Sylvan Adams joins J100 for a wide-ranging conversation on aliyah, antisemitism, sports diplomacy, philanthropy, and the future of Israel. From his family’s Holocaust-rooted story to his efforts to strengthen the Jewish state through major gifts and global cultural events, Adams offers a deeply personal vision of Jewish belonging, resilience, and responsibility.
A theory that will challenge you:
The explosion of antisemitism after October 7 —not spontaneous, but activatedA bigger claim:
What looks like protest is, in many cases, a coordinated ideological campaignA warning worth sitting with:
The scale, structure, and strategy behind modern antisemitism — still widely misunderstoodThe story behind the perspective:
Son of Holocaust survivors → Zionist upbringing → success in Canada → and ultimately choosing IsraelA quiet but radical idea:
Aliyah not as relocation — but as returnAn unexpected strategy:
Sports, culture, and spectacle — from Messi to the Giro to Eurovision — as modern-day diplomacyA reframing of giving:
Philanthropy not as generosity — but as nation-building in real timeA vision for what comes next:
Rebuilding Israel’s South, strengthening institutions, and bringing a million new olim
Condensed Transcript
David M. Cohen: How are you, and how is your family doing during this period?
Sylvan Adams: My wife is abroad with our children and grandchildren, but I’ve remained in Israel throughout the war. We’ve built our life here, and I’m used to the rhythm of family reunions around Jewish holidays.
David M. Cohen: You described the global wave of antisemitism as organized and strategic rather than spontaneous. What do you mean?
Sylvan Adams: I think we are dealing with something that was built over years — networks, money, influence, propaganda, and ideological machinery. October 7 felt like a switch being flipped. What we saw in Western cities on October 8, before Israel had even entered Gaza, showed that this was not spontaneous outrage. It was organized.
David M. Cohen: Is there a meaningful response to that?
Sylvan Adams: The answer is complicated. We need strategy, intelligence, creativity, and a better understanding of the forces driving this hatred. We cannot simply imitate the other side. But we do need to wake up and understand the scale of what we’re facing.
David M. Cohen: Tell me about your background.
Sylvan Adams: I was born to Holocaust-surviving parents from Romania. Both spent time in what became Israel before eventually settling in Canada. Their stories, their Zionism, and their resilience shaped me deeply.
David M. Cohen: What was your childhood like?
Sylvan Adams: I grew up first in Quebec City and later in Montreal in a strongly Zionist home. Jewish life, synagogue life, and youth movement life all played a major role in my upbringing.
David M. Cohen: And then you found your way to Israel, eventually through a pretty remarkable personal story.
Sylvan Adams: I traveled after college, ended up on a kibbutz, and met the woman who became my wife. We married young and built a life together. Years later, after our children were grown, we made aliyah. My wife immediately said yes. She said she had always thought we would end up in Israel — and she was right.
David M. Cohen: Before aliyah, you entered the family business.
Sylvan Adams: Yes. I thought I might go into medicine, but I joined my father’s business instead. My father was a brilliant entrepreneur, largely self-taught, and I learned a tremendous amount from him. We had very different temperaments, but we complemented each other well.
David M. Cohen: Today many people know you for philanthropy and your public role on Israel’s behalf.
Sylvan Adams: That has really become my passion. I’ve tried to support Israeli institutions and also to show the country to the world in a different light.
David M. Cohen: Why sports?
Sylvan Adams: Because sports are universal. They reach people who are not tuning in for politics. If you can bring world-class sporting or cultural events to Israel, you can introduce hundreds of millions of people to a version of Israel they would never otherwise see.
David M. Cohen: And you’ve also become a serious cyclist yourself.
Sylvan Adams: I took up cycling later in life, but I became highly competitive. Hearing “Hatikvah” after winning a world title for Israel was one of the most moving experiences of my life.
David M. Cohen: How do you think about philanthropy?
Sylvan Adams: I think of it as an investment. Giving is uplifting. It gives life meaning. And particularly after October 7, I felt a strong responsibility to invest in the south — in institutions like Ben-Gurion University and Soroka — to strengthen the future of Israel and encourage people to return and rebuild.
David M. Cohen: What is your message to diaspora Jews?
Sylvan Adams: We are one people. Israel belongs to all of us — to sabras, to olim, and to Jews living abroad. It is our homeland, and Jews everywhere should always feel welcome here.
