JERUSALEM (Press Release) — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced more than $11.3 million in grants to support Israel. These grants come on the heels of more than $9.6 million granted to Israeli institutions in October, 2014, and are part of a continuing effort to strategically invest in Israel’s leading institutions and critical initiatives toward the goal of strengthening Israel as a successful and secure nation.
Since the Helmsley Charitable Trust began awarding grants to Israel in 2009, it has committed over $140 million to a wide range of charitable organizations in Israel.
“These grants benefit Israel and other nations in numerous ways,” said Helmsley trustee Sandor Frankel. “The grant to the Volcani Institute for agricultural solutions in arid land will benefit not only Israel but will literally help feed the world as climate change and population growth threaten food supplies around the globe. The funding for Tel Aviv Medical Center will advance research that can lead to new treatment options and eventually a cure for the world’s growing population of people with IBD and Crohn’s Disease. The Rabin Medical Center will provide critical new facilities and improve care for Israelis from across the country who are in need of life-saving organ transplants.”
In addition, said Frankel, “The Trust is funding eight organizations to bring leading opinion-makers in a number of diverse fields to Israel. Helping to facilitate firsthand experience of Israeli life and culture, as well as its achievements and challenges to key audiences, is part of our goal of strengthening Israel’s standing in the world.”
Following is a description of these recent grants:
Volcani Agricultural Research Institute: Center for Agriculture in Arid Lands
This $3,199,990 grant will provide support for two research projects aimed at developing tools for farmers to increase agricultural productivity in Israel’s desert region. Arid region agriculture can be productive and profitable, but depends on large amounts of water for irrigation, and is further threatened by salinity and extreme temperatures. These projects will address both the water challenge and the effects of environmental stresses. Scientists at the Center will share results of this research with farmers and agricultural businesses throughout the world, offering best practices and technologies that can be cost effective on a large scale and will help deal with impending global food security issues.
Medical Research Infrastructure and Health Services Fund of the Tel Aviv Medical Center: Pouchitis – A Key to Understanding Crohn’s Disease
This grant will provide $3,437,400 to fund ongoing research at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC) that assesses the clinical, demographic and laboratory factors associated with the development of pouchitis, a form of IBD. The broader goal of this work is to identify the causal relationship in the development of intestinal inflammation and, ultimately, translate clinical and laboratory markers that predict inflammation into new treatment options and eventually a cure for IBD. This funding builds on the positive outcomes of earlier work at TAMSC that was funded by a 2010 grant for $4.2 million by the Helmsley Charitable Trust.
Clalit Health Services: Ambulatory Wing of Organ transplantation Center at Rabin Medical Center
This grant for $3,440,000 will help support organ transplants in Israel. As Israel’s leading medical center for transplantations, Rabin Medical Center performs approximately 275 transplants a year. Live organ donors need significant pre-operation screening and medical care, as surgeons, psychiatrists, social workers, and other medical staff must work collaboratively with patients and donors. These services are currently provided in dispersed locations across the medical center, resulting in an inconvenient and time-consuming experience that discourages donors. To address these challenges, a unified Ambulatory Transplantation Center will increase coordination among transplantation teams and comfort and convenience for patients and donors.
The following eight organizations received grants for educational trips to Israel totaling more than $1.3 million:
Academic Exchange Trip for more than 20 international law faculty members from elite schools throughout the world, who will gain firsthand insight into the legal and security aspects of life in Israel.
Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Trip to Israel for 35 millennial Evangelical influencers to inform these young leaders about Israel’s story and counter anti-Israel movements within the Evangelical Christian community.
The David Project Thirty-nine students to participate in the David Project’s Israel Uncovered: Campus Leaders Mission, which advances understanding of Israel by forging connections between Jewish and non-Jewish student leaders who will impact the current campus conversation on Israel and influence the future of American discussions on Israel.
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) Educational trip to Israel for 20 rising national security professionals with a focus on understanding Israel’s cutting edge approach to security and protecting against terrorism.
Israel & Co. Trip for 25 faculty members from the world’s leading business schools to educate professors about Israel who can then implement case studies from that country into their classrooms, and to build faculty support that will encourage additional student trips to Israel from their campuses.
Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) Funding for the JCPA’s Partners for Peace program to bring approximately 60 U.S. Christian clergy leaders to Israel to meet with their Jewish peers.
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) Fact-finding visit for retired Generals and Admirals dedicated to learning about Israel’s military Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
Vibe Israel Three trips for influential international bloggers concentrating on women’s entrepreneurship, physical and mental disabilities issues and architecture.
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Preceding provided by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust