Milsteins give lead gift for new Soroka mental health center

Philip and Cheryl Milstein have made a lead gift, through UJA-Federation of New York, to help fund a new mental health center at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. The project is designed to expand psychiatric and trauma care across southern Israel as demand has surged since Oct. 7, 2023.

Why it matters: - Soroka Medical Center is building a new mental health center to expand care for children, adults and families across the Negev. - The project comes as demand for trauma and psychiatric services has risen sharply since Oct. 7, 2023. - Soroka serves more than one million people as the only medical center in the Negev.

What happened: - Philip and Cheryl Milstein made a transformative lead gift through UJA-Federation of New York to support Soroka’s new state-of-the-art Mental Health Center. - Soroka will name the new center in the Milsteins’ honor. - Michael Kay, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, said the gift builds on UJA’s partnership with Soroka to support care for children, families and communities.

The details: - Soroka says the new center is being developed with the Israeli Ministry of Health and Clalit Health Services. - The center will expand psychiatric, psychological and trauma-related care throughout the region. - Planned services include inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, PTSD and trauma treatment, crisis intervention, family counseling, eating-disorder treatment, and specialized care for children, adolescents and adults. - The design includes therapeutic gardens, restorative outdoor areas, family counseling spaces and specialized treatment areas intended to support dignity, privacy, healing and recovery. - Soroka has longstanding ties to the Milstein family, including the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Trauma Recovery Center for Children and Adolescents and support for staff resilience programs. - Philip Milstein said he and Cheryl are proud to continue supporting Soroka, which he described as a world-class institute serving the Negev.

Between the lines: - Soroka is positioning mental health care as part of the region’s broader recovery from years of rocket fire, displacement and trauma. - Prof. Shlomi Codish, Soroka’s director general, said communities in the Negev are dealing with psychological wounds that will require specialized care and long-term support for years. - The donation also reinforces Soroka’s role as southern Israel’s anchor medical institution after years of crisis response. - Soroka treated more than 670 patients in the first 24 hours after Oct. 7, 2023. - On June 19, 2025, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the hospital and damaged a central surgical building and other facilities.

What’s next: - Soroka says the Milstein gift will help shape mental health care in the Negev for generations. - The center is expected to strengthen southern Israel’s mental health infrastructure and broaden access to specialized services when needed most. - American Friends of Soroka Medical Center said additional information is available at Soroka.org or by calling (914) 725-9070.

The bottom line: - The Milsteins’ gift gives Soroka a major boost as it builds a centralized hub for mental health and trauma care in southern Israel.