Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of the global investment firm Blackstone, and his wife, Mindy, are donating $125 million (about 450 million shekels) to Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medicine—the largest single donation in the university’s history and one of the most significant ever given to an Israeli academic institution.
The university announced that the transformative gift will fund a broad initiative to expand access to medical education in Israel, especially for underrepresented groups, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Among students to be prioritized are Arab, Haredim, Ethiopian Israelis, new immigrants and residents of underserved regions. The donation will support scholarships, build a 600-bed dormitory, and finance new laboratories and expanded classrooms.
In recognition of the donation, the faculty will be renamed in honor of the Grays. This move comes a year after the university removed the Sackler name due to the family’s connection to the U.S. opioid crisis through Purdue Pharma.
Tel Aviv University’s medical school is already the largest of the five in Israel, admitting around 300 students annually. The donation will enable that number to increase gradually to more than 400, double the average intake of most other Israeli medical schools. The faculty also houses schools of dentistry, public health and allied health professions.
The gift follows a broader national effort to address Israel’s shortage of medical professionals. Other Israeli institutions of higher education, including the University of Haifa, Reichman University in Herzliya and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, have recently received approval or funding to establish or expand medical faculties. The country aims to increase annual medical student intake to 2,000.
In a joint statement, the Grays said the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks inspired their decision. “Since the difficult events of Oct. 7, we have been searching for a way to make a significant difference in Israel,” they said. “We see no better way to contribute to the healing process than by supporting an institution that touches the lives of so many.”
Jonathan Gray, 55, has led Blackstone since 2018 and is also chairman of Hilton Worldwide. Under his leadership, the firm has expanded into sectors such as AI, life sciences and renewable energy. He and his wife began their philanthropic efforts in 2014 by establishing the Basser Center in memory of Mindy’s sister, who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer. The Gray Foundation continues to support health and education initiatives in Israel and the United States.
This latest donation adds to a string of major gifts to Israeli academia, including a 1 billion shekel ($280 million) bequest to Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan and a 400 million shekel gift ($112 million) to the Weizmann Institute.
Tel Aviv University officials said the Grays’ support will bolster the faculty’s research and teaching infrastructure and deepen its role in promoting diversity and excellence in Israeli medicine.