The Woldenberg Family Passes Down
an Enduring Commitment to Israel

September, 2010



Woldenberg School for Arts in Kiryat Shmona

Since 1974, the Woldenberg Foundation has established 27 projects through IEF, including schools, community centers, preschools and daycare centers. Because of this trusted partnership, IEF is able to connect the Foundation with projects that align with their mission and provide meaningful opportunities for personal involvement.

Philanthropist Malcolm Woldenberg was dedicated to the survival of Judaism and the Jewish people. During his lifetime, he helped build and strengthen the land of Israel through his generous support of the Israel Education Fund and other projects in Israel.

Although Malcolm and Dorothy had no children, since Malcolm’s death in 1982, their dedication to Israel continues through their family. Today, Minette Brown, Malcolm’s great-niece is a Trustee of the Woldenberg Foundation. A former pre-school teacher, Minette is committed to her uncle’s philanthropic vision, ensuring that his legacy lives on.

Under her leadership, the Woldenberg Foundation has focused on projects that provide equal educational opportunities for young people in Israel’s social or geographic periphery. This commitment is evident in one of their recent projects, The Malcolm and Dorothy Woldenberg Library at Tel Hai College in the Galilee—the Woldenberg Foundation’s largest IEF project to date.



Minette Brown at the dedication of The Malcolm and Dorothy Woldenberg Library at Tel Hai College

Additionally, the Foundation recently made a generous contribution through IEF to the Ben Yakir Youth Village—one of four Jewish Agency Youth Aliyah Villages for at-risk youth. Located near Hadera, 120 teen boys— primarily from unstable homes with violent tendencies, emotional problems and poor academic performance—can live in a warm, normative environment where they can heal and flourish.

This winter, Minette and her husband, Paul, visited Ben Yakir. On their visit, they planted a tree in honor of their grandson, representing their personal connection to this project and their commitment to Ben Yakir in the future.



Tree planted by Minette Brown at Ben Yakir Youth Village and students at Ben Yakir

The Woldenberg Foundation’s most recent gift to Ben Yakir helped fund a summer camp that provided students with positive activities and a protected environment for summer vacation. The Foundation is also currently working with IEF on an exciting new project to build new dormitories at Ben Yakir.

At the Israel Education Fund, we treasure this special relationship with the Woldenberg Foundation that has developed over the past 35 years—and look forward to partnering with them to create impact for generations to come.

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