The Koum Family Foundation has donated $200 million to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, the largest single donation ever made to an Israeli hospital, the hospital announced in a statement.
The gift will fund the construction of a new medical tower at the hospital and will lead to the official renaming of the institution as Koum Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
The foundation was established by Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp. The hospital said the donation followed months of strategic discussions between Shaare Zedek’s leadership and the foundation.
“We are proud to partner with Shaare Zedek Medical Center, an institution that defines medical excellence in Jerusalem and beyond,” Koum said in the statement. “This gift reflects our confidence in a future of medical innovation and research that will benefit patients in Israel and around the world.”
The partnership was led by Shaare Zedek President Prof. Jonathan Halevy, Director-General Prof. Ofer Merin, and Akiva Holzer, the hospital’s director of special projects, together with Yana Kalika, president of the Koum Family Foundation.
Shaare Zedek said the donation would support the development of a 24-story medical tower covering more than 1.5 million square feet. The tower is expected to include expanded surgical and emergency care facilities, significant underground protected spaces, and a rooftop helipad for direct helicopter access.
The hospital said the project was in advanced planning stages and had been approved by the Israeli government and the Jerusalem Municipality. It is being designed and planned by Mochly-Eldar Architects, with Margolin Bros. Engineering and Consulting serving as the project manager.
Hospital: Expansion will meet growing medical needs
Shaare Zedek said the expansion was intended to meet growing medical needs in Jerusalem and the surrounding region. The hospital treats more than one million patients annually and has expanded in recent years to more than 1,000 inpatient beds, according to the statement.
“This is truly a special moment in Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s 124-year-old history,” Halevy said. “This record donation by The Koum Family Foundation reflects remarkable confidence in our hospital, our staff, the city of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel, and a heartfelt embrace of Zionism.”
Halevy said the hospital was grateful that “one of the Jewish world’s great philanthropic visionaries has chosen to link his name with Shaare Zedek’s unique brand of medical excellence.”
Merin said the donation was “a mark of honor for every employee of our hospital.”
“This partnership will allow us to forge ahead with the construction of our new medical tower, which will set a new standard for Israeli healthcare and further establish our hospital’s position as a national and global leader of advanced and compassionate medicine,” Merin said.
He added that the hospital was grateful to Koum and the foundation “on behalf of the Shaare Zedek staff, patients and families, and indeed of all the people of Jerusalem.”