The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has secured a $250 million gift from American hedge fund manager John Paulson, marking the largest donation in the institution's history. In recognition of this contribution, the university plans to rename its historic Mount Scopus campus after the donor.

According to the university, the capital will be directed toward strengthening the school’s engineering department and scaling up its biomedical research capabilities. John Paulson, who has been a prominent figure in the financial sector, expressed his support for the institution, stating that the university has provided high-quality higher education to generations of students.

While the university views the donation as a transformative investment in its academic and scientific future, the renaming of such a prominent campus is a significant development for the institution. The university has not yet provided a specific timeline for when the name change will officially take effect or how the campus signage and branding will be updated to reflect the new title. The gift represents a major influx of private capital into Israel’s higher education sector, which often relies on international philanthropy to fund large-scale infrastructure and research projects.