From Legacy to Liftoff

Bennett Rechler is continuing a long legacy of supporting the Technion that began with his parents, the late Morton and Beverley Rechler. The Technion was a natural fit for the couple given Morton’s career as an aeronautical engineer and the couple’s deep-seated love for Israel.

“They did a lot to teach my siblings and me to give back. Like our parents, we’ve made the Technion the primary focus of our philanthropic efforts because it’s so important to Israel’s security and prosperity,” he said.

The Morton & Beverley Rechler Family Foundation, led by Bennett and siblings Yvetta and Hannah, has advanced an impressive list of Technion priorities — most recently, basic research into high-speed (or hypersonic) flight, an area that honors Morton’s career, fits with Bennett’s own career as a civil engineer, and is vital to Israel’s security.

As Israel’s adversaries boast of possessing high-tech missiles that can travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 and evade Israel’s defense systems, Israel needs to develop new technologies capable of intercepting such threats. To do so, it will need to enhance its understanding of high-speed flight.

“More and more, the world’s superpowers are moving toward hypersonics. To defend its people and remain a leader in global aerospace research, Israel will need to have a role in this field,” Rechler said.

But understanding the unique aerodynamics, physics, and chemistry that come into play when a vehicle moves through the atmosphere at great speeds will not be easy — in contrast to the popular aphorism, it is rocket science.

Given the complexities of hypersonic research, the Technion will require extensive (and expensive) new infrastructure. The Morton and Beverley Rechler Family Foundation High Velocity Laboratory for Aeronautics in the new Center for High-Speed Flight will be a critical component. So will funding from the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli aerospace companies that will one day develop hypersonic vehicles.

“The Technion was able to leverage our investment in the lab to garner support from Israeli industry and government, effectively multiplying the impact of our gift. That turned out to be very fortuitous,” he said.

Rechler views his investment in high-speed flight as being especially important following October 7.

“When you see the brutality of what’s happened and the antisemitism on U.S. campuses, you realize that for Jews around the world, Israel is a lifeboat. As long as Israel is there, Jews are safer,” he said.

Beyond philanthropy, Rechler is strengthening the Technion through volunteer service. He is a member of the American Technion Society’s National Board of Directors and New York Metro Board of Directors, as well as the Technion Board of Governors. In recognition of his many contributions, he received an honorary fellowship from the Technion in 2009 and was recently granted an honorary doctorate.

He hopes his two sons, Zachary and Halley — and maybe even his grandchildren, Graham, Jack, Ashton, and Kenzie — will one day continue the Rechler family tradition of supporting the Technion.

“Giving to the Technion is a core value of the Rechlers. I’d love to see this family enterprise continue beyond my lifetime,” he said.