No. 13: Sylvan Adams: Israel's self-appointed ambassador-at-large
The Canadian-Israeli businessman and philanthropist has invested heavily in Israel's sporting and healthcare infrastructure.
Sylvan Adams, a Canadian-Israeli businessman and philanthropist, has dedicated himself to enhancing Israel’s global image since moving to the Jewish state in 2016. Known as the “self-appointed ambassador-at-large for Israel,” he combats negative media portrayals by showcasing the country’s reality, the Israel he says he “knows and loves,” through high-profile cultural and sporting events.
Adams famously brought to Israel Lionel Messi, along with Argentina’s national soccer team, for a friendly game in Tel Aviv; Madonna for a cameo at the Eurovision Song Contest (ensuring that it was the most watched edition in the Eurovision’s history); and Trophée des Champions, the championship game of the French soccer league, again featuring Messi, the world’s most famous athlete with a social media following of more than a half a billion fans.Adams was also responsible for Israel hosting the largest sporting event in the country’s history: the Grande Partenza (“Big Start”) of the Giro d’Italia, showing Israel to nearly a billion television spectators and bringing a million Israelis into the streets to watch what Adams described as “a three-day national group hug.”
These events brought Israel into the living rooms of hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, presenting a positive narrative over the heads of the often-hostile media.
Establishing institutes for sporting excellence
Adams has also contributed significantly to Israel’s sports infrastructure, founding the Middle East’s first velodrome, establishing an institute for sports excellence at Tel Aviv University, and rebuilding and modernizing the gymnasiums at TAU, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and the multicultural Jerusalem International YMCA. Following the October 7 massacre, Adams donated $100 million to BGU to strengthen Israel’s southern region and contribute to the development of Israel’s Negev via the university, the economic engine of the South.
The philanthropist also initiated projects that advance Israel’s healthcare infrastructure, including a children’s hospital in Holon and a state-of-the-art emergency facility at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital – the largest in the world. He is the largest donor to Save a Child’s Heart, a program that provides life-saving cardiac operations on children from disadvantaged regions, including countries without diplomatic ties to Israel.
Additionally, Adams has funded important Jewish community institutions in North America, primarily in his former home of Montreal, where Jewish education and demographic continuity are his priorities. This includes building a new Jewish high school and teaching Jewish adolescents about their heritage because, as he says, “You cannot love what you don’t know.”
Adams, a member of the Giving Pledge, had the honor of lighting a torch at Israel’s 75th Independence Day ceremony.
When asked about any new projects he’s working on, he replied, “Stay tuned; I’m just getting started.”