The Gift of Security
With an estate gift to the American Technion Society, Dr. Ira Green, 86, and Chana Green, 81, are looking to ensure the safety and security of the people of Israel. The couple, who live in Oxnard, California, explained their motivations for giving.
"We see our support for the Technion as an investment in a country that is not only a wellspring of innovation, but also central to our heritage as Jewish people," said Ira.
Ira and Chana, who came of age in the wake of the Holocaust, appreciate the role Israel has played historically as the homeland for the Jewish people. They take pride in how the country evolved from a desert to an agrarian oasis, and then moved to become an epicenter of high technology, medical advances, and sustainability. To ensure that Israel prospers amidst threats to her security, the Green family have designated their estate to benefit research related to Israel's defense needs.
Their interest in such research stems from Ira's career, during which he worked as a nuclear physicist for TRW and then Northrop Grumman. Ira advanced cutting-edge aerospace projects to detect nuclear activity on Earth. The experience provided him with an appreciation for the kinds of threats that could imperil a nation — and technologies that could protect citizens from such dangers.
Ira and Chana see connections between Ira's work and research taking place at the Technion. Technion alumni, for example, were integral to the development of Iron Dome and other missile defense systems. Ira and Chana appreciate how such technologies have saved countless lives in Israel and helped to prevent recent conflicts from escalating throughout the region.
"I really enjoy speaking with professors and students from the Technion because they are doing things we only dreamed about in college," said Ira, who attended the University of California, Los Angeles. "They envision a future in Israel for their children and grandchildren, and we see our support as helping to ensure this future for the Israeli people."
After their lifetimes, the Greens' estate will create an endowment at the American Technion Society whose funding will support Technion projects centered on protecting the people of Israel for generations to come.