The Haron Dahan Foundation donated $20 million to Israel’s Bar-Ilan University to “significantly expand” a program run by the university that encourages children throughout Israel to study STEM subjects, the university told eJewishPhilanthropy.

The donation was announced on Monday after being first pledged in May at a dedication ceremony for the university’s new main entrance, which was named the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Gate in recognition of the Dahan family’s significant contributions to the school over the years. This has included funding the Dahan Center for Culture, Society & Education in the Sephardic Heritage, the creation of Dahan Unity Park and the lead gift for the Bar-Ilan’s medical school in northern Israel. 

The $20 million donation for the Dahan Youth Program is meant to grow the program, which currently reaches more than 8,000 students ages 9-17 across Israel. The program includes two tracks: one to improve STEM programs in under-resourced schools and one for gifted students to enhance their STEM education. 

“The Haron Dahan Foundation’s landmark gift empowers Bar-Ilan University to strengthen its societal impact,” Jessica Feldan, CEO of American Friends of Bar-Ilan University, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

At the event, Zipora Schorr, a representative of the Dahan Foundation, said the organization’s support for underprivileged children came from Aharon Dahan’s own experiences. “He came from poverty in Tiberias, but he never forgot where he started,” Schorr said. “He believed in peace, in unity and in building a future where all kinds of people can learn and grow together.”

During the ceremony, trustees from the foundation also presented certificates of recognition to students who receive scholarships through its eponymous program, which is specifically for people from Sephardic backgrounds who require financial aid.

Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, the Dahan Foundation’s president, said Dahan used to read letters from the students who received the scholarships. “That’s how I know he’d want us here today. He was a dream builder — and we’re just getting started,” she said.