Thursday, April 11, 2024 • 7 PM Israel Time | 12 AM EST | 9 AM PST
Tamar Uriel-Beeri, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post, speaks with Adam Milstein, renowned Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist, about the Impact Forum, a network of philanthropists who come together to support an ecosystem of organizations who fight antisemitism, support the State of Israel and champion American democracy.
Milstein, who moved to the United States from Israel 43 years ago and enjoyed a successful business career, now devotes most of his time to venture philanthropy. Heading the Impact Forum, he explains, gives him a unique perspective on how to unite and mobilize different organizations to work together for Israel and the Jewish people.
“Our mission is to fight antisemitism, strengthen the state of Israel, and protect American democracy,” says Milstein. “We feel that the enemies of the Jews and the enemies of America are the same. While we are always the first one to be attacked, the target is first and foremost, America and Western civilization.”
The vision of the Impact Forum, he explains, is to gather a large group of pro-Israel, pro-American philanthropists, present and engage them with a selection of smaller, effective organizations deserving of their support. Since 2017, the Impact Forum has been meeting regularly to learn about these nonprofit groups, assist them, and incentivize them to work together in synergy and create a significant impact.
Milstein notes that many different organizations need to be mobilized to work together in different disciplines because of the large number of enemies of Israel and America that are operating on multiple fronts. “There is no silver bullet,” he says. “I am a connector and a mobilizer, and I try to think outside the box and do things others don’t do.”
What makes the Impact Forum unique is its ability to support smaller and medium-sized organizations to work together and bring together a network of philanthropists to make them aware of these groups. “We’re doing a great service to the community. We identify and vet nearly 100 organizations, and so far, we have brought 70 of them into the different Impact Forum events.”
Speaking of the current wave of antisemitism and anti-Israel feeling in the world today, Milstein says, “As the wave of antisemitism continues to accelerate and grow exponentially, I hope to see more Jews changing what they’re doing, who they support, and more generously support organizations that fight antisemitism and strengthen the state of Israel.”