Homeless Holocaust Survivor Leaves $100K Gift

Hebrew University has received a surprise donation of more than $100,000 from an unexpected benefactor—a woman who survived the Nazi Holocaust and appeared to be destitute, a university official said today. Upon her death 2 years ago, a homeless Holocaust survivor living on the streets of New York City willed the gift to the university. The Jewish woman lived out of a shopping cart in Manhattan and had no known relatives.

"She lived as a very poor woman. And when she died at the age of 92, it was discovered she had accumulated close to $300,000," says Yefet Ozery, Hebrew University's director of development and public relations. "She probably saved it to do good for the world and for the Jewish people." The money will be used to fund scholarships for medical research students, according to the woman's wishes. (More Israel stories.)