Category: Uncategorized

This article was originally published in the Jerusalem Post on February 9, 2021.

Some say that it’s more challenging to effectively donate money than to earn it. I agree. It’s a no-brainer to choose the nonprofit organizations you support based on your personal acquaintances or social affiliations, but real impact can only be achieved by creating a strategic philanthropic plan and being willing to implement it.

There have been few experiences in my life more rewarding or meaningful than becoming an active philanthropist.

I arrived in America in 1981, after serving in the Israel Defense Forces, fighting in the 1973 Yom Kippur War on the battlefields of the Suez Canal front, and attending the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. I came here with my wife Gila and two daughters and worked hard to attain success in my business of investing and operating commercial real estate properties. Eventually, I became a managing partner at Hager Pacific Properties, a private real estate investment firm in Southern California.

As my success in business grew, my philanthropic journey began as well. I adopted the principle of donating one-tenth of my earnings, but I quickly found out that philanthropy works the other way around; whatever I gave, God found mysterious ways to reward me 10 times more.

Gila and I now have the luxury of committing ourselves nearly full time to our philanthropic endeavors and activism. I’ve never worked harder in my life – and never felt like there isn’t enough time to finish the job.

Over the past 20 years, we became affiliated with dozens of new nonprofits every year, discovering their unique advantages and special value propositions. We established the Milstein Family Foundation, through which we have funded hundreds of organizations that support the State of Israel, advance the US-Israel alliance, and fight antisemitism.

Sometimes there were no organizations established to advance a cause we held dear. Whenever I saw a void, I did not hesitate to roll up my sleeves and create a new program or form a new organization. For example, in 2007, I co-founded the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which is now the largest and most influential Israeli-American organization in America.

In 2011, together with the IAC, Gila and I founded Sifriyat Pijama B’America, with the goal of instilling Jewish values in tens of thousands of Israeli-American kids nationwide by delivering free Hebrew-language books to their homes. This project paved the way for the expansion of the IAC from a local Los Angeles organization to the fastest-growing Jewish organization in the US.

More recently, in 2017, I created the Impact Forum, a Los Angeles-based network of philanthropists who meet with and support a network of exceptionally effective small- to medium-size nonprofit organizations in the pro-Israel space.

Being involved with many organizations gives me greater leverage to amplify my impact. I facilitate synergies and collaborations between organizations, learn which groups are effective and which are not, and create connections with a vast network of people.

I’ve come to realize that there are three main approaches to major philanthropy: “specific philanthropy,” “social club philanthropy,” and “strategic impact philanthropy.”

In specific philanthropy, the donor gives to better the lives of specific members of his/her community and issues close to their hearts. The focus is on the personal trust and connections the philanthropist has with the grantees or with the cause.

In social club philanthropy, the benefactor gives to be part of a social or a business group of other like-minded, wealthy, and influential people. The moment the philanthropists exit their social club, the interest in supporting the group and its related issues die.

Strategic impact philanthropy, which I personally practice, requires not only financial giving to a network of nonprofit organizations, but also the investment of time, experience, vision, and personal connections.

To make sure my philanthropy has a high return on investment, I personally help the organizations with funding, provide advice based on my knowledge and experience, establish new organizations and programs to fill voids I see and make use of my extensive network to help these causes and generate synergies that make every group stronger.

Gila and I have seen firsthand how strategic impact philanthropy makes a significant, nationwide impact. We see the results within our lifetime and are able to leave an enduring legacy to our children, grandchildren, and community.

I invite my fellow major philanthropists and philanthropists-to-be to join me in becoming a strategic impact philanthropist. It requires more than just “putting your money where your mouth is” but the return is beyond imaginable. Nothing of lasting impact can be achieved without your own blood, sweat, and tears.

The writer is an active philanthropist, real estate investor, and community leader.  Email: [email protected].

This article was originally published in Newsweek on January 12, 2021.

For the past four years, I have been a supporter of President Donald Trump. Yet with the impending inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden, I recognize that now is the time for all Americans—Republicans and Democrats—to come together.

We may, for the first time ever, have found an encouraging model for cooperation in a region long bedeviled by conflict: the Middle East. In recent months, we have witnessed the paradigm-busting peace and normalization agreements between Israel and moderate Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and now Morocco.

In addition to advancing social and economic developments in the Middle East, the new alliances are positioned to counter radical Islamist regimes, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, and radical terrorist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.

For its part, Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, sending troops and mercenaries to overtake Iraq and Syria and utilizing proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to attack American soldiers and other countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Normalization promises to bring peace and prosperity to a region destabilized by radicals for far too long and should inspire us to treat each other with greater respect in America amid intensifying political polarization, despite our differences. Americans must now work together and push back against radical movements across our political spectrum that aim to undermine our country’s deepest-held values.

Some radical domestic groups and even the most radical members of Congress have boasted of their opposition to the Abraham Accords and other agreements promoting Middle East peace. Instead, they take the side of Iran and the terrorist organizations that undermine our values and any chance at progress.

The most noted ideologues in Congress support the anti-normalization efforts and sympathize with the hardline Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. They are joined by radicals from the far left, extremist Muslims and factions of the far right.

Like most Muslims living in the Middle East, the majority of Muslim-Americans are peaceful and patriotic. They immigrated to America in search of freedom, opportunity and prosperity. Many, like me, are big believers in the American dream. That’s why I am committed to building coalitions with Muslim groups in the U.S. based on a shared vision for America, free of hate and bigotry.

Joe Biden has positioned himself as a moderate who aims to unify America. To achieve this goal, his administration will need to stare down the anti-normalization, the anti-peace camp that is not only antisemitic but also opposes American values and our way of life.

The venom of anti-normalization embodies the exact qualities that Americans need to reject in these precarious times.

For years, I have warned about the danger of this anti-American global menace, and I will continue to call out hate wherever I see it. During my tenure as chairman of the Israeli-American Council, I shared the stage with President Trump as well as Majority Leader Schumer and House Speaker Pelosi. I am always willing to listen to and have conservations with those with whom I disagree, even passionately.

This is Biden’s time to combat the intolerant forces of the Left, the Right and religious extremism that have been a deadly threat to America. During the Biden administration, Americans can continue to promote peace and prosperity by championing normalization and uniting against domestic radicalization.

This moment is about making America strong and fighting for our values, which are universal. With all the upheaval and anguish we have faced this past year amid the pandemic and political uncertainty, I enter 2021 with an open mind. This is how I see my role as a citizen in the months ahead, and I hope all Americans—whether they supported President Trump or president-elect Biden—will join me.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American philanthropist and entrepreneur. He and his wife Gila co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, providing charitable and philanthropic services to a wide range of organizations to strengthen the Jewish people and the U.S.-Israel relationship, as well as combat bigotry and hatred in America. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Times on January 4, 2021.

Rejoining the Iran deal puts Middle East normalization and regional peace at risk

During the presidential campaign, Joe Biden declared he wanted to go back to the Iran deal if Tehran returns to “strict compliance.” European leaders have urged the U.S. to rejoin the deal to prevent further Iranian violations and continued expansion of its nuclear infrastructure.

The problem with the rush to reaffirm the old, flawed deal is that it would benefit only one country: Iran. The cascading consequences of that decision could destabilize not just the Middle East, but trigger problems around the world.

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the deal and slap Iran with severe sanctions has crippled the Iranian economy, decreased its oil production, and caused a significant devaluation of the rial. Tehran is even more desperate now than it was in 2015. It would be a mistake to waste the gains of the outgoing administration.

If America rejoined the Iran deal as is, Iran would not be held accountable for past cheating and blatant violations of the deal. Sanctions would be lifted, and the arms embargo would end. None of the obvious defects of the deal would be addressed. Iran’s ballistic missile program would continue to grow, as would its destabilizing activities in the region.

Iran has been increasingly belligerent since the U.S. elections. Evidence recently emerged that they continue to expand their nuclear infrastructure. They increased uranium reprocessing to 12 times the limit allowed under the deal. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq undertook a new round of attacks on U.S. facilities. To hand the Iranian regime a new old deal in the face of these aggressive actions would only be interpreted as a sign of American weakness and humiliation.

Such an act of deliberate self-weakening by Washington would trigger a cascade of chaos. For starters, the moderate Arab nations would view the U.S. as feckless and an unreliable partner, assuming Washington was returning to the ways of disengaging from the region that occurred under the Obama presidency.

The process of normalization between the Arab nations and Israel, without the guarantor of U.S. engagement and support in pushing back against Iran, could well die still-born. That will mean the collapse of building regional collective security and economic integration that could serve as the foundation for security and prosperity in the region.

Further, since the Arab nations were not consulted on the Iran deal, and they were never reassured the deal could forestall an Iranian nuclear breakout, we could see rapid proliferation in the region. Facing an unconstrained Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt could well rapidly seek nuclear weapons. This would be a nightmare scenario and could well represent a death to global nonproliferation efforts.

In addition, the Arab nations will likely start hedging against the declining interest and influence of Washington. They will increasingly look to cut deals with China and Russia. They might well go back to isolating Israel. None of these actions will leave the region or the U.S. better off.

Nor would the missteps of U.S. action be limited to the Middle East. North Korea and Iran both observe very closely how Washington treats the other. If the Biden team gives Tehran a sweetheart deal, then Pyongyang will likely do exactly what it did under Obama, rapidly escalate and act aggressively, demanding quick relief from sanctions — and concessions as well. Mr. Biden could well provoke a new round of crisis in Northeast Asia by showing a weak hand in the Middle East.

A Biden administration ought to consult with America’s Mideast allies on how to make a stronger Iran deal that addresses all the region’s legitimate concerns. For any deal to succeed, it must not only address uranium enrichment and nuclear weapons issues, but must include a comprehensive solution to address Iran’s continued development of ballistic missiles, its support for terrorism, its involvement in regional instability, its attacks on other regional countries, and domestic violations of human rights.

Before any such commitments are made, Mr. Biden ought to keep the sanctions and arms embargo in place. This is Washington’s primary leverage in negotiating with Tehran. They must also continue moving the process of normalization of relations between the Arab nations and Israel. With a united Middle East, the pressure of sanctions, and a unified front with the Europeans, the U.S. will be in the strongest position to secure the strongest deal for our national security.

James Jay Carafano, a Heritage Foundation vice president, directs the think tank’s research in matters of national security and foreign affairs. Adam Milstein is an active philanthropist and a co-founder of the Israeli-American Council and the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation.

This article was originally published in the Washington Examiner on October 20, 2020

The American-brokered Abraham Accords pave the way to full normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab nations of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. This has raised the prospects of peace and stability in the region to the highest point in decades, making it all the more stunning to see forces lining up against the U.S. initiative.

Criticizing the administration and condemning Israel will not help Palestinians. In fact, it will do the opposite, abandoning the Palestinian people to a corrupt and oppressive governance that thrives only by ensuring that peace fails.

The Israel-delegitimization camp includes Iran, the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism, as well as terror-affiliated organizations such as the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. It also includes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, or BDS, orchestrators of the global movement that has recruited and ensnared liberal groups worldwide in a destructive campaign that has become an obstacle rather than a force for peace.

Since its establishment in 2001 by the major Palestinian terrorist organizations, the BDS movement has masqueraded as a human rights organization aiming to improve the well-being of Palestinians. But instead of aiding Palestinians, the movement is focused on isolating the state of Israel economically, culturally, and politically, with the ultimate goal of eradicating it.

Guided by its core principle of “anti-normalization,” the movement works to restrict any interaction between Israelis and Arabs and considers any form of cooperation treasonous. The anti-normalization campaign completely opposes coexistence, mutual aid, or collaboration. Palestinians who engage in personal interactions with Israelis are shunned, threatened, and sometimes even killed.

Small wonder, then, that the BDS movement regards the Abraham Accords as its worst nightmare. The peace agreements between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain represent a thorough refutation of anti-normalization. The widespread belief that these accords will soon spark additional agreements with other Sunni Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Sudan, Chad, and Morocco, only heaps additional coals on the heads of the BDS brigades.

Not only do the accords call into question the basic premise of BDS, but they also contradict the conventional wisdom that has informed ineffective U.S. foreign policy in the region for decades.

First, the accords demonstrate that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has never been the root of the region’s instability. Clearly, now, it is not an insurmountable obstacle to normalizing relations between the countries of the Middle East.

Second, the accords reveal that the Arabs are tired of Palestinian extremism. Palestinian opposition to the accords was ignored by both the Arab League and the “Arab street.” The Arab world is moving on.

Moreover, the Abraham Accords should be seen as a very positive development for the Palestinians. Now that the Arab world has accepted that Israel is not going anywhere, Palestinian leaders must admit it as well. It is past time to make peace. Further, regional normalization is going to introduce a wave of economic integration and prosperity, as well as greater security and public safety. If the Palestinians do not join, they’ll be left out and left behind.

Meanwhile, if global supporters of BDS really care about Palestinians, they will abandon this movement and the hateful anti-normalization campaign promoted by extremists such as Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and others with no interest in promoting peace and prosperity in the region.

Beyond that, the United States and like-minded allies should launch a pro-normalization campaign. Jewish-Americans and pro-Israel activists must build an alliance with Arab Americans and Muslims who share the views of the UAE and Bahrain — and to some degree, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan — that peace, prosperity, and normalization is the way forward.

On American campuses and beyond, it is time to hold academic and cultural events promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and regional economic integration and innovation. Student groups can push back with pro-normalization and pro-peace resolutions. And, when COVID-19 finally wanes, student groups can join in missions traveling to Israel and its peaceful Arab nations. NGOs can launch new initiatives on Israeli-Arab cooperation and devote more attention to countering the anti-normalization content promoted by terror-sponsoring states and the BDS movement.

Together, the champions of normalization can build a future of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East and relegate the BDS crowd to the dustbin of history.

James Jay Carafano, a Heritage Foundation vice president, directs the think tank’s research in matters of national security and foreign affairs. Adam Milstein is an active philanthropist and co-founder of the Israeli-American Council and the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation.

Article originally published in the Jerusalem Post on August 16, 2020.

We will lose as Jews and as Americans if we continue accepting our prescribed role as the sacrificial canary in the coal mine.

Antisemitism is an ancient problem. Throughout Jewish history in the diaspora, Jews lacked the power and resources to do much of anything to fight Jew-hatred except condemn it. Today, however, American Jews have established themselves as one of the most successful immigrant communities in the country. Yet, in the face of intensifying antisemitism, they have done little to combat it. Instead, they have focused on merely documenting, educating about, and respectfully objecting to antisemitic acts after they occur.

Inaction has normalized antisemitism and allowed the threat to rise. Jew-hatred has become excusable and almost mainstream in America. In recent months, for example, we have seen it trending among celebrities and athletes. When faced with this hate, far too many in our community stay silent.

Since Jews are the direct target of antisemitism, other Americans perceive Jew-hatred as a Jewish problem. But as American Jews do little to fight this bigotry, non-Jews ask themselves: why should we lead this battle?

Evidently, defining antisemitism as a Jewish problem is a lose-lose proposition.

Jewish-Americans are not going on the offensive to stop antisemitism, and non-Jewish Americans won’t fight battles for those whom – they perceive – don’t have the courage to stand up for themselves.

Jewish-American organizations dedicated to fighting antisemitism have existed for more than 100 years, but the problem has only grown worse. Almost all the resources invested by the Jewish-American community to address Jew-hatred are directed toward historical education, like about the Holocaust, and documenting incidents of antisemitism. Hardly any resources are invested in holding antisemites accountable and creating consequences for their bigotry.

Frustration but inaction encapsulates the inadequate approach of the American-Jewish community. There has been outrage against the growing hostility directed toward Jewish students on college campuses, but the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is only gaining strength. There has been outrage against growing antisemitism on social media, but there is a new scandal every day. There has been outrage against freshmen legislators Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for promoting antisemitic tropes, but they’ve been let off with only a light slap on the wrist.

Some of this inaction can be explained by the false sense of security many American Jews cling to despite the alarming rise in hatred and violence toward Jews in America. However, they fail to understand that antisemitism is not just a problem for Jews; Antisemitism is an issue for all Americans and threatens to destroy our way of life.

Radical groups – the radical left, the radical right, radical Muslims, and the radical African Americans who champion Louis Farrakhan – are spearheading efforts to erode the core principles that make our country exceptional. The Islamo-leftist alliance, in particular, is gaining momentum. While many Jewish and other civil rights organizations singularly focus on the far-right white nationalists as the main generators of extremism, the Islamo-leftist alliance parades in public as a social justice cause while infiltrating and undermining our communities and institutions.

Collectively, these radical groups reject the Judeo-Christian values that have supported the foundation of our country and have protected all minority communities in America, including Jews.

Proponents of the Islamo-leftist alliance seek to undermine the structures and institutions that keep our country open, democratic and healthy, including the family unit, businesses, communities, religious institutions, impartial media, law enforcement, the military and the courts. Increasing antisemitic attacks and the public display of hatred are trial runs for what is to come from these radical movements. For years, Jews have been at the receiving end of this hatred. If we are truly ready to overcome it, we must stop playing the victim and start fighting this head-on together with other Americans.

We will lose as Jews and as Americans if we continue accepting our prescribed role as the sacrificial canary in the coal mine, hoping that others may recognize the danger after it has already consumed us whole.

Instead, we need to be eagles looking out onto the horizon, detecting threats far before they grievously harm us and our country. There are practical actions we must take to go on the offensive against antisemitism. They include:

(1) investigating and exposing the radical movements that fuel the spread of this hatred by identifying their networks, money trails and agendas;

(2) increasing knowledge-sharing capabilities that inform the American people about the threats and empower them to act;

(3) holding the media accountable to the standards of a fair and free press;

(4) supporting legislation that curbs the influence of the hate movements in our institutions.

Presenting antisemitism as a Jewish problem has been a lose-lose proposition because it has not spurred anyone to take meaningful action against it. Rather than griping about the problem, it is now time for all Americans to fight against this hatred and racism and for Jews to stand at the forefront of this fight.

Our history and increasingly dangerous reality show that the inalienable rights afforded by the Constitution cannot be taken for granted. We need to fight for our safety and security today so that tomorrow we and future generations can continue living freely and proudly. We must fly into the future as brave eagles and free America from the dangers of antisemitism and the extremism it represents.

The writer is an Israeli-American “philanthropreneur.” He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

This article was originally published in Newsweek on July 10, 2020.

For decades, Jews living in the diaspora have spoken about the Jewish community as the metaphorical “canary in the coal mine.” This metaphor accepts the notion that Jews are powerless victims, sacrificed for the benefit of others. Using the powerless canary to symbolize Jews reveals a deeply flawed mindset that paralyzes us from properly taking brave action and defending ourselves.

The canary in the coal mine is a practice that dates back to the early 1900s. British miners utilized the sensitive and vulnerable canary to detect high levels of carbon monoxide and toxic fumes. If the canary, helplessly locked in a cage, fell dead, the workers knew they were in danger and would flee the mine. In short, the canary was a dispensable sacrifice for the benefit of everyone except for the canary itself.

We, the Jews, are not an expendable alarm system for others and should not see ourselves as such. If we hope to survive and thrive, we cannot afford to be defenseless. We must change our approach to go on the offensive and join other groups in the fight against the dangers all Americans face, rather than hold onto the mantle of victimhood, vainly hoping others will fight for us.

True enough, the amplification of Jew-hatred is a warning sign for all, but our embrace of the role as a disposable canary for others is counterproductive. Non-Jews are not the ultimate defenders of the Jews; we are. Waiting for others to stand up for us is futile and, in the meantime, anti-Semitism continues to intensify and suffocate our community. We are very familiar with statistics that show a stark rise in anti-Semitism; it’s time we take it upon ourselves to stand up and fight back.

Jews throughout America experience hate and violence daily from radical movements—the far Left, the far-Right, and radical Islam. It’s important to demonstrate to all Americans that these movements not only aim to harm Jews but also threaten to destroy our Judeo-Christian principles and our American way of life.

Hate and violence targeted at the Jewish community are the training fields for a larger attack on the foundations of America: our freedom of religion, freedom of speech, equality, and pluralism.

So as the perfect storm of anti-Semitism brews against the Jews and Americans, we must reject our historical role as helpless victims, the canaries in the coal mine.

Fortunately, we have exemplars we can look to who courageously overcame the specter of Jew-hatred. Visionary Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion embodied this proactive approach. He encouraged his fellow Jews not to remain passive in the face of aggression and called on them to organize for self-defense and to go on the offensive against centuries-old hate.

With the outbreak of World War I, he joined the Jewish Legion, the first Jewish military force in nearly two millennia, established by Zeev Jabotinsky, which fought under the British to end Ottoman rule over the Land of Israel.

Ben-Gurion was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Jewish state and the promise of a Jewish future. In 1948, he declared the state of Israel’s independence despite the majority of Jewish leaders fearing that neighboring Arab states would annihilate them. And yet, against all odds, the Jewish people were able to defend Israel and create a prospering country.

Like Ben-Gurion, we must transform our approach from the defenseless, sacrificial canary to the robust, visionary brave eagle—or nesher, in Hebrew. It is no coincidence that this regal bird, described as a selfless guardian in the Hebrew Bible, was adopted as the national emblem of America in 1782.

To transform from the canary to the eagle, there are three principles we must adopt.

First, embrace and support Israel without preconditions. Israel is the ultimate shield—not only for the Jewish people but also for the Western world—and is one of America’s strongest allies. She safeguards us, protects our shared interests, and promotes the universal values of freedom and liberty.

Second, leverage our resources to strengthen American Jewry and influence the trajectory of anti-Semitism. The American-Jewish community is one of the most successful immigrant communities in the world. We do not need to be passive and wait for society’s toxins to destroy us. We must deploy our financial resources, leadership, and influence to reshape the fight against anti-Semitism and help lead our country forward through these perilous times.

Third, support and expand existing projects and platforms that fight back against Jew-haters and extremists and force them into retreat. Additional resources must be invested in research and capabilities that allow us to collect information on the drivers and network of hate, so we can take decisive action at the right time and right place.

Like the eagle, leadership, courage, resiliency, and strength are qualities that should define us. We must stop being reactive and look over the horizon to detect threats before they occur. We must be visionaries of a free and bright future and not wait for the inferno of hate to consume us. The future of America, American Jewry, and the civilized world order depend on it. Like the young American nation adopting the biblical eagle as its symbol, we can serve as inspiration for our country, this time to sweep back the radical forces of darkness.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American philantropreneur. He and his wife Gila co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, providing charitable and philanthropic services to a wide range of organizations to strengthen the Jewish people and the U.S.-Israel relationship, as well as combat bigotry and hatred in America. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.

This article was originally published on JNS.org on June 10, 2020.

Though a perfect storm of anti-Semitism is looming, we should not be seeking shelter. When it comes to Jew-hatred, we can’t afford to be passive any longer.

Facing ever growing anti-Semitism in the decades following the Holocaust, the Diaspora Jewish community’s common response has been to cry “Never Again” and to describe ourselves as the “canary in the coal mine,” which implies that whatever begins with the Jews never ends with the Jews.

While these ideas are echoed by millions, words are not enough. Jewish leaders fail to realize that action is required to prevent this violent hatred from becoming “again and again.” We cannot allow ourselves to be helpless, expendable canaries any longer.

Rabbi Hillel said: “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am just for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14).

It is upon us to act—now.

We know anti-Semitism is on the rise, and it is likely to get much worse. A perfect storm of circumstances is significantly increasing the danger. Jew-haters are taking advantage of the cracks in our society. They amplify their hateful rhetoric on mainstream and social media and incite violence toward our communities in frightening ways without suffering any consequences.

From medieval Europe to 20th century Nazi Germany, Jews were the scapegoat for all problems. Similarly, the COVID-19 crisis has unleashed a new global anti-Semitic campaign blaming Israel and the Jewish people for spreading the coronavirus, orchestrating the economic turmoil and profiting from the pandemic.

In an age of rampant conspiracy theories and polarized politics, the new anti-Semitism, fueled by the terror-linked Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, promotes Jew-hatred and violence globally, harboring the support of other radical movements in America: the far right, the far left and the radical Muslims.

Credit: A.F.Branco

The spread and prevalence of this hatred today threatens to destroy our American religious freedom and our ability to exercise our rights to liberty, prosperity and security. We must do everything in our power to stop this enormous storm before it swallows America whole.

Now is the time to protect our loved ones and our communities and safeguard American values. We need to change our approach from defense to offense, get personally involved, and deploy out-of-the-box strategies.

We, as a community, must adopt several principles to win this critical battle. First, embrace and support the State of Israel without any preconditions. Second, harness our community’s leadership, financial resources and influence to protect ourselves. Third, build a broad coalition with our allies to fight anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

Anti-Semitism is not only a Jewish problem; it’s an American problem that we must fight together.

Financial resources are needed to support and expand existing projects and platforms that fight back and put Jew-haters on defense. Additional resources must be invested in research and technology that enable us to combat anti-Semitism by exposing anti-Semites and their illegal activities, violent plans and networks and promptly alerting authorities, media and the public about these threats.

Though a perfect storm of anti-Semitism is looming, we should not be seeking shelter. When it comes to Jew-hatred, we can’t afford to be passive and risk-averse any longer.

Join me to make sure that “Never Again” is in fact never again and that we are no longer helpless, expendable canaries in the coal mine.

Let’s think outside the box and use our resources to secure the future of Jews in America. Let’s make an impact together.

The writer is an Israeli-American philanthropreneur. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein and on Facebook www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

This article was originally published in the Jerusalem Post on June 1, 2020.

While the observant communities are the easiest targets within the Jewish community today, too often they are reluctant to join this fight.

Antisemitism in the United States

(photo credit: ADL)

This article was originally published in Jewish Policy Center’s inFOCUS Quarterly Spring 2020 issue.

Defeating the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement is the best way for Americans to fight rising anti-Semitism and the hate groups that radicalize and polarize our country today.

In September, the United Nations – a body with a well-documented history of bias against the Jewish state – released an unprecedented report on the worldwide spread of Jew-hatred. The world body acknowledged that anti-Semitism is growing around the world, stemming from three primary sources: the far left, the far right, and radical Islam. In the report, the UN-recognized for the first time that “the objectives, activities, and effects of the BDS movement are fundamentally anti-Semitic.”

The next day, the Israeli government released a landmark report, “Behind the Mask: The Anti-Semitic Nature of BDS Exposed.” The document revealed rampant anti-Semitism within the BDS movement, including its calls for violence against Jews and the dismantling of Israel. Promoted by an Islamo-leftist alliance, the BDS movement has intensified hatred and violence against Jews around the world. The report provided 80 examples of anti-Semitism committed by key BDS activists.

This followed another bombshell Israeli government report, “Terrorists in Suits,” which exposed more than 100 different connections linking Palestinian terrorist groups to BDS organizations. The report substantiated how Hamas (Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement), Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) created the BDS movement in 2001, and documented the current ties of these terror organizations to at least 13 anti-Israel NGOs, who have managed to place more than 30 of their members – including individuals previously jailed, some for murder – in senior positions in BDS organizations.

Now, StopAntisemitism.org and Zachor Legal Institute have released a groundbreaking report. “The New Anti-Semites,” not only connects the dots between the UN and Israeli government reports but also provides evidence of the far right’s embrace of BDS ideologies and tactics and recommends concrete solutions for lawmakers to eradicate anti-Semitism before it spirals out of control.

And make no mistake: this hatred is now manifesting across America, spreading from Islamo-leftist to other hate groups and increasing violence against Jews and other minorities. Fortunately, with the assistance of federal and state governments, we have the power to annihilate it.

Rising Jew-hatred in America

American Jews face the perfect storm of anti-Semitism. The memory of the Holocaust and historic anti-Semitism is declining. Conspiracy theories and the use of social media to target Jews and Israel are spreading at lightning speed and with lethal effects. Assault-style semi-automatic weapons are readily available for anyone who seeks to commit deadly violence against Jews. And Jewish organizations have not been able to curb the rising tide of hate and violence to date.

While this hatred has long existed, the incidence of violent acts against Jews has been increasing for the first time in decades. The most recent hate crime statistics conclusively show that Jews are the target of most religious-based hate crimes. This fringe hatred is moving into the mainstream, enabled and promoted by the BDS movement.

“The New Anti-Semites” report has exposed the true face of the Islamo-leftist BDS Movement as a 19-year-old campaign that promotes demonization and delegitimization of Israel and has effectively mainstreamed anti-Semitism worldwide.

Ties Between Radicalization and Anti-Semitism

The Islamo-leftist BDS movement has been instrumental in spreading violence against Jews. Permitting the BDS movement to present Jews living in Israel as human rights violators, war criminals, and occupiers make it open season to depict nearly all Jews as villains who deserve harassment and physical harm. This is the main reason why physical attacks on Jews worldwide are increasing exponentially.

Growing social divisions in the United States have given oxygen to fringe radical movements that promote anti-Semitism. This has enabled hate groups like the BDS movement to gain more popularity, influence, manpower, and energy. Anti-Semites, whether on the far right, far left, among radical Muslims or extremist elements like the fringe offshoots of Black Hebrew Israelites, hate Jews for different reasons. At the same time, their hatred is a threat to our core American values: democracy, free speech, and freedom of religion.

While the Nation of Islam is well-known, these outlier Black Hebrew Israelites were a relatively unknown extremist group until late last year when three affiliated individuals committed the deadly shooting at a kosher market in Jersey City and the machete attack at a Chanukah party in Monsey, New York. The black supremacist groups maintain a belief that black people are superior to people of other races and some of them preach that black people are the true descendants of Biblical Israelites and that today’s Ashkenazi (European) Jews are impostors.

Each of these radical movements wants to fundamentally reshape democratic societies. To build their movements and coalitions they start their attacks on the most convenient and vulnerable minority group: the Jewish community. The radical left seeks to destroy capitalism, eliminate freedom, and stop free and open debate. So, it repurposes Soviet propaganda to blame Jewish Zionists for social and financial troubles while shutting down campus dialogue on Israel. 

The radical right seeks to destroy democracy by promoting fascism and neo-Nazism, and it blames Jews for just about any problem in the world.

Radical Muslims want to end the Judeo-Christian ethical base of American civil society through both violent acts and “peaceful” expansion of Islam. We have seen this radicalism spread to predominately African American groups like the Nation of Islam and certain fringe elements (but not all) segments of the Black Hebrews who push similarly anti-Semitic agendas, which contributed to the string of attacks in metropolitan New York City.

It’s important to note that alliances between some of these groups often defy logic. In recent years, North America has joined Europe witnessing a growing alliance between radical Muslims and radical leftists. Radical Muslims stone women and reject the most basic of women’s rights, execute gays, engage in ethnic cleansing, and in general disregard what is considered in the West as basic human rights. On paper, the radical left should be appalled by theocratic Islamist ideology, but instead its adherents often unite based on common hatred for Western power in the world and Jewish influence. The BDS movement empowers that connection.

BDS’s Special Anti-Semitic Role

The BDS movement is one of the key drivers spreading anti-Semitism in the modern world. Since its establishment in 2001 by the major Palestinian terrorist organizations, BDS has masqueraded as a nonviolent grassroots human rights movement that aims to “improve” the well-being of Palestinian Arabs. Instead of elevating Palestinians, however, the movement is laser-focused on economically, culturally, and politically isolating and eradicating Israel, using the model that was applied against the apartheid regime of South Africa. BDS uses seemingly legitimate criticism of Israel to promote the ideological, social, and political delegitimization of the Jewish state and ultimately blatant anti-Semitism.

Until recently, the BDS movement, with substantial support from the radical left, was able to hide its true intentions, building alliances with global civil rights groups. Under the guise of freedom of speech, BDS promoted hate and incitement to violence against Jews in Israel and abroad.

To be clear, anti-Zionism itself spreads anti-Semitism.

The Working Definition of Anti-Semitism promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) states that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitic when it promotes the delegitimization of Israel, the demonization of Israel, or subjection of Israel to double standards. The BDS movement meets all three in most cases but always meets the first test because its overall goal is the destruction of the Jewish state. The United States and 40 countries in Europe, South America, and Oceania have adopted this comprehensive definition of anti-Semitism to help combat Jew-hatred. This definition is currently used at the State Department and the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on anti-Semitism included this definition as well.

The BDS movement is undoubtedly anti-Semitic under the IHRA definition. It meets the definition by equating Israeli policy to those of Nazis; denying the Jewish people its right to self-determination, also known as anti-Zionism; and using the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism to characterize Israel, Israelis, and anyone who supports them.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” In recent years, it has become increasingly evident the BDS movement is – and always has been – a front for Palestinian terrorist organizations to pursue the destruction of Israel by other means and that they are still coordinating major global BDS activities and have close links to many of its members and groups.

Who Must Act

The Jewish people are not new to existential wars. I, myself, served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and saw firsthand what was at stake and what we can accomplish when going on the offense and thinking outside the box. Throughout history, when Jews responded courageously and fought back, they prevailed. And today, we are fortunate to live in a time with a strong and thriving Jewish state. We no longer have to be afraid and passive. To defeat anti-Semitism, we must fight it head-on. If we don’t, history shows that the results could be catastrophic.

Similarly, American Jews are more empowered than Jewish communities in the past. We have human and civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and upheld by Western values. We have power and influence.

But we must move away from being risk-averse and go on the offensive using all resources at our disposal. That means that we must create a strong coalition leveraging the powerful trifecta of the modern State of Israel, the Jewish American community, and the moral majority of Americans who stand against antiSemitism and for justice. How can these three groups help?

First, the Start-Up Nation is the most dynamic and powerful shield that the Jewish people have ever known, dedicated to safeguarding the Jewish people around the world. Israel is a strong ally of America with common values, and they face common enemies. The United States can draw on Israel’s knowledge and strength to combat radical movements at home.

Second, the American Jewish community is one of the most successful immigrant communities in U.S. history. Right now, many of its members are hesitant to utilize our resources and influence to fight against anti-Semitism. The longer we wait, however, the less power and influence we will have. Jewish leaders must immediately transform their mindset from risk-averse to taking the offensive. We can use our leadership and resources to put anti-Semites on the defensive.

Third, we must expose the fact that Jew-hatred is not just a Jewish problem, it first and utmost an American problem. Hatred, racism, and bigotry threaten democratic societies and our American way of life. We cannot sit idly by in the face of this distinct threat to the values at the heart of Western society.

What We Must Do   

“The New Anti-Semites” report recommends tangible ways to defeat the terror-affiliated anti-Semitic BDS movement and roll back the tide of Jew-hatred that threatens America, Europe, and the world. Fortunately, many patriotic Americans are ready and willing to uphold the Western values that make life and liberty possible for American Jews.

First and foremost, there must be wide adoption in the United States of the IHRA working definition on antiSemitism, which is currently only a non-binding document. Per the report, “the working definition should be adopted at all public institutions that have antiracist and anti-discrimination codes of conduct on the books—municipalities and state-funded offices, courts, federal departments of government, public hospitals, public colleges, police forces, and military… Legal authority can provide the necessary mechanism to effectively combat anti-Zionist forms of anti-Semitism, i.e. new anti-Semitism, which has permeated the world today.”

The IHRA working definition also must also be incorporated into community standards or end-user agreements for social media platforms and as a foundational pillar for educational curricula pertaining to Jewish history and Israel.

These are concrete solutions to reduce the spread of Jew-hatred in America. They focus on eradicating the BDS movement and its influence. If we want to uphold the values that make America a beacon of freedom, justice, and safety for the world, this is how we can lead the way.

Adam Milstein is a businessman, philanthropist, a co-founder of the Israeli-American Council.