Philanthropist Sylvan Adams: ‘We have friends all over the world’

Amelie Botbol

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Sylvan Adams. Photo by Ziv Koren.

“The Trump administration is the most positive in history, the strongest on Israel that we have ever seen,” Canadian-Israeli businessman and philanthropist Sylvan Adams told JNS on Monday. 

“I was privileged to receive an invitation to attend [Donald Trump’s] inauguration. This is history in the making and it’s very exciting for me to be here,” he said.

Adams, who was also invited to the White House during President Trump’s first term, called the three-day event a “whirlwind.”

“Every night there’s a big black tie gala. Last night, President Trump spoke to us in a very intimate setting with a number of members of his administration,” he said. “Vice President [J.D.] Vance was there, Elon Musk, I had the privilege of meeting the newly reelected House Representative Speaker Mike Johnson, what a nice man.”

Adams also met the incoming U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.

“The tradition is to appoint a Jewish person for this role,” he said, but while Huckabee is not Jewish, “I think he loves us more than we love ourselves.”

Over the last decade, Adams has served as an unofficial goodwill ambassador for Israel around the globe.

In the aftermath of the Hamas onslaught on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Adams donated $100 million to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheva to strengthen the south. He also visited Gaza border communities, where he announced investments to build cycling and sports infrastructure in the region.

As owner of the Israel-Premier Tech UCI professional cycling team, Adams also organized a mass ride to commemorate victims of the Oct. 7 attacks and to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

‘Warmth and support’

Despite growing antisemitism around the world, Adams believes a silent majority stands with Israel. 

“Everywhere I go here in Washington D.C., when we are attending different events and I mention that I am from Israel, I cannot tell you the outpouring of warmth and support,” he said. “It’s been terrific to know we have great friends here in America and all over the world.”  

Adams expressed optimism about Trump’s return to office, noting that during the president’s first term he relocated the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Trump has already lifted sanctions former President Joe Biden imposed on Jews accused of creating instability in Judea and Samaria, as well as removing the Biden administration’s partial arms embargo on the Jewish state.

“We lost quite a high number of our boys in Gaza over the last two weeks. I heard from soldiers that one of the problems was a lack of bulldozers to go in advance of the troops and take out IEDs, it’s such a harmful policy and Trump said he would remove that immediately,” Adams told JNS. 

Strong on Iran

Israel’s biggest threat, Adams said, is no longer Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon, upon which Israel inflicted tremendous damage, but rather Iran. 

“The American administration and several of the cabinet ministers, including Marco Rubio, the incoming secretary of state, said we cannot allow Hamas to rule Gaza. And they’ve also been very strong on Iran, saying we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he explained. “The difference between the words of this administration and [those of] the previous one is that they actually mean it.”

According to Adams, “When the Iranian [regime] fired missiles at Israel and did not inflict much damage, Biden told [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to take the win. What win? I don’t think we will see such weakness from Donald Trump, he is a man of moral conviction.”

Adams added that he hopes Israel has “a strategic plan to deal with Iran because we, Israel, and frankly, the Western alliance cannot allow this fanatical regime that aspires to martyrdom, to have nuclear weapons.” 

Joy and light

Speaking of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, who were freed from Hamas captivity on Sunday after 471 days in Gaza, Adams said he was thrilled to see them coming home looking so well.

“The release of the hostages is a blessing. I know it’s a very tough deal. I know we are releasing monsters from our prisons with blood on their hands who may try to kill again,” he said.  

“Of course, pulling out of Gaza means we are not there to take care of this cancer called Hamas and liberate the Gazans from it, but it was such a joy to see the first hostages released and I hope we will see all of them out. Afterwards, we will go back in if we have to and finish the job.”

Adams expressed added joy at the prospect of witnessing the release of Hamas captive Ofer Kalderon, a cycling enthusiast.

“The cycling community is thinking about Ofer and when he is released and after he takes some time to recover and get back on his bicycle, I will invite him to the Tour de France to enjoy with Israel-Premier Tech and ride with me on the sidelines of the Tour,” he said. 

In June, Adams invited amateur cyclists Avida Bachar and Sharon Shevo, both survivors of the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, to join the team for the Tour’s Grand Dèpart in Florence. Bachar lost his son, wife and one of his legs during the Hamas invasion, and Shevo was wounded by while riding his bicycle.

From left: Oct. 7 survivors Sharon Shevo and Avida Bachar, IPT founder Ron Baron and co-owner Sylvan Adams at Ben-Gurion Airport, June 26, 2024. Photo by Amelie Botbol.

“Anything we can do to bring some light to Ofer—who has lived in darkness for an obscene 470-plus days—any light we can give to our hostages, is a privilege and hopefully helps put them back on track and resume their normal lives.” Adams said. 

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