The Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva has received the largest single donation in Israel’s healthcare history: $180 million from Anat and Dr. Shmuel Harlap. The gift will fund the construction of a 15-story Heart and Brain Center, dubbed the Tower of Hope, symbolizing unity in Israeli society.
The Tower of Hope, set to open in early 2027, will double the hospital’s capacity for heart and brain treatments and expand intensive care services. The facility will span 70,000 square meters and include 300 beds for inpatient and intensive care. It will house eight clinical departments in cardiology, neurosurgery, neurology, and cardiac surgery.
“We believe there is no place more fitting than a central public hospital to symbolize the healing of divisions within Israeli society,” Anat and Dr. Shmuel Harlap said in a statement. “The Tower of Hope will serve all sectors of the Israeli public… It will be a lighthouse of hope for all.”
The Heart Center will feature expanded cardiac ICUs, advanced catheterization and electrophysiology suites, and a national heart transplant unit. The Brain Center will double bed capacity in neurology and neurosurgery, open a new Stroke Command Center, and launch a dedicated brain research institute.
Prof. Sagi Harnof, director of the Brain Center, said the project “represents an international standard of care, positioning RMC at the global forefront of brain medicine.”
Dr. Eytan Wirtheim, CEO of Rabin Medical Center, hailed the donation as a transformative moment for Israeli medicine, saying it will “unite under one roof the best knowledge, technology, research, and innovation in cardiology and neurology.”
Credit: Jerusalem Post