Philanthropist Sylvan Adams to Address Israel Hayom Summit Amid Rising Global Antisemitism

Sylvan Adams, president of the World Jewish Congress Israel and Middle East region and one of Israel’s most prominent philanthropists, will speak at the Israel Hayom summit in Manhattan on December 2. The son of Holocaust survivors whose father fought in Israel’s War of Independence, Adams immigrated to Israel nearly a decade ago from Montreal and has since dedicated himself to serving as what he calls “Israel’s ambassador at large.”

Before October 7, 2023, Adams was known for bringing international icons like Lionel Messi and Madonna to Israel and organizing the Giro d’Italia bicycle race, which attracted an estimated 1.3 billion viewers worldwide. These efforts were part of his strategy to showcase Israel positively on the global stage.

“I was not in Israel on October 7,” Adams revealed in an interview with Israel Hayom, describing his initial reaction to the Hamas attacks as “horror and shock.”

While Adams maintains his philanthropic focus hasn’t fundamentally changed since the attacks, the direction of his giving has shifted significantly. “I’m not one of those October 8th Jews,” he emphasized, referring to those who experienced a sudden reawakening of their Jewish identity after the attacks. “The lion’s share has always been to give Jewishly, because if we don’t look after ourselves, nobody else is going to look after us. So that didn’t change at all.”

What did change was the nature of his philanthropic work. Instead of organizing international events to promote Israel’s image abroad—difficult during wartime—Adams redirected his efforts toward rebuilding Israel’s southern region. In 2024, he donated $100 million to Ben Gurion University to help rebuild communities devastated by the October 7 Hamas attack, aiming to show evacuated residents “that they have a future in the south” and demonstrate to the world “that we are here to stay.”

This year, he made another $100 million donation to Soroka Medical Center to rebuild the hospital damaged by Iranian missiles, with the goal of creating “the most complete, most modern hospital in the entire country and one of the most in the entire region.”

Adams expressed shock at the surge in antisemitism following the October 7 attacks. “Honestly, I didn’t believe it still existed,” he admitted. “The events of October 7th didn’t create this antisemitism. They revealed a latent antisemitism that many of us, myself included, didn’t realize was lying in wait for us.”

He described witnessing “antisemitic behavior that we haven’t seen since the 1930s” that is “openly expressed, not sufficiently condemned.” In his native Montreal, Adams said extreme Islamists and “their useful idiots”—”leftists, anarchists, whatever you want to call them”—have taken over streets, blocked bridges and roads, and displayed “hideous symbols like swastikas.”

Adams attributes the coordinated nature of anti-Israel activism to what he calls “the axis of hate”—principally Qatar, with Iranian money and Chinese involvement through TikTok. He pointed to the identical protest encampments that appeared on university campuses nationwide as evidence of external organization and funding.

Despite these concerning trends, Adams believes “the vast majority of people are revolted by this, support the Jewish people, and are not antisemitic.” The challenge, he explained, comes from “this very, very vocal and noisy, organized and paid-for minority” that is causing “real harm.”

When asked about Israel’s public diplomacy efforts, Adams stressed the need for significant improvement. “The Qataris have been at this for 20 years. They started Al Jazeera about 20 years ago… So we have 20 years to catch up. We are up against a trillion dollars of propaganda and conspiracy against us worldwide,” he said.

Adams emphasized that Israel must “create content that can reach people at the level that they will consume it” and “use technology as a force multiplier.” He warned that failing to effectively counter anti-Israel narratives could have long-term consequences: “If we keep going in this direction and we lose the youth, we have no future because they are our future leaders.”

Looking forward, Adams has announced an ambitious goal of bringing more than one million new immigrants to Israel from around the world. He believes the rise in antisemitism creates a “push factor,” while Israel must develop stronger “pull factors” by making the country “as appealing and attractive as possible.”

Adams envisions a campaign similar to the mass immigration from the former Soviet Union, which he says “really changed and improved the country.” His goal is for one million immigrants “from Western Europe and North America” to ensure “a pluralistic, democratic Israel for the indefinite future.”