The Israeli American Council – Building Bridges; Strengthening Jewish Identity

For Israelis living in America for an extended period of time, locating an embracing community and creating a national identity can be a conundrum for many. Am I an Israeli? Am I an American? How does Judaism play a role in my life? How can I support Israel while living here?  These are just a smattering of questions that ruminate in the minds of Israeli-Americans as they grapple with themselves and their contemporaries for cogent answers. Enter Adam Milstein, a native born Israeli who arrived in the United States in 1981. Today, this man of boundless energy, passion and commitment  Read More…

Israel Video Network launches “Inspired by Israel” video contest

(JNS.org) The Israel Video Network, in partnership with the Milstein Family Foundation, has launched a new global video contest that seeks to showcase how people are inspired by Israel. According to the “Inspired by Israel” contest rules, each video can be up to four minutes long and be submitted by anyone. Participants must register no later than Jan. 15th and submit their videos a month later by Feb. 15th. The winning videos will be selected by a panel of hand-picked judges who will choose the top two videos from the top ten vote totals. The grand prize will be $7,500, with the  Read More…

Championing Israel in the 21st Century: A New Tool for the Digital Age

TalkIsrael, a revolutionary new app recently released by the Israeli- Council (IAC), American is the first of its kind to make finding, reading, and sharing pro-Israel content as easy as playing CandyCrush. Users create customized news feeds on the app, choosing from topics about Israel like “science,” “culture,” “Iran,” “food,” or “sports.” The system then measures each user’s level of engagement with each piece of content so that, over time, the app automatically populates the feed with articles that are most appealing. To determine what a user really likes, content is broken down and analyzed into approximately 50 components, including  Read More…

It’s not just about Israel. BDS threatens us all.

This article was originally posted on The Huffington Post A campaign of hate is sweeping across our country. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement – advancing an agenda to demonize the Jewish people and destroy the State of Israel – is moving from the fringes of our society and into the mainstream. Churches, labor unions, and associations have voted to divest from Israeli companies. In the past year alone, more than 30 student governments at American universities have considered resolutions calling for divestment from the State of Israel. More than a dozen academic trade associations have followed suit, voting  Read More…

Persuasive Philanthropy: the Adam Milstein Model

How do you galvanize a community that has forgotten its heritage? As Adam Milstein realized 15 years ago, it takes passionate determination and tireless effort. Milstein emigrated from Israel with his wife and daughters in the early 1980s, became an American citizen in 1986, and built a thriving real estate development business. Around the year 2000, his daughters started dating young men who weren’t Jewish. He told his daughters he hoped they’d marry Jewish husbands. They asked him why. Faced with this question from his daughters, Milstein realized he didn’t have an answer. As an Israeli, he’d spent his time  Read More…

The Greatest Tech Incubator You’ve Never Heard Of

When you look at the success of Silicon Valley, you see that most of it began at Stanford University. Starting with David Packard and William Hewlett’s little garage-founded electronic company in 1939, Stanford talent generated some of the Valley’s biggest successes, including Google and Cisco Systems. Every year, companies founded by Stanford alumni pump $2.7 trillion into the American economy. Since the 1930s, Stanford alumni have created over 5.4 million jobs. Israel has a similar talent incubation system, but it’s not a university. It’s Unit 8200, the elite cybersecurity niche of the Israeli Defense Forces. Eighteen-year-old whiz kids go into  Read More…

Strengthening Ties With Israel One Campus at a Time

For Israeli-American real estate mogul and philanthropist Adam Milstein, building on-campus alliances in support of Israel has become a top priority. Within the past year, Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campus groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), have added 40 campuses to their roster, giving them a presence on 150 campuses. According to the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC), SJP and similar groups gain ground by building alliances with progressive on-campus organizations such as those promoting environmental causes, LGBT advocacy, immigration reform, race relations, and prison reform. Although BDS hasn’t sparked a frightening level of anti-Israel backlash  Read More…