Adam Milstein is an active philanthropist, successful real estate entrepreneur, and community leader who was recently named one of the world’s 100 Most Influential Philanthropists by London-based publication Richtopia in coordination with the social media ranking system Rise. He is a founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, which provides charitable and philanthropic support oriented around fighting hatred and antisemitism, bolstering the U.S.-Israel relationship, and supporting the State of Israel. In addition, he also serves as a managing partner for Hager Pacific Properties, a real estate investment firm based in Encino, California.
Personal Life
Adam Milstein is native to Israel, where he was born to Eva Milshtein, a homemaker, and Hillel Milshtein, a real estate developer. Both of his parents immigrated when the State of Israel was founded in 1948; his mother immigrated from Mexico, and his father immigrated from Argentina. Shortly after, his father participated in Israel’s independence war as a combat sailor.
Hillel Milshtein’s military service was echoed by his son in 1973, when Adam served with the Israel Defense Force (IDF) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, crossing the Suez Canal as part of Ariel Sharon’s armored division, which led to the surrender of the Second and Third Egyptian Army Divisions. Once Milstein’s military service was completed, he enrolled in Technion, theIsraeli Institute of Technology,from where he graduated cum laude with a degree in business and economics. Milstein then married his wife, Gila Milstein, in 1974.
In 1981, Adam Milstein, his wife, and their two daughters immigrated to the United States. The family welcomed their third daughter after the move. Today, the Milstein family in Encino has grown to include three grandchildren as well.
A Legacy in Real Estate
Adam Milstein became involved in real estate very early in his career when he joined his father in expanding the family’s real estate company while he was attending college. After moving to the United States, Milstein pursued and eventually received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California (USC).
Milstein’s legacy in real estate began in 1986 when he joined Liberty West, a related entity to Hager Pacific Properties. Over the next 14 years, Milstein rose to become the president of the subsidiary and then, eventually, a managing partner for Hager Pacific Properties, in June 2011.
Today, Milstein helps oversee Hager Pacific Properties’ financing, disposition, and property management for the firm’s portfolio. His firm manages nearly 100 residential, commercial, and industrial properties in the United States, which have a combined value of over $1 billion.
A Deep History of Bolstering Jewish Peoples
Ever since immigrating to the United States, Milstein and his wife have been deeply involved with charitable causes that focus on fighting antisemitism, advocating for stronger U.S.-Israel relations, and aiding the State of Israel.
Milstein is a co-founder and current board member of the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which seeks to build and strengthen the Israeli-American identity within the Jewish American community. He is also a co-founder and board member of Sifriyat Pijama B’America, a program devoted to providing free Hebrew books to over 15,000 Israeli-Jewish-American families in the U.S. to help preserve and pass Jewish values to the next generation. In addition to sitting on the board of the IAC, Milstein is also actively involved with the boards of many other organizations, such as StandWithUs, and the Israeli-American Coalition for Action.
The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation
For the past decade, many of Adam Milstein’s philanthropic efforts have been conducted through the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, which he co-founded in 2011. The Milstein Family Foundation is the culmination of decades of philanthropic work based in the United States, spread across a wide range of organizations and groups. The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation’s operational philosophy revolves around three fundamental principles:
- Active Philanthropy – Milstein, his staff, and the Milstein Family Foundation lean on their expertise and invest time to bolster the charity organizations that the foundation supports. By leveraging his deep professional expertise, Milstein gets personally involved by investing time and resources to develop and support a network of non-profit organizations that are aligned with his mission.
- Life Path Impact – Milstein believes that bolstering the Jewish identity requires constant engagement with the Milstein Family Foundation’s target audience through every stage of their lives. To accomplish this, Milstein seeks to fund, develop, and expand organizations that create programs tailored for all stages of life, from childhood to adulthood.
- Philanthropic Synergy – As a board member for so many charity organizations with similar goals, Milstein seeks to provide funding and guidance and develop partnerships between nonprofit entities. He hopes to create synergies between like-minded organizations and amplify the impact of each organization.
Today, the Milstein Family Foundation supports a wide range of pro-Israel organizations, such as the Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs, Hasbara Fellowships, AISH Hatorah, the America-Israel Education Foundation, which is affiliated with AIPAC, Taglit-Birthright Israel, Christians United for Israel.