In 1999, 17.5-year old Wesam Khamees was tragically killed in an accident just months before he was to begin his academic career. Prior to his death, Wesam was an active leader in a non-profit organization which promotes co-existence between Jews and Arabs. Upon his death, the money he had saved over the years towards his higher education was used as the first scholarships the Fund awarded. Since then, the Fund has continued to award hundreds of scholarships each year – with more than 700 recipients in 2008.

Mission and Values

• A call for equality and co-existence among Arabs and Jews: From the onset, the Fund has been guided by its strong belief in awarding scholarships to both Israeli Arabs and Jews alike and awards scholarships equally. The Fund's scholars, the future leaders of Israel, are proud recipients of scholarships that carry the spirit of equality and democracy. They bear these values with them through their journey of higher education.
  
  The Fund serves as a model of equal treatment and fairness in the face of a society still tainted with discrimination. The successful, egalitarian policies of the Fund are a call to the government of Israel that coexistence among Arabs and Jews is possible.

• Profound devotion to higher education: The Wisam Khamees Scholarship Fund for Arabs and Jews was made possible by Wisam's dream and investment in education from a very early age. Education is a strong value in the Khamees family and continues to drive the organization in its support of advanced learning for the next generation of Israeli society. The Fund believes that higher education supports the backbone of a modern and progressive society in the State of Israel.