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…

Embracing “Israeliness” Within the American Jewish Community

Today’s American Jewish community is a mix of Orthodox and non-Orthodox, a blend of multi-generation Americans and emigrants from modern-day Israel. A recent Pew Research release, for example, suggests that Orthodox Jews have more in common with American evangelicals than with other ethnic Jews. As American Jews diverge on matters of faith, increasing numbers are finding unity in what Israeli American Council COO Miri Belsky calls “Israeliness.” Israeli-American philanthropists like Adam Milstein advocate for the homeland by uniting religious and secular Jews in America around their common heritage. BDS and the New Anti-Semitism The pro-Palestinian BDS movement has gained favor  Read More…

Hebrew Language for a New Generation

Adam Milstein emigrated from Israel to America in the early 1980s. He finished his MBA, became a real estate developer, and earned his American citizenship in 1986. He stayed in America for 20 years without building deep connections with the American Jewish community. He sent his two daughters to Jewish day schools in Los Angeles, but both girls attended secular high schools. Around 2002, Milstein realized how much he and his family had assimilated into American life and how little of his Israeli identity had been passed on to his daughters. “Kids don’t want to be Israelis or immigrants,” Milstein  Read More…

5 Jewish Americans Making the World a Better Place

The concept of tzedakah isn’t directly mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, but it’s one of the biggest reasons why so many people of Jewish descent get involved in philanthropy. Tzedakah isn’t charity, exactly; charity implies giving from generosity of spirit or compassion. Tzedakah is an obligation, borne from an ancient understanding that your money belongs to G-d anyway, and he expects you to give some to others as part of good stewardship. Some argue that tzedakah is as much about giving time as it is about giving money. According to Maimonides, the highest form of tzedakah gives others the ability  Read More…