Gift from the Koum Family Foundation endows Israel Studies Program

A major gift from the Koum Family Foundation will endow the Israel Studies Program at Stanford and significantly expand course offerings, research, and public programming on Israel. Building on the successful Visiting Fellows in Israel Studies pilot, the program will be housed within the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

The Jan Koum Israel Studies Program will create new opportunities on campus to broaden research and teaching about modern Israel and to promote intercultural connections.

“The support from the Koum Family Foundation gives Stanford the opportunity to grow our course offerings and programming on Israel, and strengthen our scholarship across the broader Middle East through shared learning and collaborative research. I am grateful for their generosity.”

The Koum Family Foundation, founded by WhatsApp co-creator Jan Koum, is a private foundation focused on supporting global Jewish causes, fostering innovation in health care, and serving local communities. The foundation has previously made gifts to Stanford Medicine, including support for the Biomedical Innovation Building, faculty scholars, and the Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator.

“I believe this program will empower the next generation of leaders to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance and design our global future.”

“Our commitment to the Israel Studies Program reflects our belief in the central importance of the U.S.-Israel partnership, and our interest in ensuring that future generations possess the knowledge and experience necessary to collaborate and address the challenges of the 21st century,” said Michael McFaul, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI).

Led by Larry Diamond, the Visiting Fellows in Israel Studies pilot was created in 2021 with the support of a broad array of donors. In its first phase, the program brought two Israeli scholars to Stanford to teach courses, organize events, and collaborate with faculty across campus. The fellows program also played a critical role after the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, facilitating informal conversations, workshops, classes, and large public events grounded in evidence, research, and respect.

The program’s inaugural director is Amichai Magen, whose scholarship focuses on the rule of law, liberal political orders, and Israeli foreign policy. As one of the first Israeli visiting fellows, Magen, along with Or Rabinowitz and Alon Tal, taught undergraduates, published research, led webinars, and organized public events and conferences.

Each spring quarter since 2022, Magen has taught Israel: Society, Politics, and Policy, while Rabinowitz has offered Israel, the Middle East, and Nuclear Weapons. Rabinowitz has also taught Security Issues in the Middle East during winter quarter for the past two years.

As an Israeli visiting fellow, Tal chaired the conference Climate Resilience and Local Governmental Policy: Lessons from Los Angeles and Tel Aviv in May 2025. A special issue academic journal is being prepared to present the conference’s research output. Tal has taught several courses on public policy and climate, including Public Policy and Sustainability Challenges: Israel and the Middle East, which is offered in winter quarter.

Housed within FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), the Jan Koum Program in Israel Studies will join the center’s existing regional scholarship, including the Program on Turkey and the Program on Arab Reform and Development.

“Hosting the program within CDDRL reinforces the Israel Studies Program’s efforts to ensure U.S.-Israel relations remain rooted in shared values,” said Kathryn Stoner, the Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. “Within the center, Israel Studies will benefit from our multidisciplinary approach to the study of democracy, the rule of law, economic development, and human well-being.”

The Jan Koum Israel Studies Program is currently running its Israel Insights webinar series, which explores the public debates shaping Israel domestically and internationally. Webinars feature leading decision-makers, scholars, and analysts in conversation with Stanford faculty. Subscribe to email alerts from the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law for program updates and event invitations.

Larry Diamond is the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Nehal and Jenny Raj College Faculty Fellow, and professor, by courtesy, of sociology and of political science.

Michael McFaul is the Endowed Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Ken Olivier & Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Kathryn Stoner is the Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, a professor, by courtesy, of political science, and a senior fellow, by courtesy, at the Hoover Institution.

This story first appeared in Stanford Report.