An anonymous family that moved to Israel from New York has donated $10 million to Sheba Medical Center to help expand its artificial intelligence work, in what the hospital described as a major investment in the future of AI-driven medicine. Sheba has recently intensified its push to integrate AI into patient care, hospital operations, and research, and its AI Center operates as part of that broader strategy.
The family, which asked not to be identified, said it chose to partner with Sheba because of the medical center’s long-term vision in innovation and artificial intelligence. According to the donors, their decision followed close familiarity with the hospital’s work and a belief that Sheba is helping reshape how medicine is delivered, studied, and managed in Israel and beyond. Sheba describes itself as Israel’s leading hospital, and in recent years, it has highlighted AI as a core pillar of its future-facing medical model.
The donation will support Sheba’s Artificial Intelligence Center, which the hospital says was established to serve as a dedicated development hub for large-scale medical AI solutions. The center focuses on connecting clinical data, research capacity, and partnerships with startups and technology firms in an effort to build more precise, efficient, and personalized care. Official Sheba material says the center is led by Dr. Ayelet Akselrod-Ballin and operates within the hospital’s wider ARC innovation ecosystem.
The donors said their philanthropy was shaped by Zionism and by what they described as a deep belief in the future of the Jewish people. Over the years, they said, they had supported Israel’s image abroad as well as Israeli startups and higher education. This gift, they added, is the largest contribution they have ever made to a single institution.
“We are deeply involved in life here in Israel and would not choose to live anywhere else,” the family said in a statement. “We are extremely proud to have two children and a son-in-law who have served in the IDF, including current reserve duty. It is because of our love and devotion to Israel that we want to join with Sheba Hospital and the great team that will be running this new AI initiative.”
Donation important 'precisely at a moment like this'
The family said it hoped the donation would encourage others to support Israel during a difficult period.
“Precisely at a moment like this, when Israel faces serious challenges, we feel it is the appropriate time to stand up and reaffirm our commitment to Israel’s well-being,” the statement said. “We make this contribution to show Israelis, Jews abroad, and the world that Israel is a bastion of invention and innovation.”
Professor Yitshak Kreiss, director-general of Sheba Medical Center, said the hospital saw the gift as arriving at a pivotal moment for its AI work. Kreiss has led Sheba since 2016, according to his official biography, and has been one of the hospital’s main public voices on its efforts to build AI-based medical infrastructure.
“We are profoundly honored to receive this generous donation,” Kreiss said. “It comes precisely at the moment when Sheba’s AI Center is fully engaged in accelerating a myriad of ground-breaking technologies that will accelerate the transformation of the hospital’s innovative care not just in Israel but also around the globe.”
Sheba has publicly framed artificial intelligence as central to its future development, including efforts in diagnostics, emergency medicine, mental health, and hospital workflow management. In recent announcements, the hospital said it was pursuing a broader plan to become what it called a truly AI-powered hospital.