The Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced more than $21 million in grants to four Israeli institutions. These grants are part of a continuing effort to invest in Israel’s leading institutions and critical initiatives toward the goal of strengthening Israel as a successful and secure nation.
A three-year $8 million grant will go to American Friends of Magen David Adom for the construction of a new National Blood Center to meet the increasing need in Israel for blood and blood products.
A two-year $5 million grant will go to the Barzilai Medical Center in the southwest region for construction and fortification of operating theaters to allow medical services to continue in peacetime and emergencies.
Combining two, three-year grants of $7 million, an academic research center in Israel focused on scientific exploration will provide the University of Haifa with a broad range of marine research programs. It will be known as the Helmsley Mediterranean Sea Research Center.
In addition, a three-year $1.6 million grant will support the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Impact Scholarship program. It will provide young Israelis who have completed their mandatory military service with the means to pursue higher education.
“These grants illustrate our basic philanthropic approach toward Israel,” said Helmsley trustee Sandor Frankel. “They will strengthen Israel’s scientific, technological and medical research, which will benefit not only Israel, but the rest of the world as well.
“They also continue our focus on healthcare and medical preparedness. We’ve made a number of grants no other country in the world requires, helping to fortify hospitals and other medical facilities, including this year at Barzilai Hospital and the National blood center, under the threat of not only natural disasters but deliberate attacks. These grants will permit patients of all religions to be treated under emergency conditions.”
Frankel noted that the trust is funding scholarships “for demobilized IDF soldiers who otherwise would be unable to obtain higher education. We will provide scholarships to soldiers from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping their own, and Israel’s growth and prosperity.”
Since the Helmsley Charitable Trust began awarding grants to Israel in 2009, more than $110 million has been committed to a wide range of charitable organizations in Israel. In total, the trust has given charitable organizations more than $900 million.
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