Bessarabia, which today lies within Moldavia and Ukraine, was at that time a disputed territory, with the Soviet Union and Romania both laying claim to the country.

[6][7] The Wakils were generous philanthropists throughout their careers,[1] providing significant support to Opera Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, St Vincent’s Hospital and the Sydney Jewish Museum,[1][8] to a variety of educational, arts and charity organisations and regularly appearing in the social pages of many newspapers and magazines.

In 2017, both Wakil and Isaac were appointed Officers of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the community through a range of philanthropic endeavours, and for their support of charitable, educational and cultural organisations".

[3] In 2015, a gift of $10.8 million was made to the University of Sydney to provide 12 perpetual nursing scholarships a year, half of them to support regional, rural or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

"Australia is a great country," he said when their gift to the University of Sydney Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery was announced.

"[12] In memory of his wife, in 2019 Isaac commissioned Chinese-Australian artist Shen Jiawei to paint a portrait of Susan, in which she wore a gown of one of her favoured designers, Yves St Laurent.

[21] Julian Leeser, MP for Berowra, acknowledged Wakil as one of Australia’s greatest benefactors in the grievance debate in Parliament, Wednesday 27 June 2018.