In an interview with Israel Hayom, Adams discussed how October 7 shifted his work, the surge in global antisemitism, and Israel's failures in the information war. "I was not in Israel on October 7," he said, and described his reaction upon learning the news as "horror and shock."

Q: Do you donate differently prior to and post October 7?

"I'm not one of those October 8 Jews" who found their reawakening after the attacks. Adams said his commitment to Jewish causes never wavered. "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 where he directed his efforts. Before October 7, Adams organized large-scale international events that attracted hundreds of millions of viewers. But "during a time of war, of course, you can't be doing events to show the good name of Israel abroad."

Instead, Adams pivoted to supporting Israel's south. In 2024, he donated $100 million to Ben-Gurion University to help rebuild the southern cities of Israel after the October 7 Hamas-led attack. He wanted to show evacuated residents "that they have a future in the south" and demonstrate to the world "that we are here to stay."

In 2025, he donated $100 million to Soroka Medical Center to help rebuild the hospital damaged by Iranian missiles. His goal is to create "the most complete, most modern hospital in the entire country and one of the most in the entire region."

Q: ⁠What trends have you seen in North America in relation to antisemitism?

Adams, who travels extensively in his official capacity, expressed shock at the extent of antisemitism that emerged after October 7. "Honestly, I didn't believe it still existed," he said. "The events of October 7 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."

The phenomenon spans the political spectrum. When asked about antisemitism coming from both right and left, including figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, Adams was blunt: "Tucker Carlson, when he was fired from Fox, he wasn't always this virulently anti-Israel and antisemitic... He needed a job. To me, I look at Tucker Carlson as a paid operative."

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 tents that appeared on campuses nationwide: "Somebody was buying those tents. Somebody had organized this... They have operatives everywhere."

Still, Adams believes "the vast majority of people are revolted by this, support the Jewish people, and are not antisemitic." The problem, he said, is "this very, very vocal and noisy, organized and paid-for minority is doing us real harm."

Q: What do you think of the current Israeli hasbara? Is it effective?

Adams stresses Israel must improve its public diplomacy effort. "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," Adams said, which includes "infiltrating western university campuses, paying opinion leaders like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, as well as on the left."

When asked about concrete steps Israel can take, Adams acknowledged technological solutions beyond his expertise but emphasized the need to "create content that can reach people at the level that they will consume it" and "use technology as a force multiplier."

"We need to at least fight them to a draw," he said. "And if we keep going in this direction and we lose the youth, we have no future because they are our future leaders."

Adams expressed confidence that Israel can succeed if it makes hasbara a priority: "We're the startup nation. When we have priorities, we win at everything that we do."

The 11th million

At the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration summit in Tel Aviv last month, Adams announced an ambitious goal: bringing more than one million new immigrants to Israel from around the world.

Adams framed the challenge in terms of push and pull factors. "There is a push factor happening with the antisemitism in the Western world," he said, along with "a reawakening of some Jewish sentiment of identity, the 'October 8th syndrome' if you will." But pushing alone is insufficient. "We need the pull factor in Israel, to make it as appealing and attractive as possible, and ensure that they can live full and rich lives, including employment and housing."

Adams said his goal is to lead a campaign similar to what happened with the million immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union, "which really changed and improved the country." He believes that one million immigrants "from Western Europe and North America would ensure a pluralistic, democratic Israel for the indefinite future."

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In a moving ceremony, Dr. Miriam Adelson and former President Reuven Rivlin were awarded honorary doctorates from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya on Monday.

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IDC founder and president Professor Uriel Reichmann, who presented the doctorate to Adelson, spoke about Dr. Miriam and the late Sheldon Adelson: "The tension in which you lived never made you forget for a moment your deep commitment to Israel. Your husband, Sheldon, was completely inspired by your Zionism, and from there began a public and philanthropic campaign unique in our generation."

"You never stopped standing up for our people proudly, against the most powerful entities in the world. As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, it's no wonder that along with a great contribution to the spaceship that took off for the moon you asked for only one thing – that it bear the name 'The Jewish people live,'" Reichman said.

Approximately a month ago, Dr. Adelson was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ariel University in Samaria.

In her acceptance speech, Dr. Adelson said that her late husband, Sheldon, had also been awarded an honorary doctorate from IDC two years ago: "Thank you for the exceptional honor. This is of paramount important for me, just as it was for my late husband, Sheldon, who received the honor here two years ago."

Dr. Adelson spoke of the early days of the IDC, saying, "Being an entrepreneur means being interdisciplinary, it means daring rather than fearing, and breaking with convention. Here, extended military service in a meaningful role is given a place of honor, and is not a disadvantage. Here, at times of crisis, a sort of online war room operates in which the best minds work around the clock to repel growing hatred of Jews on the internet."

"Much of this is thanks to Professor Reichman, Uriel. Thank you for decades of showing Sheldon and me true friendship. You are a wise man and it was an honor for us to speak with you, for example on issues like the nation-state law or the qualities of Naftali Bennett, and agree – or disagree. Differences of opinion dies not change the fact that we always admired your basic qualities."

The Adelson family owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom. Dr. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of Israel Hayom.

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Several years ago I saw Sheldon Adelson at an event honoring then-Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. The fleeting moment was an opportunity to speak with him, even though I generally avoid small talk with famous people (what can I possibly discuss with them?). I walked next to him as he made his way to the elevator but ultimately chose not to start up a conversation. Why? Because Sheldon Adelson was always a bit of a dubious figure in my eyes, an elderly casino magnate from Las Vegas who was trying to influence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in order to boost his business dealings.

I am ashamed to concede that this was how I perceived him until very recently. Although over the following decade I became appreciative of his investment in the launching of Israel Hayom – the paper that has made history in Israel by creating a marketplace of ideas in the printed media – I still questioned whether the outlet was nothing more than a means for promoting his own interests.

After his death about a month ago, articles about his life story began to appear. As I read, I got this niggling feeling that perhaps I had been mistaken. At first I read a few moving tributes in Israel Hayom and told myself, you can't deny it – looks like this Jew has done a few things in his life for the Jews around the world. But from there to comparing him to Montefiore or Rothschild? That was kind of routine posthumous hero-worship to me.

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But then something remarkable happened. I read an article in a paper that did not belong to Adelson. The opposite extreme, in fact. And I realized that I had been mistaken about the man – hugely mistaken.

The one who opened my eyes was Rogel Alpher. The title of his article, published in Haaretz the morning after Adelson's demise, was: "Sheldon Adelson has died, but the damage he caused in his life continues." Alpher wrote: "With the death of Sheldon Adelson, it should be noted that the man managed to cause lots of damage in the world during his lifetime. It is not insensitive to claim this a few hours after his passing. Not at all. Although he was not an Israeli citizen, Adelson took advantage of his money to allow himself to have a tremendous influence on the lives of the residents of Israel and the West Bank. ... Although he did not live here, Adelson allowed himself to mold the political tendencies of millions of Israelis, through the Israel Hayom newspaper. … Through Israel Hayom, Adelson has besmirched the noble journalism profession, and contaminated it with foreign interests and harmed Israeli democracy."

I stopped reading for a minute and again read the phrase "noble journalism profession." I laughed (aloud) and continued: "Adelson was very instrumental in helping Netanyahu come into power and stay there, and by doing that he also caused tremendous damage to Israeli democracy. He contributed to the settlement enterprise, and mainly to the Ariel University and, through Israel Hayom and Netanyahu, he did a lot to advance annexation and to create a binational apartheid state. Adelson allowed himself to seal the fate of the Palestinians in the West Bank as if they were flies."

Alpher continued: "He had a lot of influence in Israel's identity and its transformation to a nation of Jews instead of Israelis, even though it is a country he did not live in. He funded the Taglit-Birthright program."

Wow. What a tribute. How did I miss all these wonderful things that Adelson did in his lifetime? How had I not seen the whole picture?

So what did we have here? Investment in connecting Jewish youth in the Diaspora to Israel, and an investment in establishing the first university in Yehuda and Shomron, investment in strengthening the identity of the Jewish state and its connection with its ally America, and of course investment in advancing freedom of the press and of opinion in Israel.

How didn't I understand all this myself? Why did I let others in the media frame the way I view philanthropists? From that moment onwards I have been reading everything on Adelson, trying to catch up on the many years he and his wife Dr. Miriam Adelson have influenced the Jewish world.

I also need to apologize to Dr. Miriam Adelson, having belittled her expertise and doubted whether she actually earned the title of doctor. Only in the past several weeks did I learn about the wonderful things she has been doing for decades, long before she even knew Sheldon. She began to learn microbiology and genetics at the Hebrew University, and from there went on to study medicine in Tel Aviv University. Then she did a residency in internal medicine and directed an emergency room.

In time, she traveled to study at the Rockefeller University in Manhattan, at the age of 46, despite her impressive resume. That was when she met Sheldon. And here, indeed, his money came into the picture. Dr. Miriam and her husband established research and treatment centers for addiction in America and Israel.

As Haaretz well understood, there's a certain line here, a certain agenda. What is it?

Adelson's father, Arthur, emigrated from Lithuania to the United States. He was a taxi driver who did not have money to buy a ticket to visit Israel. This, Adelson told Makor Rishon in an interview several months ago, shaped the couple's decision to help bring young Jews to Israel: "When I earned money and could afford to send my father to Israel, he said that he was too old and sick to travel. … I wanted to make sure that all the people on those Taglit waiting lists should not get to the point where my father got to, that they should not be sad when they are old that they have never visited Israel. If we can do it, why shouldn't we? If we won't, who will?

"When I see American Jews who are not connected to Israel," Dr. Adelson added, "Jews who speak in a not nice way about Israel, who want to boycott Israel as part of BDS movement, I feel pain and wrenching in my heart for my brothers and sisters who do not know the facts. They are filled with anger and hatred. I hurt for them but they are Jews in my eyes. Maybe their children will understand more. … We are one family."

The article finished with a wonderful anecdote. During corona, 87-year old Sheldon began to learn Hebrew. "I'm optimistic about his Hebrew studies," Miriam said, and even shared the first word that he had learned to write in Hebrew: "Shabbat."

On the eve of Shabbat, two weeks after flying Jonathan and Esther Pollard to Israel, the private plane belonging to the Adelsons landed in Ben Gurion Airport again, this time with Sheldon's casket. In the afternoon, he was buried in a small, corona-style funeral in Jerusalem. But the story is not really over, because how did that moving tribute in Haaretz put it? "Sheldon Adelson has died, but the damage he has caused over his lifetime will continue."

Amen. 

Yedidya Meir is a journalist and radio broadcaster. He writes a weekly columnist for B'Sheva.

This article first appeared in B'Sheva several days after the death Sheldon Adelson and was also published by Hamodia.

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The Jewish world came together on Thursday for a global memorial event marking the end of the shivah (the traditional seven-day mourning period) for business giant and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson.

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The online event was organized by a group of 30 Jewish American organizations and the Israeli-American Council and included a live stream of eulogies and personal stories from family and friends as well as prayers and small groups of Jewish text study focused on Sheldon's legacy of giving to the community.

"Sheldon Adelson loved the Jewish people and loved the State of Israel," President Reuven Rivlin said at the opening of the event.

"[He was] a great American patriot who saw the strong alliance between the State of Israel and the United States as a personal mission. His determination, his ability to see opportunities, to take risks, to be brave, and to succeed were known to all. He contributed to many causes, most of which deepen the connection of the people of Israel to the land and heritage," Rivlin said.

Adelson's brother, Lenny Adelson, gave a eulogy at the ceremony recounting how "ambitious" Sheldon was even at a young and that his brother was "the most charitable philanthropic man, he was just an incredible person."

The memorial was attended by representatives of organizations from across the United States and Israel, including Taglit-Birthright, Israel Bonds, Friends of the IDF, Birthright Israel Foundation, United Hatzalah, IDC Herzliya, StandWithUs, Jewish Federations of Boston and Nevada, Chabad, and more.

"He was a good friend you always dreamed you would have," said IAC board member Shawn Evenhaim. "In a fireside chat that I had with Sheldon and Miri at the IAC Conference, I asked Sheldon what he wished his legacy could be? And he answered that his legacy would have nothing to do with his business but rather it will have to be with medical research, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel.

"In all his actions, he always wanted to improve the lives of others. The best way to honor his memory is to continue his legacy, and this responsibility lies with each and every one of us."

Adelson was one of the world's leading entrepreneurs and business leaders. Together with his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, he was the greatest Jewish-world philanthropist of our time. He touched countless lives with his generosity, devotion, and passion for Jewish causes and connecting and the younger generation to Israel.

The Adelson family owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom. Dr. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of Israel Hayom.

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I feel deep sorrow at the passing of a wonderful friend, and wonderful person – the late Sheldon Adelson.

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With a broken heart, in the name of my wife, Sara, on my own behalf, and in the name of many people in Israel and the world, we send our heartfelt condolences to Miri and the family. Many of the Jewish people, in Israel and the rest of the world, share in the heavy loss.

It is difficult to describe what Sheldon did for the Jewish people and for Israel. Sheldon was one of the biggest donors in the history of the Jewish people. He gave to Zionism, to the settlements, and to the state of Israel. He made enormous financial contributions to many institutions – to medical and scientific research, to higher education, to Ariel University, to Taglit-Birthright, and to his immense projects in every field. With his wife, Miri, he gave generously to many enterprises that save lives and brought Israel renown throughout the world. Sheldon was a huge Jewish patriot. He worked to strengthen Israel, bolster its standing in the United States, and strengthen ties between the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora.

Sheldon grew up poor, in a Boston suburb, and become one of the biggest entrepreneurs and philanthropists in the world. He did so through his keen intelligence, his honest thinking, his powerful personality, and his courage. Sheldon could face down anything and did what he believed. And what he believed in, more than anything else, was the promise of the Jewish people and their state.

Sheldon truly loved America – America, which gave him every opportunity he could dream of. He wanted everyone in the world to have those opportunities and that freedom.

I have to say that I've met many wonderful people in my life. But this giant, a personality like Sheldon, comes along once in a generation. We will forever remember Sheldon and his enormous contribution to the Jewish people and the state of Israel. His influence will remain with us for generations to come.

May his memory be a blessing.

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Montefiore, Rothschild, and Adelson's names are written in the golden book of the rise of Zionism in the new era. And I had a privilege of knowing Adelson. And so did you: Each and every one of the readers of Israel Hayom, which he founded 13 years ago with his life partner, Dr. Miriam Adelson, the paper's publisher.

I first met him in 2008. A month ago, at his home in Las Vegas, we had what turned out to be our last discussion. In both instances he was sharp, wise, precise, but mostly concerned about our future. Even when his health started to betray him, it was important to him to stay updated and know what was happening in Israel and to the Jewish people who were so dear to his heart. Our first conversation focused on the country, and so did the last. Everything else was everything else – add-ons that served the goal.

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People liked to affiliate my dear boss with various and sundry politicians, but his real, deep, emotional connection was to Zionism. He admired every Jew who contributed to the holy mission. I was always amazed at how modest the man was. He could wonder at a kid who arrived in Israel as part of the Taglit-Birthright program and wanted to tell him a story; be moved by a conversation with a Holocaust survivor at Yad Vashem, one of the institutions to which he donated. A rabbi, a farmer, a doctor, or a bus driver – he would treat them all exactly the same way, listen to them the same way, pay attention to the little details. And it always amazed me, every time. Simplicity and honesty, qualities that are given to the truly great.

A huge donor who was an expert at giving in secret

Let's not make any mistakes, he also knew how to be tough. His philanthropic activity, some of which I saw from up close, was no less important to him than his business activity. Sometimes I felt as if the genius businessman in him was destined to serve the great donor he was. At various opportunities, when he was in various moods, I looked at him and saw he was focused only on excellence and helping others. Only recently, his private plane flew Jonathan Pollard to Israel. A few other such flights were never reported. Because aside from the billions he gave away, he was also an expert at donating in secret.

December, 2015, Las Vegas, at one of the drug rehabilitation centers managed by Dr. Miriam Adelson. It was the eve of a holiday. The Adelsons were wearing their best clothes and arrived for a meal with the center's patients, about 100 men and women, all of whom were in recovery from drug addiction. These were poor people who needed help. Mr. Adelson sat at the head of the table, talking to them, shaking their hands, taking pictures with each of them, taking an interest, joking, hugging.

I was there, and that same evening, some very high-ranking politicians came to see him. The US had just gone into an election year. One of Mr. Adelson's staff members went up to him and reminded him that a few of his grandchildren were waiting outside, and he told her, smiling, "You don't see that I'm with my friends right now?" That might be the strongest memory I have of him, and it includes so much of the man, as he truly was.

The Israel Hayom newspaper is part of the departed Mr. Adelson's legacy. How symbolic that his beloved wife, Dr. Adelson, is your paper's publisher. Trembling in awe, I accepted the role of editor-in-chief from the hands of founding editor Mr. Amos Regev. I knew that working for Mr. Adelson was a mission on which I could not fail. To serve you, the people of Israel, is Mr. Adelson's legacy: Always working for you and for us.

Last week I visited his home. This time, unlike our last meeting in November, we couldn't have the conversation in which I was supposed to update him on what was happening, but actually, it was he who – sharply and brilliantly – explained processes and events to me. A week before the US presidential election, he predicted the results exactly, and knew how to explain the reasons for them.

I was also by his side when he waged his last battle, the one he couldn't win. This time, it wasn't up to him. I thought to myself, I'm approaching the moment I most feared from the moment I accepted the job of editing the paper: to edit the edition that reports his passing.

And now, with the quietness and professionalism he would expect of me, I am editing the sad edition you are reading now, which is entirely his, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I find my greatest comfort in the fact that my publisher is his second half, Dr. Miriam Adelson, whose presence here with us is meant to let us know that he is still with us. Even if Montefiore and Rothschild are now spending more time with him.

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Sheldon Adelson was an exceptional man. Having started out by selling newspapers on a street corner, he went on to achieve extraordinary things. 

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He was a visionary who possessed the ability to think several steps ahead. More than that, he was a man of action. He had the wisdom and daring to make his dreams come true.

Sheldon was also incredibly kind. It might have seemed from the outside that he was a tough person, when in fact he was soft, caring, and incredibly loving.

For many years Sheldon and I met every time he visited Israel, always on a Friday, always at the same café, and later at home, we would talk for hours on end. 

I listened to him with great attention, and I was especially touched by his love for Israel and the Jewish people. From this love stems his connection to Yad Vashem.

He was aware of the inherent dangers anti-Semitism poses to the Jewish people and the entire world. He understood the importance of remembering the Holocaust and recognized how valuable education is in achieving that.

Although he did not personally experience the horrors of the Holocaust, he understood the damage that had been inflicted on the Jewish people, and therefore greatly contributed to the creation of an international system of Holocaust education.

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With Sheldon's support, and with the support of his dear wife Miri, we built a pioneering worldwide system of professional teachers who possess the knowledge, values, and understanding of the need to teach and study about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.

Sheldon made a unique distribution to the Jewish people and Holocaust commemoration. We are eternally grateful, and we will miss him greatly.

Avner Shalev is the chairman of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.

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This past summer, Yad Vashem chairman Avner Shalev announced he would be resigning after 27 years as head of Israel's Holocaust memorial.

It was unlikely that Shalev, who turned the institution from a commemorative site that attracted mainly Holocaust survivors into a world-class museum and research center, foresaw the controversy that would be set in motion over who would be appointed his successor.

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The moment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Brig. Gen. (res.) Effi Eitam would be appointed the new chairman of Yad Vashem, objections flooded in from both the Right and the Left. Eitam's comments in 2006 about "expelling Arabs from Judea and Samaria" were mentioned in letters of objection from researchers at Yad Vashem itself, such as Professor Yehuda Bauer and Professor Hezi Dreyfuss. Meanwhile, the Right largely sees Eitam as a fitting appointment and opposition to his taking over Shalev's role as political.

In an interview to Israel Hayom, Shalev said that despite his many years in the role, no government official consulted with him about who he thought should be appointed head of Yad Vashem. However, Shalev said he has met with Eitam.

"I will work with open arms with any candidate the government approves. So will all the staff at Yad Vashem, as I know them. Even if there are some who have reservations, they will work with him out of immense loyalty to the institution," Shalev said.

Shalev dismissed the prospect of a "revolt" by researchers if Eitam were appointed: "I haven't heard any rumors or scenarios like that. Yad Vashem is made up of devoted professionals who see their work as a mission."

Speaking to Israel Hayom, Shalev also discussed some of what occurred behind the scenes of last year's political storm over a controversial law the Polish government passed making it illegal to cast the Poles as perpetrators of the Holocaust in their country. The controversy ended with a joint statement by the governments of Israel and Poland decreeing the terms "Polish concentration camp" or "Polish death camp" to be "completely erroneous."

Shalev said that as far as Yad Vashem is concerned, the institution adhered to a document it issued declaring that the agreement between Israel and Poland included certain details that "contradicted existing historical knowledge."

"The Poles are sticking to the agreement between the two governments and saying that they do not recognize anything else, but we are sticking to our own position paper," he declared.

Shalev also said that the COVID-19 pandemic had dealt a serious blow to Yad Vashem, mainly because of a lack of donations from abroad.

"One huge donor told me, 'I just fired 10,000 people – I can't send you money,'" Shalev said, noting that in all his years as head of the institution, Yad Vashem had never had a budget deficit.

"Still, it's unclear what will happen next year since there still isn't a state budget," he notes.

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The Jewish world in the age of coronavirus – A special Israel Hayom project

Part VIII: How the pandemic is forcing Jewish philanthropy to recalibrate 

If things don't change drastically, and soon, we can most likely expect a drop in Jewish philanthropy to come after heartwarming Jewish enlistment earlier this year.

Why? Because Jewish foundations and philanthropists are invested in stock markets or are attached to fields that are seeing their dividends dry up because of the global economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis.

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"I assess that Jewish philanthropy that goes to Jewish and Israeli causes will undergo two main changes," says Hagay Elitzur, Deputy Director-General of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry.

"First, the foundations and philanthropists will focus their donations more and invest their resources in fewer recipients. The second change is that the foundations and philanthropists will look for more cooperation. Philanthropy will seek out collaboration with the Israeli government both in terms of joint investment in social recipients in Israel and in terms of joint investment in educational and community challenges facing Jewish communities in the world," Elitzur said.

Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation, thinks that Israel has an enormous opportunity when it comes to the Jewish people worldwide.

"Israel has two main roles: its obligation to all its citizens, and its existence as the national state of the Jewish people. Israel knows how to function in emergency situations – and this is where it can loop Jewish communities in in terms of strategy. This is exactly where the philanthropic world can help, and help a lot. Philanthropists can be the immediate partners and also advisors on relations," Ruderman says.

Ruderman wants to see changes in how philanthropists communicate with the government, as well as between themselves.

"The role of philanthropists during the crisis is to foster new long-term partnerships between Israel and the Jewish world," she says.

"We need to fix the patronizing experiences on both sides," she notes.

Elitzur agrees: "It's very important to understand that strong Jewish communities in the world are feeling coronavirus in a very different way form how we in Israel are experiencing it. Sadly, that includes a lot of deaths, as well as the destabilization of basic community institutions. That changes the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, making it much more mutual in a lot of ways.

"That will have a lot of influence on how Jewish philanthropy operates and cooperates, as well as where it invests. So I think that the trend of moving philanthropic investment from Israel to local communities will continue," Elitzur adds.

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Its innovative method lies in its multi-network collaboration between philanthropists and organizations to produce maximum impact for a shared cause of pro-Israel activism. Utilizing the "network effect," it effectively leverages local donors' money by bringing together pro-Israel philanthropists who learn, support and empower ideologically aligned nonprofits that do exceptional work for the Jewish people.

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Every six weeks, the philanthropists attend a luncheon or a dinner to introduce themselves to the other donors and hear from two members of the startup-like network of organizations that advance the forum's mission. The presenting organizations are selected by a steering committee comprised of experienced and influential philanthropists in the community.

Since its establishment in 2017 by a group of Los Angeles philanthropists, the Impact Forum has raised more than $3 million for the nearly 50 organizations that have presented at their events.

Adam Milstein, a member of the philanthropists' group that established this platform, told JNS that though it is currently solely based in Los Angeles, the philanthropic multi-network collaboration model "should be adopted nationwide for those seeking to truly drive change."

Doing so could have the potential to effectively stand up against the wave of anti-Semitism sweeping the United States and around the world, he said.

Supported organizations are some of the most effective ones seeking to influence policy-makers, opinion leaders and the public to make a difference. These organizations fall into three categories: research and analysis organization, boots-on-the-ground organizations and media outlets. The organizations that fall under these three categories build synergy and force multiplication between themselves that drive maximum impact. With the financial support of philanthropic network, the knowledge provided by the research organizations and the public awareness created by the media organizations, the boots-on-the-ground groups can focus on maximizing the impact of their unique capabilities.

The organizations are primarily based in the United States (with some in the United Kingdom and Canada), where anti-Semitism is rising at alarming rates and mobilization against it is urgently needed. Some of the Impact Forum presenters include: StopAntisemitsm.org, Zachor Legal Institute, Campaign against anti-Semitism UK, NGO Monitor and UN Watch.

'Out-of-the-box strategies'

Among its newest organizations is B'nai Brith Canada, which will present its work to ensure Jewish unity and continuity in Canada, and support the State of Israel and global Jewry on Jan. 9 at the Impact Forum's 24th luncheon in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

"It's an incredible concept expressing a results-oriented approach that I find really innovative, where we can interact with individual philanthropists and engage with charitable groups that combat hate and anti-Semitism," B'nai Brith Canada's CEO Michael Mostyn told JNS. "We can support other groups accomplishing great things for our community, and talk about collaboration and ways to work together to combat hateful speech and action to make ourselves stronger."

As fundraising is a time consuming and difficult undertaking for smaller nonprofit organizations, the forum philanthropists enable them to focus on their goals. In addition to offering financial support to the organizations, the Impact Forum shares with them cutting-edge research and encourages collaboration, synergy and force multiplication.

In a recent example of such collaborative efforts, "The New Anti-Semites" report was authored by two Impact Forum nonprofits – StopAntisemitism.org and Zachor Legal Institute – and was based on the research and analysis provided by other network organizations. The report was then endorsed by many more Impact Forum organizations that are helping spread the critical findings of the report and promoting the call to action.

"The Impact Forum addresses the critical need for a strategic network that changes the mindset of the Jewish community from defense to offense," said Milstein. "It employs out-of-the-box strategies that effectively bring together the resources, talents and connections of philanthropists."

"Together," continued Milstein, "our philanthropic network is eliminating redundancies, encouraging synergies between like-minded organizations and optimizing tools to maximize impact."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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