
Mr. Adam Milstein
Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation
Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles
What is the main focus of your activities today?
As an active philanthropist, I am dedicated to instilling pride and courage in the Jewish people, strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance, and combating bigotry and hatred of all forms in America.
Antisemitism is a growing threat facing our nation. It’s not just a Jewish problem, it’s an American problem too. I am focused on efforts that go on the offensive against this age-old hatred and safeguard our Western values—freedom, human rights, and democracy.
How long have you been doing that?
20 years.
What are some of the successful related programs or projects that you have done this year and in past years?
The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation supports dozens of organizations, existing projects, and new initiatives that ignite pride and courage and fight hatred in strategic ways that engage the American public.
The Impact Forum, which we are proud to support, cultivates a network of pro-Israel philanthropists that works together and supports a network of independent nonprofit organizations. This multinetwork collaboration model is eliminating redundancies, encouraging synergies between like-minded organizations, and optimizing tools to maximize results.
The combined impact of the Forum is demonstrated through the “New Antisemites” report, presented by StopAntisemitism.org and Zachor Legal Institute and endorsed by more than 60 other Jewish and Christian NGOs. Together, they are helping spread the critical findings to the American people and promoting the call to actions that go on the offensive against antisemitism in the U.S.
How did you get to where you are today?
I am guided by three principles: Active Philanthropy, Strategic Advancement, and Philanthropic Synergy.
What is your “testimony”?
When I was 19, I was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and participated in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. The experience of being in the front lines and crossing the Suez Canal left me with a profound sense of purpose. Despite the odds, we prevailed. I recognized that if it was God’s will for me to survive and for Israel to exist, protecting her and uniting the Jewish community and its allies was of critical importance.
But when I immigrated to America, many of my friends and colleagues did not see this mission as clearly. On September 10, 2001, at an event featuring the threat to America from Radical Islam, we watched the 1994 movie Jihad in America by Steve Emerson.
The movie purpose was to alert the American people of radical Muslims residing in America but calling for “Death to America!” While most people were unphased, I remember telling my wife that until a major terrorist attack happened on our soil, like the ones I witnessed in Israel during the second intifada, Americans will continue to ignore and minimize the threat of radical Islam in America.
Eight hours later, America was under attack. It was 9/11.
That was a turning point that led me to become an active philanthropist nearly full-time.
What do you think God is doing with regard to Jewish-Christian relations?
There are many verses in the Bible that I believe clearly declare the intent and purpose of His divine will to bring Jews and Christians into a unity of faith, of understanding and love that will eradicate the misunderstandings and walls of division and contention that exist today.”
Today, the far left, the far right, the radical Muslims and the radical African-Americans are working to destroy our way of life. They reject the Judeo-Christian values and the foundation of America and other Western civilizations. These radical groups oppose freedom, religious tolerance, and pluralism. With the global rise of antisemitism, we have an opportunity to reignite our bonds with our Christian brothers and sisters and go on the offensive against this hate to protect our freedoms and religious liberties.