Adam Milstein is a real estate investor, community leader, and philanthropist. In addition to his work in commercial real estate, Milstein is an active philanthropist. He serves on the boards of several Jewish and pro-Israel organizations and runs the Milstein Family Foundation alongside his wife, Gila Milstein. Milstein takes his philanthropy a step beyond financial support by practicing active philanthropy and prioritizing strategic advancement and philanthropic synergy.

About Adam Milstein

Adam Milstein was born in Haifa, Israel, and served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the Yom Kippur War in1973. After completing his service in the IDF, he enrolled in Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, a public research university in Haifa.

Milstein graduated from Technion in 1978 and immigrated to the United States in 1981. He settled in Southern California and earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1983.

Today, Milstein is a managing partner at Hager Pacific Properties, a private commercial real estate investment firm. The firm owns and manages several million square feet of commercial and industrial real estate across the United States.

In addition to his successful commercial real estate career in Southern California, Milstein finds greater purpose through his philanthropic leadership. He is the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Israeli-American Council and Chair of the organization’s National Expansion Committee. He also sits on the Board of several Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, including StandWithUs, and Hasbara Fellowships. He also co-founded Sifriyat Pijama B’America, an organization that provided free books in Hebrew every month to children across America. The organization served over 15,000 Israeli-American and Jewish-American families in the United States. Milstein describes his philanthropic efforts as “one of the most important and gratifying parts of [his] life”.

Philanthropic Leadership

Adam Milstein is revered globally for his philanthropic contributions. In 2017, he was named one of the 200 Most Influential Do-Gooders in the World. The list of leading philanthropists and social entrepreneurs on social media was compiled by London-Based publication Richtopia in coordination with Rise, a social media ranking system. Milstein was ranked number 187 on the list based on the philanthropic impact of his Twitter and Facebook accounts. Also on the list are other high-profile business leaders and public figures such as Elon Musk, Warren Buffet, Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Elton John.

Milstein’s philanthropic leadership is demonstrated through his work with the Impact Forum. Founded in 2017, the Impact Forum is a pro-Israel network of Los Angeles-based donors who leverage their combined philanthropic strength to support one another’s initiatives and to collaborate with and empower a network of small and mid-size nonprofit organizations. Together, the networks effectively fight antisemitism, strengthen the State of Israel, and advance the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Adam’s collaborative and impact-focused approach to philanthropy has helped drive the Impact Forum’s success. Philanthropists meet every six weeks to network and hear presentations from two member organizations who they can support. The Impact Forum has raised more than $3.5 million to date for nearly 50 organizations. By building synergies and force multiplication between many organizations, they drive maximum impact.

Milstein believes that the philanthropic multi-network collaboration model “should be adopted nationwide for those seeking to truly drive change” in the pro-Israel community and beyond. He adds that “the model is effective in combatting antisemitism in the United States and internationally.”

Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation

Adam Milstein and his wife, Gila Milstein, founded the Milstein Family Foundation (MFF) to instill pride and courage in the Jewish People, to strengthen the U.S.- Israel unique alliance, and to combat bigotry and hatred in the United States and beyond. MFF provides Americans with the knowledge and expertise to advocate for the State of Israel and to stop radical movements from spreading hatred in America.

The Foundation is guided by three unique principles: active philanthropy, strategic advancement, and philanthropic synergy. MFF augments financial support by investing significant time and expertise into the projects and organizations they support. They focus their efforts on organizations, existing projects, and new initiatives that combat bigotry and hatred in proactive ways that engage the American public. The Foundation connects funding resources of philanthropic organizations and encourages collaboration among nonprofit groups so that synergies are created to amplify impact.

Among the organizations MFF supports are: the Israeli-American Council (IAC), the American Israel Education Foundation (the charitable educational organization affiliated with AIPAC), StandWithUs, AISH HaTorah, Hasbara Fellowships, Taglit-Birthright Israel, Christians United for Israel.

Adam Milstein and the Milstein Family Foundation work to strengthen partnerships between the groups they support while also advancing strategic programs that align with the Foundation’s mission. With an added focus on life-path impact, the Foundation seeks out, funds, and develops organizations that engage their target audiences throughout life’s many stages. Through tailoring programs for childhood, adolescence, and the different phases of adulthood, organization can maintain a deep and continuous connection with their audiences.