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Engaging, Inspiring, and Publicly Supporting Oral Health

Through Dental Research, Education, Access, & lmpactful Initiatives Worldwide!

Oral Healthcare Initiatives

The Alpha Omega US Dental Foundation is dedicated to supporting dental schools and dental centers in Israel, as well as addressing similar needs globally through various project categories.

HEALTH

Providing oral health services to individuals facing barriers to treatment due to economic, physical, or political circumstances who would otherwise be unable to receive necessary care.

EDUCATION & RESEARCH

Supporting dental educational programs to enable students and faculty to contribute to the advancement of understanding of oral diseases and development of cures.

CARE

Caring for the elderly, handicapped and economically vulnerable Holocaust survivors by providing in-kind services within private practices, affiliated hospitals or dental institutions.

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About

In 1953, a group of Alpha Omega Fraternity leaders embarked on a mission to establish a top-tier dental school in Israel. Collaborating with the Hadassah Hebrew University, Alpha Omega integrated a school of dentistry into the University’s structure in Jerusalem.

The objective was to replace retiring immigrant dentists, offering modern services to the growing population resulting from an influx of refugees. In 1964, this vision materialized, and Alpha Omega proudly became the founder of the Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Dental Medicine in Israel.

Seeking to broaden their impact, Alpha Omega members founded the Alpha Omega Foundation US in 1969, serving as the US charitable arm of the Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity. The Foundation’s commitment to Dental Medicine’s advancement continued with its instrumental role in the establishment of the Tel Aviv University School of Dental Medicine in 1970.

In 2012, when the Tel Aviv University School of Dental Medicine teetered on the brink of closure, the Foundation, along with the American Friends of Tel Aviv University, Dean Adam Stabholz of the Hadassah/Hebrew University Dental School, Israeli government and other notable dental professionals in Israel embarked on a $3 million fundraising campaign to renovate the school’s facilities, establish specialized care for individuals with unique needs, and the cultivation of new revenue streams from both higher tuitions paid by students training to be specialists in the fields of endodontics, prosthodontics, and periodontics and the care they provide.

Today, the Alpha Omega Foundation continues to support both of these dental schools and additional dental healthcare centers in Israel and around the world. View our impact. 

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Mission

The Foundation is committed to advancing dental research, supporting education, creating access to dental care for underserved populations, and improving care throughout the world.

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Latest News

RMRH

Advancing Psychological Treatment Across Israel’s Dental Community

May 2026

Screenshot 2026-04-30 at 4.14.15 PM

A Lifetime of Achievement - A Lasting Scholarship

April 2026

Israel's_Escape_from_Egypt

When the Story Feels Personal

March 2026

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A call to action

Renewing Minds Restoring Hope

Supporting The Israeli Dental Community Through Ongoing Trauma And War

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D. Walter Cohen Ambassadorship to Israel

In Honor of D. Walter Cohen- Proud Alpha Omega Member

This annual award provides two third- or fourth-year dental students with the opportunity to travel to Israel and experience firsthand the impact of  the impact of the Alpha Omega Foundation’s support for
dental education and care.

Through visits to dental schools, private practices, public clinics, and other healthcare centers in multiple cities, recipients meet respected dental professionals, learn about programs supported by Alpha Omega, and see
how the foundation has strengthened
Israel’s dental community.

The program is designed to deepen students’ connections to Alpha Omega, dental education, and Israel while fostering lifelong professional relationships and promoting teamwork, innovation, education, and peace.

The Alpha Omega US Dental Foundation

Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1907, the Alpha Omega Fraternity was established in response to widespread antisemitism in educational institutions and throughout the broader dental community. From its earliest days, philanthropy was central to its mission.

That commitment became especially significant from the 1930s through the 1950s, amid World War II, the Holocaust and its aftermath, and the ongoing displacement of Jewish communities. 

Israel’s rapidly growing population created an urgent need for dental care, yet access remained severely limited. Meeting that need became a driving force that would transform Alpha Omega’s philanthropy.

Smiles Against Terror Program

Alpha Omega launched a program in Israel during the Second Lebanon War, to provide free dental care to individuals who have had more than 60% disability from the war.

A call to action

Supporting Inclusive Dental Care

Alpha Omega US Dental Foundation funded a Radiology Room for a new Panoramic X-ray machine designed for people with disabilities.

The equipment and room are part of the Robert I. Schattner Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine.

This state-of-the-art facility provides accessible, optimal care for children and adults with disabilities while training dental professionals to care for the most vulnerable population

A call to action

Tree of Peace

The first Tree of Peace sculpture was placed in 2007 at Hebrew University’s School of Dental Medicine, marking the close collaboration between Hebrew University and Al-Quds University and the shared vision of using the oral health profession as a vehicle for building relationships and understanding throughout the region and the world.

In 2011, the Tree of Peace arrived in the United States, becoming the second installation worldwide, at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health — a testament to the school’s commitment to global peace and a symbol of the collaboration between medicine, education, and the pursuit of peaceful coexistence worldwide.

Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry in Philadelphia became the third dental school to install the sculpture, a steadfast reminder of the ongoing effort to build a lasting legacy of global peace through dentistry.

The fourth installation, on the campus of Al-Quds University, continued that legacy: it opened avenues for dental professionals, educators, and students to transcend political and religious barriers, using oral health as a catalyst to improve quality of life for people of diverse nationalities.

The fifth installation, at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, was dedicated to Dr. Walter Guralnick, professor emeritus of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Dr. R. Bruce Donoff, former dean of the school. It commemorates the active engagement of Harvard’s students and faculty in global initiatives and reflects the belief that education, cultural exchange, and mutual respect can build a more inclusive, compassionate, and harmonious world.

Haiti Relief Program

Responded to the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, focusing on restoring access to emergency dental and oral healthcare for affected communities.

Alpha Omega supported the delivery of dental supplies, clinical care, and rebuilding efforts aimed at strengthening Haiti’s long-term oral health infrastructure.

Expanding
Alpha Omega's Philanthropic Reach

Distributed up to $150,000 annually in the early 2000’s to support dental education, healthcare, humanitarian programs, and leadership scholarships within the dental profession and global Jewish community. 

Beneficiaries included:

Israeli dental schools
Rambam Medical Center
Dental Volunteers Israel
Beit Issie Shapiro
Save a Child’s Heart
Jewish Homes in Los Angeles
and Washington, DC
Numerous community organizations
in Israel and North America. 

The Alpha Omega Centennial Fund

The Alpha Omega Centennial Fund was established in 2002, five years ahead of the organization’s 100th anniversary in 2007.

The goal was to build the Foundation’s corpus, advancing its commitment to leadership, philanthropy, education, and service while supporting initiatives that strengthen the future of the dental profession and the global Jewish community

A call to action

Advancing Collaboration Across the Middle East

In 1997, Alpha Omega endowed the The D. Walter Cohen, DDS Middle East Center for Dental Education at Hebrew University to promote peace through dental education, collaborative research, and cross-cultural partnership.

The Adopt-A-Soviet-Dentist Program

Alpha Omega launched an urgent and successful fundraising campaign to retrain Soviet immigrant dentists in Israel at the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine at Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University – Hadassah School of Dental Medicine.

Nearly $500,000 was raised, enabling 350 dentists from the former Soviet Union to complete the retraining required to practice in Israel. This paved the way for their integration into their new homeland of Israel.

Expanding Global Care And Trainig

  • Launched a dental peace corps in Israel
  • Funded a mobile clinic in Morocco
  • Created a student internship program
  • Supported the Rambam Maxillofacial Clinic in Haifa

Maxillofacial Prosthetic Rehabilitation Program

Following the Yom Kippur War in 1973,
Alpha Omega members began training
Israeli maxillofacial teams and dentists at Sloan Kettering Hospital and the MD Anderson Clinic in the United States to help
rehabilitate wounded Israeli soldiers. 

Retraining Russian Dentists

As thousands of Jewish families left the Soviet Union in search of greater freedom and opportunity, many dental professionals faced significant barriers to practicing in their new countries.

Alpha Omega responded by creating educational and retraining programs in Israel that helped immigrant dentists update their skills, meet licensing requirements, and successfully continue their careers while integrating into new communities.