2025: A Double Centennial

This year marked a remarkable milestone: both the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Milton Kalin celebrated their 100th birthdays. To mark this shared milestone, the Kalin Family has partnered with the Hebrew University to create the Milton & Marilyn Kalin Fund for Mental Health and Healing—a tribute to Milton’s lifelong dedication to the well-being of his community, Israel, and the Jewish people.

Hebrew University first opened its doors in 1925, nearly a quarter-century before the founding of the State of Israel. For the past century, its mission has been clear: to push the boundaries of research, educate future leaders, and nurture generations of scholars whose work changes lives far beyond the classroom. Its impact has touched every corner of Israeli society and cultural life. It has stood for knowledge, resilience, and hope.

Since October 7th, the call for mental health support across Israel—and on campus—has never been louder. With the Milton & Marilyn Kalin Fund for Mental Health, Hebrew University is expanding its psychological counseling services, beginning with a new online program to treat anxiety and reach more students where they are.

Launching this project requires $90,000. Thanks to a seed gift of $20,000 from the Kalin family, the effort is already in motion. Now, the Kalin Family invites their community of friends and family to join them—together we can ensure that this program takes root so that students not only learn but also heal, with the strength to face the future.

For Milton, innovation was never an abstract idea—it was the heartbeat of his work. In the 1960s, he opened his doors to young gang members, offering drop-in groups that gave them belonging and a chance to be heard. By the 1970s, he was pioneering one of the first six-day treatment programs for people with schizophrenia and those navigating life after deinstitutionalization. Time and again, Milton anticipated what his community needed most—and found ways to deliver it with compassion and pragmatism.

That same vision now guides the Fund’s support of Hebrew University’s pilot program in internet-based anxiety treatment. Just as Milton believed, mental health care must be bold, effective, and—above all—within reach.

Contributions of $25,000 or above will be inscribed on the Donor Wall at the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, overlooking Jerusalem.

For more information or to make your contribution offline, please contact Gabby Sherb, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Region, at  [email protected].