Rambam Health Care Campus is proud and honored to bestow the 2016 Rambam Award upon Mr. Sandor Frankel and The
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust in recognition of their extraordinary philanthropic support of scientific, technological, and medical research, and health care and preparedness in Israel—in particular with regard to Rambam
Health Care Campus.
Frankel has visited Israel frequently since he was a teen and is married to Ruth, an Israeli. His passion for the Jewish state led to results he never would have anticipated as a child. A practicing lawyer since 1967, Frankel began representing Leona Helmsley in 1990. For the next 18 years, he handled many of her legal affairs and became one of her trusted advisors.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust, established to last in perpetuity,began awarding grants in 2008 following the passing of Leona Helmsley, who left nearly all of the Helmsley estate to the Trust.
One of four Trustees overseeing the Trust, Frankel’s guidance led to establishment of The Helmsley Trust’s Israel program focusing on Israeli causes, for which he serves as lead Trustee. Under his wise leadership, The Helmsley Charitable Trust is fulfilling one of its primary goals: to help Israel flourish as a secure and vibrant democratic state for the benefit of the nation and for humanity in general.
Since its establishment, the Helmsley Charitable Trust has prodigiously donated grants for projects in and related to Israel—more than $163 million to date.
By investing in leading Israeli institutions and critical initiatives, including the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital—the largest facility of its kind in the world, which has established a new paradigm for patient safety in times of war— Frankel and The Helmsley Charitable Trust are strengthening Israel as a secure, successful, and vital nation.
In acknowledgement of all the aforesaid, the Honorary Awards Committee has found Mr. Sandor Frankel and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust deserving of the 2016 Rambam Award.