Full Breakdown
Jan Koum’s $200 Million Gift to Shaare Zedek Medical Center: Transforming Jerusalem’s Healthcare Landscape
5/9/2026, 11:32:02 AM
Jan Koum’s $200 Million Gift to Shaare Zedek Medical Center
On Friday, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem announced a $200 million donation from Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, delivered through the Koum Family Foundation. The funds will finance a new 24-story inpatient tower, on-site staff housing, a helipad, and extensive underground facilities. In recognition of the gift, the hospital will be renamed the Koum Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The project is already approved by the Israeli government and Jerusalem municipality and is in the advanced planning stage.
Philanthropic Momentum in Israeli Healthcare
Koum’s contribution follows a surge of large private gifts to Israeli medical institutions after the Oct 7, 2023 attacks. Notable recent donations include $180 million from Anat and Shmuel Harlap to Rabin Medical Center (2025), $125 million from Jon and Mindy Gray to Tel Aviv University’s medical school, $100 million each from Sylvan Adams to Ben-Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center, and a $260 million anonymous donation to Bar-Ilan University. The trend reflects growing reliance on American-based Jewish philanthropy to fund infrastructure that the state has not financed at comparable scale.
Key Figures and Organizations
- Jan Koum – WhatsApp co-founder, primary donor.
- The Koum Family Foundation – conduit for the $200 million gift.
- Dr. Jonathan Halevy – President, Shaare Zedek.
- Dr. Ofer Merin – Director-General, Shaare Zedek.
- Akiva Holzer – Director of Special Projects, Shaare Zedek.
- Yana Kalika – President, The Koum Family Foundation.
- Mochly-Eldar Architects – tower designers.
- Margolin Bros. Engineering & Consulting – project manager.
Project Scope and Numbers
- Donation amount: $200 million (? NIS 581 million at a 2.9 shekel-per-dollar rate).
- Tower height: 24 stories, covering > 1.5 million sq ft.
- Capacity increase: tripling the current ~1,000-bed footprint.
- Additional features: helipad, significant underground spaces, on-site staff residences.
- Comparative donations: $180 million (Harlap), $50 million (Koum to Soroka, 2024), $400 million Marcus endowment (Ben-Gurion, 2016).
Official Statements & Responses
Koum’s statement emphasized confidence in Shaare Zedek’s role in medical innovation and its benefit to patients worldwide. Halevy described the donation as a historic moment for the 124-year-old institution, linking it to confidence in the hospital, its staff, Jerusalem, and Israel. Merin highlighted the gift as a “mark of honor” for every employee. Hospital officials characterized the tower as the “largest and most advanced facility of its type anywhere in Israel,” noting its reinforced structure for regional threats.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We are proud to partner with Shaare Zedek Medical Center, an institution that defines medical excellence in Jerusalem and beyond. This gift reflects our confidence in a future of medical innovation and research that will benefit patients in Israel and around the world,” — Jan Koum, donor.
- “This is truly a special moment in Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s 124-year-old history. 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,” — Dr. Jonathan Halevy, President.
- “mark of honor for every employee of our hospital.” — Dr. Ofer Merin, Director-General.
- “largest and most advanced facility of its type anywhere in Israel.” — Shaare Zedek spokesperson.
- “significant underground spaces and a helipad positioned on the building’s roof to enable direct helicopter access.” — Hospital project description.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources agree the donation totals $200 million, yet note that the previous $180 million Harlap gift equated to NIS 599 million, potentially exceeding Koum’s contribution in local currency. No independent verification of the final NIS valuation is provided, leaving the record-donation claim dependent on exchange-rate timing.
What’s Next
Construction will proceed under the guidance of Mochly-Eldar Architects and Margolin Bros., with completion expected in the mid-2020s. The expanded facility aims to increase patient capacity, enhance emergency response, and attract medical talent to Jerusalem, thereby shaping the city’s long-term healthcare infrastructure.
