Sylvan Adams, The great philanthropist who lives in Tel Aviv and wants to bring one million immigrants to the Negev / Ariel Witman
Translated from Globs
https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001539734
The billionaire entrepreneur Sylvan Adams, who was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world of philanthropy for 2025, continues living in Israel even under missile fire, is betting on the Negev and is putting $200 million on the vision: to bring one million new immigrants to Israel • In an interview with Globes he attacks the “empty suits” of global politics: “They have no moral backbone”
“I had a wonderful life outside Israel, but I have an even better life inside Israel. Even with all the wars and sirens and things like that, this is the best place in the world to live a Jewish life. So why am I here throughout the war? Because I am Israeli. Because I am like you and like everyone here.” These are the words of Sylvan Adams, one of the leading philanthropists and businessmen active today, in a Tel Aviv café where we are sitting, on a morning when the city suffered a direct hit. Adams’ name came up in the headlines during the previous war with Iran, when he gave Soroka Hospital a massive donation of $100 million, and an identical donation to Ben-Gurion University in the Negev.
“When you started the conversation with me you introduced me as Canadian or Israeli, but my first and most important identity is Jewish,” Adams says. “And that is why my wife and I made aliyah to Israel.”
Since making that aliyah from Canada in 2017, Adams, who made his fortune in real estate and whose net worth according to Forbes is $2.8 billion, has chosen to direct a significant part of his resources to initiatives that place Israel at the center of the international stage. Adams’ strategy focuses on using “soft power” and positive initiatives that connect the country to the global arena through sport and culture.
In the interview with Globes he explains what made him leave a comfortable life behind and remain in Tel Aviv under fire during war, why he chose to bet $200 million specifically on the “bleeding Negev,” and how he plans to defeat the “empty suits” of global politics and local bureaucracy in order to bring one million new immigrants here.
Sylvan Adams
Personal: 67 years old, married + 4, lives in Tel Aviv
Professional: International businessman and philanthropist, co-owner of the real estate group Iberville Developments in Canada. Currently serves as President of the World Jewish Congress in Israel
Something else: Won several world cycling championships. Brought the Giro d’Italia race to Israel and founded the cycling team Israel Premier Tech
A billionaire under fire
Adams’ roots in Israel and the Zionist enterprise are rooted in an extraordinary family story. His father, Marcel Adams, escaped forced labor camps and Nazi persecution during World War II, and in 1943 managed to reach Israel by ship. Afterwards, the father participated in the fighting in the War of Independence, and later even worked on behalf of the Jewish Agency in France, where he helped prepare immigrants for their aliyah to Israel. Later he moved to Canada, where he founded the real estate company Iberville Developments, which over the years became one of the leading companies in the industry.
Sylvan joined the family business, and in 1995, at age 36, was appointed CEO of the company. Under his leadership, the company continued to expand and establish its position in the North American real estate market, with a broad portfolio of properties. Marcel Adams passed away in 2020 at the age of 100. His son became one of the most prominent donors in Israel. About a year ago, the American magazine TIME chose Adams as one of the 100 most influential people in the world of philanthropy for 2025. The list features figures whose global impact is unquestioned, including Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, and Oprah Winfrey.
And while many wealthy individuals reconsidered their direction after October 7, Adams chose to remain in the eye of the storm. However, on that difficult morning Adams was not in Israel. “I am a competitive cyclist, and I was competing in the world championships in England on the very morning of October 7,” he says. “My wife told me, ‘There are missiles all over Israel,’ and I said, ‘Don’t bother me, I have a race’—I am almost ashamed to say it, but I was focused on the competition and did not understand the scale of the event. I was sure we had Iron Dome and everything would be fine. Only in the afternoon did I understand what happened.”
According to him, “the feelings I had at that time are similar to what many Israelis felt then. Feelings of shock, vulnerability. The belief that maybe this is the end for us. It took me weeks until I saw us fighting back and starting to win again, because we lowered our guard in such a catastrophic and tragic way. My trust in the IDF and in our leaders was shaken then. But then we began to see how our people fight back, the generosity of the citizens of Israel.”
An indictment against the silent ones
The conversation moves from Adams’ personal experience to the global arena. Adams identifies a well-oiled mechanism behind the waves of hatred that swept Western cities after the massacre. For him, this is a planned attack, not necessarily a spontaneous outbreak.
Right after October 7 there was an increase in antisemitism and attacks on Jews. What drives it?
“Muslim Brotherhood organizations in all their branches, led, funded and organized mainly by the Qataris, and the Emir of Qatar personally. They started this 25 years ago when they launched an antisemitic and anti-Israel channel called Al Jazeera—I encourage everyone to force themselves to take a look and see the venom that is being spewed there.”
How do you explain the fact that after everything we saw, many wealthy Jews still transfer massive funds to elite universities in the US?
“First of all, the truth is simple—if we don’t take care of ourselves, no one will take care of us. If you give your money to Harvard for example, they don’t need your money. Harvard has the richest university endowment in the world. And of course this is added to what we discovered after October 7.”
When we talk about the silence of leading Jewish business figures, Adams draws a chilling historical comparison that creates discomfort in the room. He identifies a behavioral pattern that repeats itself, one that prefers personal comfort over the struggle for identity.
You know many senior businessmen around the world. Why do so many wealthy Jews not speak out against hatred of Jews and Israel? Are they afraid for their livelihood?
“History repeats itself in this respect. If you go back to Germany in the 1930s—you will see a Jewish community that was educated, cultured, secular, and loved the good life and did not want to take steps that would disrupt it. More broadly, in the US everyone is proud of their heritage—the Italians, Germans, Irish, the Black community, everyone—only Jews are ashamed of what they are. It is an astonishing phenomenon.”
Between the Super Bowl and the Senate
During the Super Bowl, one of the largest sports events in the US, an advertisement produced by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) led by billionaire Robert Kraft was broadcast. The ad showed a thin and weak Jewish boy walking in a school and suffering antisemitic insults, until another boy jumps in to defend him. The ad, which says antisemitism is rising, created controversy in the American Jewish community. It was claimed that it portrays the Jew as weak and fragile, needing others for protection—and that a different narrative of strength must be built.
What do you think about the message in this ad?
Adams: “Kraft comes from a good place and I salute him for putting his money where he believes. The message was different from what should be shown—strength and contribution of Jews above all. But we need to explain that antisemites hate the United States itself and what starts with Jews eventually consumes everything else. Antisemitism is an American problem, not only a Jewish one.”
Adams turns his gaze to Capitol Hill. He identifies there a troubling pattern in which veteran politicians, once pillars of support for Israel, begin making electoral calculations at the expense of Israel’s closest ally.
You know many influential Jews in the US, many of them almost do not speak about Israel today. For example Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democrats in the Senate, used to speak in praise of Israel and now does not dare mention it. Is he afraid of losing primaries?
“It is very possible, but you know what the bad news is for Schumer. There will be primaries against him anyway, and he may lose. Better to maintain your integrity at least.”
“He is an empty suit”
Adams observes the dramatic changes that Canada, his country of origin, has undergone and sees it as having lost its moral compass. For him, the fight against antisemitism is no longer just an educational issue, but requires advanced technological tools and precise identification of political forces shaping the new reality.
The Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, is cold toward Israel and warm toward China. At the same time, there are many violent antisemitic incidents in its territory. Why is the government not doing anything?
“Jews in Canada feel alienated and isolated. And unlike the US, where Jews still vote for the left Democratic Party, in Canada it is over. Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor, distanced the Jewish community from the left. There is no two-party system like in the US, so what happens is that there are two left-wing parties, Carney’s Liberal Party and a more extreme left party called the NDP. Carney won the last election because the NDP disappeared. That was because Trump started mocking Canada. Today, Canadians have a deep and absolute hatred of Trump. Carney plays that game. So when you say he is moving closer to China, he is playing a game to show Canadians he cares about them, because he is supposedly the banker, the economist, who cares about their economic interests. But in fact, he is just an empty suit without moral backbone. Would I vote for such a person? No.”
$200 million for the Negev
And back to the line of conflict in the burning south. Adams does not settle for words of solidarity; he injects capital into creating infrastructure that will restore confidence in Israel’s periphery, and outlines an ambitious plan to reshape the country through waves of immigration.
What are you focusing on in your donations to Israel?
“Inside Israel I focus on two main areas. One is support for important Israeli institutions—to strengthen them and provide services to our citizens. The second area, which I was already involved in before October 7, is organizing large events to present Israel to the world. The goal is to show another side of us instead of talking only about wars and conflict.”
One of your main donations that made headlines was the huge sum of $100 million to Soroka Hospital. Why did you give such a donation?
“In the weeks after October 7, I gave a similar donation to Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, $100 million, together with the donation to Soroka, I invested $200 million in the south. I thought it was important to say to our friends and enemies around the world that we are here to stay, we are not going anywhere.”
“Following the 12-day war, when Soroka was hit by a ballistic missile, I went there and did not donate only to rebuild a specific building, but to inject money into much broader growth. It is a three-way partnership—one third Government of Israel, one third Clalit Health Services, which owns the hospital, and one third me. It is a total value of $300 million, about 1.1 billion shekels, that will turn Soroka into the most modern and best hospital in the country. This is also connected to another announcement I issued as President of the World Jewish Congress in Israel: to bring one million immigrants.”
Regarding bringing so many immigrants—reality on the ground actually shows increasing emigration from the country. Under these conditions, how can you think about bringing one million people to Israel?
“In the early 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, one million immigrants came from that region who saved the country and preserved our demographic balance. Like then, today we also have a global push factor: antisemitism, which makes Jews doubt their future in the diaspora and brings them to immigrate to Israel. But at the same time, we must make Israel attractive and accessible enough and create many economic opportunities. These were the motivations behind my two major investments in the south. They connect not only as a response to our enemies, but as an opportunity to revive the country by bringing new immigrants to the Negev.”
Wants Musk
When Adams talks about Israel’s political and economic structure, he sounds less like a donor and more like a CEO. He identifies weak points in the system and proposes a radical solution inspired by billionaire Elon Musk.
As someone who understands money, lives here, and speaks with decision makers—what do you tell them needs improvement here? What is most important in easing citizens’ lives?
“We need to bring Elon Musk to carry out an audit of our bureaucracy, which is awful and burdensome for people from outside. In the political system everyone knows it, but it is hard to change. In addition, the system creates an imbalance where small parties extort the majority. Religious parties have a kind of veto over the taxpayer, even though they are a less productive sector, and still take a disproportionate share of the budget.”
Recently you also faced another event—the cycling team you sponsored, “Israel Premier Tech,” removed the word Israel from the logo, and you stopped supporting it.
“Yes, and this is the first professional Israeli team in the field, competing at the highest global level, like the Tour de France. We faced a coordinated campaign of thousands of protesters who disrupted the race and harmed rider safety. The Spanish prime minister was especially disgusting, and demanded that the organizers throw us out, even though we earned the right to be in the league. It was such an aggressive campaign that for the first time in the history of cycling races it was not safe for riders to complete the route.”
And then they removed the name Israel and you canceled the sponsorship?
“I could not contribute when there is fear of displaying the name Israel.”
Despite the turbulence, when we talk about the country’s economic future, Adams returns to the role of an unrelenting optimist. For him, the crisis is only a stage on the way to growth. Adams argues that the economy will grow nicely after the war, and that “it is already growing nicely, it is simply amazing.”
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