Israel’s Bar-Ilan University recently received a $20 million gift from the Baltimore-based Haron Dahan Foundation.
The donation will expand the Ramat Gan university’s Dahan Youth Program, a STEM initiative designed to inspire, educate and empower Israel’s next generation of scientists and innovators.
The announcement was made during the dedication of Bar-Ilan’s new main entrance, the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Gate, named in honor of the foundation’s benefactors.
Founded in 1955, Bar-Ilan is Israel’s second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 students and more than 1,300 faculty members.
At the dedication, Bar-Ilan University President Dr. Arie Zaban said, “This gate is more than a physical entrance to a university. It is a gateway to the future — one made possible by the generosity, humility, and vision of the Dahan family.”
Born in Tiberias and a veteran of Israel’s 1948 war for independence, Aharon “Hal” Dahan was a successful, self-made home builder and philanthropist who relocated to Northwest Baltimore and became a passionate advocate for education, Jewish unity and opportunity.
He passed away in 2013. A homemaker and philanthropist, Rachel Dahan passed away in 2008.
“He came from poverty in Tiberias, but he never forgot where he started,” said foundation representative Dr. Zipora Schorr. “He believed in peace, in unity, and in building a future where all kinds of people can learn and grow together.”
Bar-Ilan’s Dahan Youth Program has already impacted more than 8,000 students ages 9-17. The initiative consists of two distinct tracks: one for gifted students with exceptional aptitude in science and technology, and another designed to enrich the education of students from under-resourced schools who lack access to strong STEM programs.
Students on both tracks are given opportunities to explore advanced STEM concepts, benefit from university mentorship, and participate in hands-on experiences in Bar-Ilan’s state-of-the-art laboratories.
“The Haron Dahan Foundation’s landmark gift empowers Bar-Ilan University to strengthen its societal impact,” said Jessica Feldan, CEO of American Friends of Bar-Ilan University. “Thanks to the immense generosity of the Dahan family in creating a scholarship program for our Youth University, Bar-Ilan will continue to ensure that all Israeli young adults have equal access to STEM education and nobody is left behind, and that future leaders in the STEM disciplines continue to be cultivated so that Israel can maintain its international leadership in science and technology.”
Over the past three decades, the Dahan family has helped reshape the landscape of Bar-Ilan. The family’s philanthropy includes the establishment of the Dahan Center for Culture, Society & Education in the Sephardic Heritage, the creation of Dahan Unity Park, and a pivotal lead gift to build the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Israel’s north, Bar-Ilan’s medical school.
During the dedication ceremony of the Dahan Gate, foundation trustees awarded certificates of recognition to students receiving the Dahan Sephardic Scholarship, grants that provide critical support for students from Sephardic backgrounds who require additional financial aid to pursue meaningful careers in Israeli society.
Eden, a third-year biotechnology student and scholarship recipient, offered her heartfelt thanks: “This support allows us to breathe, focus, and believe in ourselves, especially in hard times. Even without knowing us, Mr. Dahan believed in our future.”
The foundation’s president, Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, rabbi-in-resident at Pikesville’s Beth Tfiloh Congregation, closed the ceremony with a moving tribute.
“Every night, he read letters from students who received his scholarships,” Rabbi Wohlberg said. “That’s how I know he’d want us here today. He was a dream builder — and we’re just getting started.”
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