Key Points
An Ivy League graduate has affronted his alma mater, Columbia University, by donating an astounding $260 million of his fortune in secret to Bar-Ilan, one of Israel's largest universities.P)..
The public research university is best suited, according to the donor, as he sees Bar-Ilan as "best able to undertake the great task of expanding science-based technological resilience in Israel.".
Bar-Ilan, the Israeli university receiving the gift described the philanthropist as a North American Jew and graduate of Columbia University who was active in World War II..
Rumours that the Columbia alum had been upset by the anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations that have erupted at the uptown Ivy League campus in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict were fuelled by the alum's substantial donation to a major academic institution in the Jewish state..
During his visits to Israel, he recognized the significant impact Bar-Ilan University has made in key areas thanks to its science-based infrastructure and deep connections to all sectors of Israeli society, Bar-Ilan president Arie Zaban said in a statement announcing the donation..
