A wealthy American benefactor and graduate of Columbia University who served in World War II has given a $260 million donation to an Israeli university, as the fallout from months of protests and police operations on U.S. campuses continues.
The news comes as pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new encampment in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Monday night, and after a similar protest encampment returned to the main campus at Columbia on Friday.
NBC News has reached out to Columbia for comment.
The anonymous man is donating the money to Bar-Ilan University, in Tel Aviv suburb Ramat Gan, the college’s president, Arie Zaban, announced Monday.
It is not known whether the donor considered giving the money to Columbia, but a statement from the Israeli college pointedly confirmed a few basic biographical facts: he is a “North American Jew and graduate of Columbia University who served in World War II.”
“He saw Israel as a safe haven for the Jewish people and was committed to its economic and social stability. He chose Bar-Ilan University as the research institution best able to undertake the great task of expanding science-based technological resilience in Israel,” the college said in a statement.
