Photo: Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2024 archive)
John Paulson says he expects to make further gifts to Israeli higher education and is considering support for haredi participation in science and technology, following his $250 million commitment to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced last month.
In an interview published November 3 by JNS, the American investor said the university gift “won’t be the last” and identified haredi STEM education as one area he wants to explore.
The $250 million gift was announced October 17, not Tuesday. His latest remarks set out possible future priorities; the interview did not announce a new donation amount or a funded haredi education program.
STEM education without giving up religious beliefs
Paulson told JNS he wants to explore ways to help haredi Israelis enter STEM fields, meaning science, technology, engineering and mathematics, while maintaining their religious beliefs.
He pointed to Orthodox professionals in the United States working in law, engineering, science and medicine as examples of religious life and professional careers coexisting. His comments concerned potential future support, rather than a detailed program with an enrollment target or start date.
October gift supports engineering and medicine
Hebrew University’s October 17 announcement said the gift, its largest, would support a new engineering faculty, medicine and biomedicine, trauma recovery and public-impact initiatives. Including previous gifts, Paulson’s support for the university totaled $296 million at that announcement.
Paulson told JNS that he believes giving to Hebrew University can have almost ten times the impact of comparable giving to an Ivy League institution, citing differences in spending per student. That is his assessment of philanthropic impact, not a measured financial return.
The new interview adds his thinking on where future support might go to JBizNews’s earlier coverage of the October gift.
Archive photograph: Tamir Sheafer, John Paulson and Asher Cohen at Hebrew University’s Board of Governors meeting in Jerusalem, June 3, 2024.
JBizNews Desk | Jerusalem
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