August 17, 2010 | 6:37 pm

Brandman Foundation Donates $8M to Hebrew University

Posted by Adam Wills

Follow JewishJournal.com on

Exterior view of the The Saul (z"l) and Joyce Brandman Science Teaching Laboratory Building. Photo by Douglas Guthrie

The Saul & Joyce Brandman Foundation has donated $8 million to name a new teaching laboratory building at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Edmond J. Safra campus in Givat Ram, Israel, American Friends of The Hebrew University (AFHU) recently announced. The Saul (z”l) and Joyce Brandman Science Laboratories will provide cutting-edge research facilities for chemistry, biology, physics and pharmacology programs at the university.

“Joyce Brandman takes a remarkable, hands-on approach to philanthropic leadership, helping people as close by as Los Angeles and as far away as South America and Israel. Whether the cause is healthcare, education or the well-being of the Jewish people, Joyce works to improve and save lives, encouraging us all to deepen our commitment to others,” said Richard Ziman, AFHU Western Region board chair.

The foundation lends support to hundreds of charities in the United States and Israel, including Hebrew University, Chapman University, Brandman University, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Our House, Jewish Free Loan and the L.A. Jewish Home, where it funded a loan program for new nurses and recently provided initial funding for the Home’s new Brandman Pace program for all-inclusive senior day care.

L.A. philanthropist Joyce Brandman, who became president of The Saul & Joyce Brandman Foundation in 2009 following the death of her husband, says her mission is to run the foundation doing what Saul would have wanted and carrying on the legacy of tzedakah that they forged together.

The Brandmans have donated more than $10 million to the university in the past 25 years, providing scholarships for dozens of students and helping to build the new Scopus Student Village.