Philanthropist Sylvan Adams pledged $100 million to rebuild and modernize the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba following a direct Iranian missile strike in June, the hospital said on Sunday, as Israel’s government announced a multi-year plan that includes NIS 360 million in state funding for a new fortified inpatient tower.
The announcement was made during the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Adams, who also serves as president of the World Jewish Congress, Israel Region, framed his gift as a message of resilience and renewal.
“Our answer to Iran is to build back bigger and better. On the very place where missiles fell, we will build in Beersheba a beacon of healing, progress, and peace. We choose life. We choose excellence. We choose to answer destruction with construction and hatred with compassion,” he said.
According to the statement, the total investment in Soroka’s reconstruction will exceed one billion shekels, shared equally by the government, Clalit Health Services, and Adams’s donation. The government’s share includes NIS 360 million for a new fortified inpatient tower to strengthen health infrastructure in Israel’s South.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Adams as “a great friend and benefactor of the State of Israel,” thanking him “on behalf of the government, the citizens of Israel, and especially the residents of the Negev.”
Soroka, one of Israel’s largest and most strategically important hospitals, said the $100m gift will be split between rebuilding damaged infrastructure and forward-looking transformation projects. Plans include expanded emergency capacity, upgraded maternal and critical care units, and the integration of technologies such as AI-based diagnostics, precision medicine, and next-generation imaging systems.
Hospital leadership described the partnership among Adams, Clalit, the government, and international donors as a “new model of national renewal,” intended to ensure that the Negev emerges stronger than before.