$260 million new gift to university earmarked for supporting growth and tradition

With leading Jewish donors increasingly redirecting large donations away from major US universities due to their poor handling of rampant antisemitism on campuses, Israel’s Bar-Ilan University had received the largest donation in its history – $260 million – the second-largest ever to an Israeli academic institution.

The university is now faced with the decision of how to best utilize this gift by a philanthropic-minded donor, who chose to remain anonymous due to the current political climate.

The university was founded with a unique mission within Israeli society, which includes connecting students to Judaism and Zionism while providing a first-class academic education.

The bulk of the funds will go to expanding the university’s already impressive prowess in the natural sciences, including the brain science program.

The university strives for scientific and intellectual excellence, intertwined with the values of Jewish tradition and the heritage of Israel.

The university’s faculty of Jewish studies is renowned for its promotion of Jewish culture and tradition through academic study.

The next level of Jewish academia is combining Jewish studies with modern methodologies and technologies.

BIU is at the forefront of collaborations between data science and Judaic studies, including Bible, Talmud, Hebrew literature, archaeology, and Jewish philosophy.

BIU has always been a university with a Jewish character, as students at BIU have taken foundational courses across a wide range of disciplines related to Judaism and Zionism.

As BIU’s reputation grows, international scholars will be drawn to its campus. As Jews in the US, UK, France, and elsewhere are considering moving to Israel, BIU will likely place an emphasis on attracting leading Jewish scholars from around the world.

A committee to assess the optimal use of the money can suggest other ideas to further BIU’s mission of blending Jewish tradition with modern scholarship and technologies.

The news of this donation comes as an unexpected pleasant surprise to the BIU community and the general public, but it is likely the result of decades of hard work.

The low-profile philanthropist behind this major gift put his trust in Bar-Ilan University and its leadership and chose to leave his money to BIU over other great universities in Israel and around the world.