Jerusalem Foundation

The Jerusalem Foundation is a nonprofit development foundation established in 1966 by Teddy Kollek, who became mayor of Jerusalem in 1965. Its purpose is to improve the physical and social fabric of Jerusalem by attracting private donations from Israel and international supporters and directing them toward municipal and community projects. Unlike a conventional consumer brand or commercial company, the Foundation functions as a philanthropic platform: donors support identifiable projects, while the organization works with the municipality, government ministries, community groups, cultural institutions, and other nonprofit bodies to plan and finance them. The Foundation emerged during a period when Jerusalem was divided between Israeli and Jordanian-controlled sectors and faced poverty, overcrowding, inadequate public amenities, and substantial disparities between neighborhoods. Kollek sought to mobilize world Jewish support for the city's development and used the Foundation to obtain resources for initiatives that municipal budgets alone could not easily fund. Its early work concentrated on parks, playgrounds, gardens, and other public spaces in poorer neighborhoods. Over time, its scope expanded to include cultural institutions, education, public health, archaeological work, historic preservation, community facilities, environmental projects, and coexistence initiatives. A defining feature of the Foundation is its project-based fundraising model. Contributions have been associated with named facilities and initiatives, including the Walter and Elise Haas Promenade, the Vivienne and Maurice Wohl Rose Park, the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, and facilities at the Jerusalem Theater. The model gives donors a relatively direct connection to the use of their funds and allows the Foundation to combine philanthropic contributions with municipal, governmental, and institutional matching resources. The organization has also maintained fundraising desks and relationships in North America and Europe, holding events in major Jewish and philanthropic centers. Its portfolio has included some of Jerusalem's best-known public and cultural assets: the Bloomfield Science Museum, the Jerusalem Music Centre, the Jerusalem Cinematheque, the Tower of David Museum, the Israel Museum, the Jerusalem Walls National Park, the Old City and Jewish Quarter, Teddy Stadium, the Jerusalem Theater, and the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. It has also supported parks, forests, archaeological excavations, historic-religious-site restoration, neighborhood community centers, preschool facilities, health clinics, artists' studios, scholarships, workshops, and cultural programming. The Foundation's work has extended to Arab neighborhoods as well as Jewish areas. Projects cited in accounts of its activities include the Sheikh Jarrah Health Centre, a sports field in Beit Hanina, playgrounds in Arab neighborhoods, improvements at Abdallah Ibn Hussein Technology School, and support for Hand in Hand, a Jewish-Arab education initiative. This cross-community activity reflects the Foundation's stated development mission, although projects in Jerusalem inevitably operate within a politically contested environment. The organization is politically unaffiliated in its formal structure and is independent of Israel's Finance Ministry and state-linked fundraising organizations. Its governance has included an international chair, an Israeli president, a board of directors, and a General Assembly of business and academic figures from Jerusalem and abroad. The mayor of Jerusalem has traditionally held a prominent relationship with the Foundation; Nir Barkat served as honorary chairman while mayor. By 2018, the Foundation reported that it had supported more than 4,000 projects. It remains a philanthropic institution rather than a listed company, with its public identity centered on Jerusalem's development and on transparent, donor-directed funding.

The Jerusalem Foundation was created in 1966, shortly after Teddy Kollek became mayor of Jerusalem. The city was then marked by political division, poverty, overcrowding, and a shortage of parks, playgrounds, and other public amenities. Kollek believed that Jerusalem's development required a worldwide philanthropic constituency and that private donations could help the municipality undertake projects that public budgets and political institutions could not adequately support. The Foundation's first projects focused on public parks and playgrounds in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Early financial support came from donors in New York, and the organization gradually developed a broader international fundraising network. Its basic method was to identify a specific civic, cultural, social, or environmental need, raise funds for that project abroad, and combine the donations with resources from the Jerusalem municipality, government ministries, and partner organizations. This approach allowed donors to see the destination of their contributions and gave the city access to facilities that might otherwise have been delayed or omitted. During its expansion, the Foundation supported hundreds of parks, gardens, green spaces, and recreational sites. It also became involved in the preservation and presentation of Jerusalem's historic environment, including restoration work in the Old City and Jewish Quarter, improvements to ancient sites, and support for the conservation of synagogues, mosques, and churches. Cultural development became another major field, with support for museums, theaters, music institutions, cinemas, scientific education, archaeological excavations, artists' facilities, scholarships, workshops, and public events. The Foundation's portfolio was not limited to cultural landmarks or predominantly Jewish areas. It helped finance community and social centers, preschool facilities, clinics, sports facilities, and educational projects in Arab neighborhoods. Examples described in accounts of its work include the Sheikh Jarrah Health Centre, a Beit Hanina sports field, neighborhood playgrounds, improvements at Abdallah Ibn Hussein Technology School, and support for Hand in Hand's Jewish-Arab educational program. The breadth of these activities reflects an effort to treat urban development as a combination of physical infrastructure, social services, education, culture, and community relations. Institutionally, the Foundation has operated independently of Israel's Finance Ministry and of state-linked charitable bodies such as the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization. Its governance has included a General Assembly, a board of directors, international fundraising bodies, and Israeli leadership. The General Assembly has been described as including business and academic figures from Jerusalem and abroad, while the board supervises fundraising, projects, technical work, and finance. The mayor of Jerusalem has traditionally maintained a close relationship with the Foundation, although the organization has described itself as politically unaffiliated. Ruth Cheshin served as the founding president from 1966 until 2011. She was followed by Mark Sofer, a former Israeli ambassador, and later by Yohanna Arbib-Perugia. Shai Doron, formerly associated with the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens and with Kollek's office, is identified in reference material as president of the Foundation in Israel. Sallai Meridor has served as international chairman, while Nir Barkat was an honorary chairman during his mayoralty. The Foundation's fundraising activities have been supported by desks or representative operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada. Its long-term output includes the Haas Promenade, Wohl Rose Park, Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem Music Centre, Jerusalem Cinematheque, Jerusalem Walls National Park, Tower of David Museum, Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem Theater facilities, and numerous neighborhood projects. By 2018, published descriptions attributed more than 4,000 projects to the Foundation. Its historical significance lies in its hybrid structure: it is neither a standard government department nor a conventional charity, but an internationally funded philanthropic mechanism dedicated to municipal development in Jerusalem.

• 2018

  More than 4,000 projects reported

  [1]Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported that the Foundation had funded more than 4,000 projects across Jerusalem by this point.

• 2011

  Founding president Ruth Cheshin steps down

  [1]Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  After serving as president from the Foundation's creation, Ruth Cheshin was succeeded by Mark Sofer in October 2011.

• 1999

  Teddy Kollek Award introduced

  [1]Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The Foundation began awarding the Teddy Kollek Award to people recognized for contributions to Jerusalem's social, cultural, educational, or physical development.

• 1977

  Tel Aviv Foundation adopts a similar model

  [1]Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The Foundation's municipal-philanthropic structure influenced the creation of the Tel Aviv Foundation and comparable organizations elsewhere in Israel.

• 1966

  Jerusalem Foundation founded

  [1]Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Teddy Kollek established the Foundation as a nonprofit vehicle for financing Jerusalem's physical, social, and cultural development through private donations.

• 1965

  Teddy Kollek becomes mayor of Jerusalem

  [1]Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Kollek's mayoralty created the political and administrative context for a new foundation focused on attracting international private support for Jerusalem.

An international philanthropic development platform for Jerusalem, emphasizing identifiable projects, municipal partnership, cultural and social infrastructure, public-space improvement, and donor transparency.

• Urban development · 1966

  Parks, gardens, and green spaces

  A core area of the Foundation's work, beginning with playgrounds and public parks in poorer neighborhoods and expanding to promenades, rose gardens, forests, recreational grounds, and green belts. The Foundation has been credited with contributing hundreds of parks, gardens, and related public spaces throughout Jerusalem.

• Culture and education

  Cultural and scientific institutions

  The Foundation finances or has supported museums, theaters, music organizations, cinemas, science education, and cultural programming. Associated institutions include the Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem Music Centre, Jerusalem Cinematheque, Israel Museum, Tower of David Museum, and Jerusalem Theater facilities.

• Heritage conservation

  Historic preservation and archaeology

  Heritage activity includes restoration and infrastructure work in the Old City and Jewish Quarter, conservation of historic religious sites, support for archaeological excavations, and development of sites such as the Jerusalem Walls National Park.

• Social infrastructure

  Community, health, and education projects

  The Foundation supports community and social centers, preschools, clinics, sports facilities, schools, scholarships, and coexistence programs. Its documented activities include projects in Arab neighborhoods and support for Hand in Hand Jewish-Arab education.

• Fundraising services · 1966

  International philanthropic fundraising

  Rather than selling commercial goods, the Foundation develops donor relationships and raises funds for specific Jerusalem projects through fundraising desks, international events, and partnerships in North America and Europe.

• 2011

  Change in presidential leadershipOther

  Background

  Ruth Cheshin had led the Foundation since its establishment in 1966.

  Action taken

  Mark Sofer succeeded Cheshin as president in October 2011, followed later by Yohanna Arbib-Perugia and Shai Doron in Israeli leadership.

  Aftermath

  The transition preserved the Foundation's international fundraising and Jerusalem development mission under new leadership.

  Source

• 1966

  Adopt project-specific international philanthropyStrategy

  Background

  Jerusalem faced major social and infrastructure needs, while municipal resources were insufficient to address all neighborhood, cultural, and public-space priorities.

  Action taken

  The Foundation was structured to solicit private international donations for clearly identified municipal and community projects, often combining donations with public or institutional matching resources.

  Aftermath

  This became the Foundation's defining operating model and later influenced similar municipal foundations in Israel.

  Source

1. 1Jerusalem Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Jerusalem Foundation official websitejerusalemfoundation.org