Category: Uncategorized

This article was published in the HPP blog May 3, 2021.

By Adam Milstein

Some say that it’s more challenging to effectively donate money than to earn it. I agree. While it is a “no brainer” to choose the non-profit organizations you support based on your personal acquaintances or social affiliations, real impact can only be achieved by creating a strategic philanthropic plan and being willing to implement it.

There have been few experiences in my life more rewarding or meaningful than becoming an active philanthropist.

I arrived in America in 1981, after serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, fighting in the 1973 Yom Kippur War on the battlefields of the Suez Canal front, and attending the Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology. I came here with my wife Gila and two daughters and worked hard to attain success in my business of investing and operating commercial real estate properties. Eventually, I became a managing partner at Hager Pacific Properties, and the firm has been blessed with great prosperity.

As my success in business grew, my philanthropic journey began. I adopted the principle of donating one tenth of my earnings. However, I quickly found out that philanthropy works the other way around. Whatever I gave, G-d found mysterious ways to reward me 10 times more.

Gila and I now have the luxury of committing ourselves nearly full-time to our philanthropic endeavors and activism. I’ve never worked harder in my life – and I’ve never felt more like there isn’t enough time to finish the job.

Over the past 20 years, we have become affiliated with dozens of new non-profits every year, discovering their unique advantages and special value propositions. We established the Milstein Family Foundation, through which we have funded hundreds of organizations.

Being involved with many organizations gives us greater leverage to amplify our impact. It allows us to facilitate synergies and collaborations between organizations, learn which groups are effective and which are not, and create connections with a vast network of people.

Through my work, I’ve come to realize that there are three main approaches to major philanthropy: “specific philanthropy,” “social club philanthropy ”and “strategic impact philanthropy.”

In specific philanthropy, donors give to better the lives of specific members of their community and issues close to their hearts. The focus is on the personal trust and connections the philanthropist has with the grantees or with the cause.

In social club philanthropy, the benefactor gives to be part of a social or a business group of other like-minded, wealthy and influential people. The moment the philanthropists exit their social club, the interest in supporting the group and its related issues dies.

Strategic impact philanthropy, which we personally practice, requires not only financial giving to a network of non-profit organizations, but also the investment of time, experience, vision and personal connections.

To make sure our philanthropy has a high return on investment, we personally help the organizations with support not only with funding, but also through providing advice based on our knowledge and experience, establishing new organizations and programs to fill voids we see, and leveraging our extensive network to help these causes and generate synergies that make every group stronger.

Gila and I have seen firsthand how strategic impact philanthropy makes a significant, nationwide impact. Not only are we are able to see the results within our lifetime, but we can also leave an enduring legacy to our children, grandchildren and community.

Nothing of lasting impact can be achieved without your own blood, sweat, and tears. We invite our fellow major donors and donors-to-be to join us in becoming strategic impact philanthropists. It may require more than just “putting your money where your mouth is,” but the return is beyond imaginable.

 

This article was originally published in the Daily Caller on April 12, 2021.

I am a proud American. This country has afforded me, an immigrant from Israel, boundless opportunities to succeed in business and build a beautiful life for my family.

My business success allowed me to dedicate my resources to making an impact in this world through strategic impact philanthropy. This approach to philanthropy requires not only giving financial resources, but also the investment of time, experience, vision, and personal connections.

Over the past decade, I have focused my strategic philanthropy on the fight against anti-Semitism in the U.S. and have come to see that contributing to a strong, secure America benefits not only the American people but also ensures the well-being of the Jewish people and other minorities here in the U.S., Israel and around the world.

This is why I have decided to expand my philanthropic focus to counter the unprecedented assault on America and the values on which it stands.

Developing a Coalition to Fight Antisemitism through Strategic Active Philanthropy

In our coalition focused on fighting Jew-hatred, we asked ourselves which organizations were the most effective and which philanthropists were supporting them. Then, we cultivated a network of like-minded donors, and together we selected organizations to support based on their impact and willingness to collaborate with each other.

Knowing it takes a network to defeat a network, my fellow donors and I encouraged the organizations we worked with to map out the network of adversaries propagating Jew-hatred and the various groups fighting anti-Semitism.

We, the donors, provided funding for collaborations and facilitated partnerships between the organizations. We encouraged all of them to develop and share actionable research and use it to go on the offensive.

For instance, a coalition of many groups was able to marginalize and discredit the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement by exposing its affiliations with terrorism, how it promotes hate and violence towards Jews, and its opposition to peace and normalization in the Middle East.

Expanding the Battle to Fight for America

Our American way of life and the values at the heart of Western society are under attack by radical hate groups on both the left and the right, funded by ideology philanthropists. To counter them, we must draw upon the same successful methods of fighting against Jew-hatred.

The first step is to map out the American values that are worth fighting for, including democracy, the freedoms of speech, religion, press, and assembly, education without indoctrination, capitalism, and rule of law.

Secondly, we need to reach out to other like-minded philanthropists who are willing and able to provide a network of organizations with funding, research, and direction, and promote collaboration.

Lastly, we need to identify the allies that excel at strengthening each one of these values and are willing to share information and encourage them to build relationships with other like-minded organizations.

These allies include think tanks, legal organizations, media organizations, research groups, and grassroots organizations that are directly involved on the ground and with the public.

The movements working to harm America are also comprised of similar organizations and empowered by a network of mega-donors. To defeat them, our network of donors and allies will have to identify the opposing groups’ agendas, objectives, funders, networks, and plans. We will then use this information to counter the opposing organizations on the playing fields they currently control.

Selecting Partner Donors and New Allied Organizations

To begin, we need to determine the most effective willing, and able financial partners and organizations to work with.

Firstly, we determine whether an organization is fully committed to working to strengthen and protect American values and freedoms. An organization should have a clear definition of what these values are and must accurately recognize the threat our enemies pose to America and the American way of life.

Secondly, it is critical to evaluate an organization’s track record of success. One marker of long-term success is the ability to build synergies. It is necessary to select groups that regularly collaborate with others and complement each other’s unique work.

Our successful track record in fighting anti-Semitism, forged by more than a decade of adversity and experience in the trenches, provides a readily available template to developing a powerful network of like-minded organizations to safeguard a strong and secure America.

We call on fellow philanthropists who want to fight for America and the cherished values it represents to join us in taking this new, assertive approach of active philanthropy to combat the forces that seek to weaken America and all it stands for.

Full bio: https://www.jpost.com/author/adam-milstein

This article was originally published in The Hill on March 11, 2021.

What will the strategic alliance between the United States and Israel look like under President Biden? It really is too soon to tell. On a number of crucial strategic issues, including this vital relationship, the administration does not appear to be of one mind. Like watching James McAvoy’s character in the movie Split, we must wait and see which personalities dominate.

Clearly, Biden wishes to build consensus on foreign policy matters. He also hopes to keep complicated geostrategic issues on the back burner while his administration focuses on its domestic agenda. At the same time, the core of his foreign policy team looks like an Obama administration alumni reunion. Naturally, they think their policies served the nation well in the Obama era and want to get back to them as soon as possible.

And then there is the far left of the Democratic Party, which rejects Washington’s traditional bipartisan support for a U.S.-Israel alliance. They see Israel as the root of the region’s problems, siding with the Palestinians in the conflict with the only democracy in the Middle East. Indeed, they think the Middle East would be better off if the Muslim Brotherhood were in charge, supplanting the regimes in countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. And they oppose the Trump administration’s attempt to restrain Iran.

Some of President Biden’s most recent nominees belong to this group of anti-Israel radicals. Maher Bitar, a Palestinian American and activist in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel, was appointed senior director of intelligence programs at the National Security Council. Uzra Zeya, who has a long record of spreading “Israel lobby” and “secret money” anti-Semitic conspiracies, was nominated as undersecretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights. And Robert Malley, Biden’s special envoy to Tehran, is openly sympathetic to the mullahs’ regime and has expressed anti-Israel sentiments.

How all this gets sorted out remains to be seen. Biden came to office with no apparent plan for dealing with the big foreign issues like the Middle East and China, offering only vague promises to “restore America’s credibility.” There are some clues on Biden’s ideas about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His administration has endorsed the two-state solution. It also plans to restore aid to the Palestinian Authority, renew funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and reopen the Palestinian Liberation Organization mission office in Washington.

Yet throughout his career, Biden has unapologetically supported Israel and firmly rejected the antisemitic BDS movement. Moreover, his administration has embraced the widely accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism. Recently the administration announced its opposition to the International Criminal Court probe into Israel requested by the Palestinians. The objection argued that the probe “unfairly” targets Israel and that Palestine isn’t a sovereign state and therefore has no standing at the Hague.

Biden’s position on Iran also remains cloudy. He assured all that he was going to rejoin the Obama era deal but presented no well-thought-out plan for doing so. It’s no secret the Iranians are resolved to develop nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to deliver them. So how will he deal with the Iranian demands to immediately roll back all sanctions, as a precondition to getting them to the negotiating table?

Israel has noticed that the Biden administration no longer mentions “all military options are on the table” in its communications about Iran. When Israeli leaders announced that they are refreshing the attack plans against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the administration immediately warned “its allies in the Middle East” not to oppose American policies or seek military solutions. Then there are the Abraham Accords. The Administration may have a plan for the most consequential geopolitical initiative in the region in a generation but, if so, they are not sharing it.

What all these ambivalent measures have in common is that none of them actually appears to advance U.S. interests in the region. Those interests are: restraining Iran; tamping down extremism; promoting collective security and economic integration, and constraining the disruptive influence of Russia and China. The ambivalence leaves the U.S.-Israeli relationship on unsettled ground since the American relationship with Israel is fundamentally grounded in the reality that the Israelis are crucial for safeguarding U.S. interests in the region.

There are not enough dots to connect yet to determine exactly how Biden will handle all of the challenges in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Israel and the Sunni Arab states are likely to try to make nice with Washington, while hedging their bets by making deals with each other. That is not a worst-case scenario. But anyone who thinks it’s a situation that is likely to lead to a more stable, prosperous, and secure region in the near term is sadly mistaken.

James Carafano is a vice president and the research director for national security and foreign affairs for the Heritage Foundation. Adam Milstein is the co-founder and chairman emeritus with the Israeli American Council.

This article was originally published in the Jerusalem Post on February 9, 2021.

Some say that it’s more challenging to effectively donate money than to earn it. I agree. It’s a no-brainer to choose the nonprofit organizations you support based on your personal acquaintances or social affiliations, but real impact can only be achieved by creating a strategic philanthropic plan and being willing to implement it.

There have been few experiences in my life more rewarding or meaningful than becoming an active philanthropist.

I arrived in America in 1981, after serving in the Israel Defense Forces, fighting in the 1973 Yom Kippur War on the battlefields of the Suez Canal front, and attending the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. I came here with my wife Gila and two daughters and worked hard to attain success in my business of investing and operating commercial real estate properties. Eventually, I became a managing partner at Hager Pacific Properties, a private real estate investment firm in Southern California.

As my success in business grew, my philanthropic journey began as well. I adopted the principle of donating one-tenth of my earnings, but I quickly found out that philanthropy works the other way around; whatever I gave, God found mysterious ways to reward me 10 times more.

Gila and I now have the luxury of committing ourselves nearly full time to our philanthropic endeavors and activism. I’ve never worked harder in my life – and never felt like there isn’t enough time to finish the job.

Over the past 20 years, we became affiliated with dozens of new nonprofits every year, discovering their unique advantages and special value propositions. We established the Milstein Family Foundation, through which we have funded hundreds of organizations that support the State of Israel, advance the US-Israel alliance, and fight antisemitism.

Sometimes there were no organizations established to advance a cause we held dear. Whenever I saw a void, I did not hesitate to roll up my sleeves and create a new program or form a new organization. For example, in 2007, I co-founded the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which is now the largest and most influential Israeli-American organization in America.

In 2011, together with the IAC, Gila and I founded Sifriyat Pijama B’America, with the goal of instilling Jewish values in tens of thousands of Israeli-American kids nationwide by delivering free Hebrew-language books to their homes. This project paved the way for the expansion of the IAC from a local Los Angeles organization to the fastest-growing Jewish organization in the US.

More recently, in 2017, I created the Impact Forum, a Los Angeles-based network of philanthropists who meet with and support a network of exceptionally effective small- to medium-size nonprofit organizations in the pro-Israel space.

Being involved with many organizations gives me greater leverage to amplify my impact. I facilitate synergies and collaborations between organizations, learn which groups are effective and which are not, and create connections with a vast network of people.

I’ve come to realize that there are three main approaches to major philanthropy: “specific philanthropy,” “social club philanthropy,” and “strategic impact philanthropy.”

In specific philanthropy, the donor gives to better the lives of specific members of his/her community and issues close to their hearts. The focus is on the personal trust and connections the philanthropist has with the grantees or with the cause.

In social club philanthropy, the benefactor gives to be part of a social or a business group of other like-minded, wealthy, and influential people. The moment the philanthropists exit their social club, the interest in supporting the group and its related issues die.

Strategic impact philanthropy, which I personally practice, requires not only financial giving to a network of nonprofit organizations, but also the investment of time, experience, vision, and personal connections.

To make sure my philanthropy has a high return on investment, I personally help the organizations with funding, provide advice based on my knowledge and experience, establish new organizations and programs to fill voids I see and make use of my extensive network to help these causes and generate synergies that make every group stronger.

Gila and I have seen firsthand how strategic impact philanthropy makes a significant, nationwide impact. We see the results within our lifetime and are able to leave an enduring legacy to our children, grandchildren, and community.

I invite my fellow major philanthropists and philanthropists-to-be to join me in becoming a strategic impact philanthropist. It requires more than just “putting your money where your mouth is” but the return is beyond imaginable. Nothing of lasting impact can be achieved without your own blood, sweat, and tears.

The writer is an active philanthropist, real estate investor, and community leader.  Email: [email protected].

This article was originally published in Newsweek on January 12, 2021.

For the past four years, I have been a supporter of President Donald Trump. Yet with the impending inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden, I recognize that now is the time for all Americans—Republicans and Democrats—to come together.

We may, for the first time ever, have found an encouraging model for cooperation in a region long bedeviled by conflict: the Middle East. In recent months, we have witnessed the paradigm-busting peace and normalization agreements between Israel and moderate Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and now Morocco.

In addition to advancing social and economic developments in the Middle East, the new alliances are positioned to counter radical Islamist regimes, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, and radical terrorist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.

For its part, Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, sending troops and mercenaries to overtake Iraq and Syria and utilizing proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to attack American soldiers and other countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Normalization promises to bring peace and prosperity to a region destabilized by radicals for far too long and should inspire us to treat each other with greater respect in America amid intensifying political polarization, despite our differences. Americans must now work together and push back against radical movements across our political spectrum that aim to undermine our country’s deepest-held values.

Some radical domestic groups and even the most radical members of Congress have boasted of their opposition to the Abraham Accords and other agreements promoting Middle East peace. Instead, they take the side of Iran and the terrorist organizations that undermine our values and any chance at progress.

The most noted ideologues in Congress support the anti-normalization efforts and sympathize with the hardline Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. They are joined by radicals from the far left, extremist Muslims and factions of the far right.

Like most Muslims living in the Middle East, the majority of Muslim-Americans are peaceful and patriotic. They immigrated to America in search of freedom, opportunity and prosperity. Many, like me, are big believers in the American dream. That’s why I am committed to building coalitions with Muslim groups in the U.S. based on a shared vision for America, free of hate and bigotry.

Joe Biden has positioned himself as a moderate who aims to unify America. To achieve this goal, his administration will need to stare down the anti-normalization, the anti-peace camp that is not only antisemitic but also opposes American values and our way of life.

The venom of anti-normalization embodies the exact qualities that Americans need to reject in these precarious times.

For years, I have warned about the danger of this anti-American global menace, and I will continue to call out hate wherever I see it. During my tenure as chairman of the Israeli-American Council, I shared the stage with President Trump as well as Majority Leader Schumer and House Speaker Pelosi. I am always willing to listen to and have conservations with those with whom I disagree, even passionately.

This is Biden’s time to combat the intolerant forces of the Left, the Right and religious extremism that have been a deadly threat to America. During the Biden administration, Americans can continue to promote peace and prosperity by championing normalization and uniting against domestic radicalization.

This moment is about making America strong and fighting for our values, which are universal. With all the upheaval and anguish we have faced this past year amid the pandemic and political uncertainty, I enter 2021 with an open mind. This is how I see my role as a citizen in the months ahead, and I hope all Americans—whether they supported President Trump or president-elect Biden—will join me.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American philanthropist and entrepreneur. He and his wife Gila co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, providing charitable and philanthropic services to a wide range of organizations to strengthen the Jewish people and the U.S.-Israel relationship, as well as combat bigotry and hatred in America. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Times on January 4, 2021.

Rejoining the Iran deal puts Middle East normalization and regional peace at risk

During the presidential campaign, Joe Biden declared he wanted to go back to the Iran deal if Tehran returns to “strict compliance.” European leaders have urged the U.S. to rejoin the deal to prevent further Iranian violations and continued expansion of its nuclear infrastructure.

The problem with the rush to reaffirm the old, flawed deal is that it would benefit only one country: Iran. The cascading consequences of that decision could destabilize not just the Middle East, but trigger problems around the world.

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the deal and slap Iran with severe sanctions has crippled the Iranian economy, decreased its oil production, and caused a significant devaluation of the rial. Tehran is even more desperate now than it was in 2015. It would be a mistake to waste the gains of the outgoing administration.

If America rejoined the Iran deal as is, Iran would not be held accountable for past cheating and blatant violations of the deal. Sanctions would be lifted, and the arms embargo would end. None of the obvious defects of the deal would be addressed. Iran’s ballistic missile program would continue to grow, as would its destabilizing activities in the region.

Iran has been increasingly belligerent since the U.S. elections. Evidence recently emerged that they continue to expand their nuclear infrastructure. They increased uranium reprocessing to 12 times the limit allowed under the deal. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq undertook a new round of attacks on U.S. facilities. To hand the Iranian regime a new old deal in the face of these aggressive actions would only be interpreted as a sign of American weakness and humiliation.

Such an act of deliberate self-weakening by Washington would trigger a cascade of chaos. For starters, the moderate Arab nations would view the U.S. as feckless and an unreliable partner, assuming Washington was returning to the ways of disengaging from the region that occurred under the Obama presidency.

The process of normalization between the Arab nations and Israel, without the guarantor of U.S. engagement and support in pushing back against Iran, could well die still-born. That will mean the collapse of building regional collective security and economic integration that could serve as the foundation for security and prosperity in the region.

Further, since the Arab nations were not consulted on the Iran deal, and they were never reassured the deal could forestall an Iranian nuclear breakout, we could see rapid proliferation in the region. Facing an unconstrained Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt could well rapidly seek nuclear weapons. This would be a nightmare scenario and could well represent a death to global nonproliferation efforts.

In addition, the Arab nations will likely start hedging against the declining interest and influence of Washington. They will increasingly look to cut deals with China and Russia. They might well go back to isolating Israel. None of these actions will leave the region or the U.S. better off.

Nor would the missteps of U.S. action be limited to the Middle East. North Korea and Iran both observe very closely how Washington treats the other. If the Biden team gives Tehran a sweetheart deal, then Pyongyang will likely do exactly what it did under Obama, rapidly escalate and act aggressively, demanding quick relief from sanctions — and concessions as well. Mr. Biden could well provoke a new round of crisis in Northeast Asia by showing a weak hand in the Middle East.

A Biden administration ought to consult with America’s Mideast allies on how to make a stronger Iran deal that addresses all the region’s legitimate concerns. For any deal to succeed, it must not only address uranium enrichment and nuclear weapons issues, but must include a comprehensive solution to address Iran’s continued development of ballistic missiles, its support for terrorism, its involvement in regional instability, its attacks on other regional countries, and domestic violations of human rights.

Before any such commitments are made, Mr. Biden ought to keep the sanctions and arms embargo in place. This is Washington’s primary leverage in negotiating with Tehran. They must also continue moving the process of normalization of relations between the Arab nations and Israel. With a united Middle East, the pressure of sanctions, and a unified front with the Europeans, the U.S. will be in the strongest position to secure the strongest deal for our national security.

James Jay Carafano, a Heritage Foundation vice president, directs the think tank’s research in matters of national security and foreign affairs. Adam Milstein is an active philanthropist and a co-founder of the Israeli-American Council and the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation.

This article was originally published in the Washington Examiner on October 20, 2020

The American-brokered Abraham Accords pave the way to full normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab nations of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. This has raised the prospects of peace and stability in the region to the highest point in decades, making it all the more stunning to see forces lining up against the U.S. initiative.

Criticizing the administration and condemning Israel will not help Palestinians. In fact, it will do the opposite, abandoning the Palestinian people to a corrupt and oppressive governance that thrives only by ensuring that peace fails.

The Israel-delegitimization camp includes Iran, the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism, as well as terror-affiliated organizations such as the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. It also includes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, or BDS, orchestrators of the global movement that has recruited and ensnared liberal groups worldwide in a destructive campaign that has become an obstacle rather than a force for peace.

Since its establishment in 2001 by the major Palestinian terrorist organizations, the BDS movement has masqueraded as a human rights organization aiming to improve the well-being of Palestinians. But instead of aiding Palestinians, the movement is focused on isolating the state of Israel economically, culturally, and politically, with the ultimate goal of eradicating it.

Guided by its core principle of “anti-normalization,” the movement works to restrict any interaction between Israelis and Arabs and considers any form of cooperation treasonous. The anti-normalization campaign completely opposes coexistence, mutual aid, or collaboration. Palestinians who engage in personal interactions with Israelis are shunned, threatened, and sometimes even killed.

Small wonder, then, that the BDS movement regards the Abraham Accords as its worst nightmare. The peace agreements between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain represent a thorough refutation of anti-normalization. The widespread belief that these accords will soon spark additional agreements with other Sunni Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Sudan, Chad, and Morocco, only heaps additional coals on the heads of the BDS brigades.

Not only do the accords call into question the basic premise of BDS, but they also contradict the conventional wisdom that has informed ineffective U.S. foreign policy in the region for decades.

First, the accords demonstrate that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has never been the root of the region’s instability. Clearly, now, it is not an insurmountable obstacle to normalizing relations between the countries of the Middle East.

Second, the accords reveal that the Arabs are tired of Palestinian extremism. Palestinian opposition to the accords was ignored by both the Arab League and the “Arab street.” The Arab world is moving on.

Moreover, the Abraham Accords should be seen as a very positive development for the Palestinians. Now that the Arab world has accepted that Israel is not going anywhere, Palestinian leaders must admit it as well. It is past time to make peace. Further, regional normalization is going to introduce a wave of economic integration and prosperity, as well as greater security and public safety. If the Palestinians do not join, they’ll be left out and left behind.

Meanwhile, if global supporters of BDS really care about Palestinians, they will abandon this movement and the hateful anti-normalization campaign promoted by extremists such as Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and others with no interest in promoting peace and prosperity in the region.

Beyond that, the United States and like-minded allies should launch a pro-normalization campaign. Jewish-Americans and pro-Israel activists must build an alliance with Arab Americans and Muslims who share the views of the UAE and Bahrain — and to some degree, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan — that peace, prosperity, and normalization is the way forward.

On American campuses and beyond, it is time to hold academic and cultural events promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and regional economic integration and innovation. Student groups can push back with pro-normalization and pro-peace resolutions. And, when COVID-19 finally wanes, student groups can join in missions traveling to Israel and its peaceful Arab nations. NGOs can launch new initiatives on Israeli-Arab cooperation and devote more attention to countering the anti-normalization content promoted by terror-sponsoring states and the BDS movement.

Together, the champions of normalization can build a future of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East and relegate the BDS crowd to the dustbin of history.

James Jay Carafano, a Heritage Foundation vice president, directs the think tank’s research in matters of national security and foreign affairs. Adam Milstein is an active philanthropist and co-founder of the Israeli-American Council and the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation.

Article originally published in the Jerusalem Post on August 16, 2020.

We will lose as Jews and as Americans if we continue accepting our prescribed role as the sacrificial canary in the coal mine.

Antisemitism is an ancient problem. Throughout Jewish history in the diaspora, Jews lacked the power and resources to do much of anything to fight Jew-hatred except condemn it. Today, however, American Jews have established themselves as one of the most successful immigrant communities in the country. Yet, in the face of intensifying antisemitism, they have done little to combat it. Instead, they have focused on merely documenting, educating about, and respectfully objecting to antisemitic acts after they occur.

Inaction has normalized antisemitism and allowed the threat to rise. Jew-hatred has become excusable and almost mainstream in America. In recent months, for example, we have seen it trending among celebrities and athletes. When faced with this hate, far too many in our community stay silent.

Since Jews are the direct target of antisemitism, other Americans perceive Jew-hatred as a Jewish problem. But as American Jews do little to fight this bigotry, non-Jews ask themselves: why should we lead this battle?

Evidently, defining antisemitism as a Jewish problem is a lose-lose proposition.

Jewish-Americans are not going on the offensive to stop antisemitism, and non-Jewish Americans won’t fight battles for those whom – they perceive – don’t have the courage to stand up for themselves.

Jewish-American organizations dedicated to fighting antisemitism have existed for more than 100 years, but the problem has only grown worse. Almost all the resources invested by the Jewish-American community to address Jew-hatred are directed toward historical education, like about the Holocaust, and documenting incidents of antisemitism. Hardly any resources are invested in holding antisemites accountable and creating consequences for their bigotry.

Frustration but inaction encapsulates the inadequate approach of the American-Jewish community. There has been outrage against the growing hostility directed toward Jewish students on college campuses, but the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is only gaining strength. There has been outrage against growing antisemitism on social media, but there is a new scandal every day. There has been outrage against freshmen legislators Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for promoting antisemitic tropes, but they’ve been let off with only a light slap on the wrist.

Some of this inaction can be explained by the false sense of security many American Jews cling to despite the alarming rise in hatred and violence toward Jews in America. However, they fail to understand that antisemitism is not just a problem for Jews; Antisemitism is an issue for all Americans and threatens to destroy our way of life.

Radical groups – the radical left, the radical right, radical Muslims, and the radical African Americans who champion Louis Farrakhan – are spearheading efforts to erode the core principles that make our country exceptional. The Islamo-leftist alliance, in particular, is gaining momentum. While many Jewish and other civil rights organizations singularly focus on the far-right white nationalists as the main generators of extremism, the Islamo-leftist alliance parades in public as a social justice cause while infiltrating and undermining our communities and institutions.

Collectively, these radical groups reject the Judeo-Christian values that have supported the foundation of our country and have protected all minority communities in America, including Jews.

Proponents of the Islamo-leftist alliance seek to undermine the structures and institutions that keep our country open, democratic and healthy, including the family unit, businesses, communities, religious institutions, impartial media, law enforcement, the military and the courts. Increasing antisemitic attacks and the public display of hatred are trial runs for what is to come from these radical movements. For years, Jews have been at the receiving end of this hatred. If we are truly ready to overcome it, we must stop playing the victim and start fighting this head-on together with other Americans.

We will lose as Jews and as Americans if we continue accepting our prescribed role as the sacrificial canary in the coal mine, hoping that others may recognize the danger after it has already consumed us whole.

Instead, we need to be eagles looking out onto the horizon, detecting threats far before they grievously harm us and our country. There are practical actions we must take to go on the offensive against antisemitism. They include:

(1) investigating and exposing the radical movements that fuel the spread of this hatred by identifying their networks, money trails and agendas;

(2) increasing knowledge-sharing capabilities that inform the American people about the threats and empower them to act;

(3) holding the media accountable to the standards of a fair and free press;

(4) supporting legislation that curbs the influence of the hate movements in our institutions.

Presenting antisemitism as a Jewish problem has been a lose-lose proposition because it has not spurred anyone to take meaningful action against it. Rather than griping about the problem, it is now time for all Americans to fight against this hatred and racism and for Jews to stand at the forefront of this fight.

Our history and increasingly dangerous reality show that the inalienable rights afforded by the Constitution cannot be taken for granted. We need to fight for our safety and security today so that tomorrow we and future generations can continue living freely and proudly. We must fly into the future as brave eagles and free America from the dangers of antisemitism and the extremism it represents.

The writer is an Israeli-American “philanthropreneur.” He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

 

This article was originally published in Newsweek on July 10, 2020.

For decades, Jews living in the diaspora have spoken about the Jewish community as the metaphorical “canary in the coal mine.” This metaphor accepts the notion that Jews are powerless victims, sacrificed for the benefit of others. Using the powerless canary to symbolize Jews reveals a deeply flawed mindset that paralyzes us from properly taking brave action and defending ourselves.

The canary in the coal mine is a practice that dates back to the early 1900s. British miners utilized the sensitive and vulnerable canary to detect high levels of carbon monoxide and toxic fumes. If the canary, helplessly locked in a cage, fell dead, the workers knew they were in danger and would flee the mine. In short, the canary was a dispensable sacrifice for the benefit of everyone except for the canary itself.

We, the Jews, are not an expendable alarm system for others and should not see ourselves as such. If we hope to survive and thrive, we cannot afford to be defenseless. We must change our approach to go on the offensive and join other groups in the fight against the dangers all Americans face, rather than hold onto the mantle of victimhood, vainly hoping others will fight for us.

True enough, the amplification of Jew-hatred is a warning sign for all, but our embrace of the role as a disposable canary for others is counterproductive. Non-Jews are not the ultimate defenders of the Jews; we are. Waiting for others to stand up for us is futile and, in the meantime, anti-Semitism continues to intensify and suffocate our community. We are very familiar with statistics that show a stark rise in anti-Semitism; it’s time we take it upon ourselves to stand up and fight back.

Jews throughout America experience hate and violence daily from radical movements—the far Left, the far-Right, and radical Islam. It’s important to demonstrate to all Americans that these movements not only aim to harm Jews but also threaten to destroy our Judeo-Christian principles and our American way of life.

Hate and violence targeted at the Jewish community are the training fields for a larger attack on the foundations of America: our freedom of religion, freedom of speech, equality, and pluralism.

So as the perfect storm of anti-Semitism brews against the Jews and Americans, we must reject our historical role as helpless victims, the canaries in the coal mine.

Fortunately, we have exemplars we can look to who courageously overcame the specter of Jew-hatred. Visionary Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion embodied this proactive approach. He encouraged his fellow Jews not to remain passive in the face of aggression and called on them to organize for self-defense and to go on the offensive against centuries-old hate.

With the outbreak of World War I, he joined the Jewish Legion, the first Jewish military force in nearly two millennia, established by Zeev Jabotinsky, which fought under the British to end Ottoman rule over the Land of Israel.

Ben-Gurion was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Jewish state and the promise of a Jewish future. In 1948, he declared the state of Israel’s independence despite the majority of Jewish leaders fearing that neighboring Arab states would annihilate them. And yet, against all odds, the Jewish people were able to defend Israel and create a prospering country.

Like Ben-Gurion, we must transform our approach from the defenseless, sacrificial canary to the robust, visionary brave eagle—or nesher, in Hebrew. It is no coincidence that this regal bird, described as a selfless guardian in the Hebrew Bible, was adopted as the national emblem of America in 1782.

To transform from the canary to the eagle, there are three principles we must adopt.

First, embrace and support Israel without preconditions. Israel is the ultimate shield—not only for the Jewish people but also for the Western world—and is one of America’s strongest allies. She safeguards us, protects our shared interests, and promotes the universal values of freedom and liberty.

Second, leverage our resources to strengthen American Jewry and influence the trajectory of anti-Semitism. The American-Jewish community is one of the most successful immigrant communities in the world. We do not need to be passive and wait for society’s toxins to destroy us. We must deploy our financial resources, leadership, and influence to reshape the fight against anti-Semitism and help lead our country forward through these perilous times.

Third, support and expand existing projects and platforms that fight back against Jew-haters and extremists and force them into retreat. Additional resources must be invested in research and capabilities that allow us to collect information on the drivers and network of hate, so we can take decisive action at the right time and right place.

Like the eagle, leadership, courage, resiliency, and strength are qualities that should define us. We must stop being reactive and look over the horizon to detect threats before they occur. We must be visionaries of a free and bright future and not wait for the inferno of hate to consume us. The future of America, American Jewry, and the civilized world order depend on it. Like the young American nation adopting the biblical eagle as its symbol, we can serve as inspiration for our country, this time to sweep back the radical forces of darkness.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American philantropreneur. He and his wife Gila co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, providing charitable and philanthropic services to a wide range of organizations to strengthen the Jewish people and the U.S.-Israel relationship, as well as combat bigotry and hatred in America. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.