scans the entire biblical and prophetic program for Israel. With Elwood McQuaid’s biblical knowledge, relationships with many Jewish leaders, and literary skill, he tells the whole story as only he can. This book is a must-read for every Christian. Now includes maps and pictures throughout!
For the Love of Zion
As Islamists relentlessly pursue jihad against all who reject the religion of the prophet Muhammad, many in the West are turning their backs on little Israel. This book explains why, as it shines the light of God’s eternal Word on the political and historical events of the Middle East. Wrote well-known broadcaster Janet Parshall: “When it comes to Israel, I know of no better person to discuss the story behind the headlines than Elwood McQuaid.”
Books / eBooks*
The Foundations of Faith
Lawfully Wedded
Maranatha: Our Lord Come!
Spiritual Gifts
The Coming Apocalypse*
The Most Asked Prophecy Questions
The Most High God
The Sign of His Coming*
There Really is a Difference
Those Invisible Spirits Called Angels
Two Millennia of Church History
What on Earth is God Doing?*
DVDs
1 Coming or 2
Step by Step through the Rapture
Pamphlets
Behold the Bridegroom Comes
Five Facts You Should Know About Israel
Posters
Videos (via Sermonaudio.com)
Audio Messages
(via Soundcloud)
Articles
Highlights from the popular Israel My Glory magazine series, The Foundations of Faith.
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ and the Future Kingdom of God
The Study of God
God is Triune
The Grace of God
God is True and Truth
The Means of Knowing Truth About God
Buy the book,
The Foundations of Faith
Other Articles
Five Facts You Should Know About Israel
The Big Picture
Apostasy, Angels, and Judgment
How Compromise is Paving the Road to Apostasy
World Events and Prophecy
Worship Prayer
The Filling of the Spirit
The Day of the Lord
The Marriage and Marriage Supper of the Lamb
The Dispensation of Promise