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32-721: In 2000, Milstein and his wife Gila founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation . He is a co-founder of the Israeli-American Council , where he currently serves as chairman emeritus and board member. He was Chairman of the Board of IAC from 2015 to 2019. Milstein was born in Haifa , Israel , the eldest child of Eva (née Temkin), a homemaker, and Hillel Milstein, a real estate developer. In 1971, Milstein

64-627: Is for non-Jewish, Zionist student leaders and activists who have not been to Israel and are ineligible for Birthright Israel . In December 2015, MFF partnered with the Israeli Video Network to launch an "Inspired by Israel" video contest, with the purpose of showcasing how people are inspired by Israel. The foundation provided the staff support and funding behind the Talk Israel mobile app, which launched in December 2015 with

96-501: Is interesting because it makes us seem as though we’re a part of it, but we’re not,” Gallagher responds, referring to The Israel Project. In a statement to JTA , a spokesperson for Milstein denied that he funded Canary Mission. The spokesperson also provided an email from Gallagher where he denied having referred to Milstein. On October 11, 2017, Al Jazeera announced that it had installed an undercover journalist inside several Washington–based pro-Israel organisations in 2016 and that it

128-683: The Justice Department to investigate reports that the network had infiltrated non-profit organisations and accused Al Jazeera of broadcasting antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American content. On April 10, 2018, the Zionist Organization of America's president Morton Klein claimed credit for lobbying the Qatari government not to screen Al Jazeera's companion documentary series focusing on American pro-Israel lobby. In late August and early September 2018, leaked portions of

160-533: The Spinka Hasidic sect. Milstein served three months in prison, 600 hours of community service, and paid a $ 30,000 fine. In undercover footage from " The Lobby USA ," Eric Gallagher admitted to an undercover reporter that Adam Milstein founded and funds the Canary Mission . However, Gallagher reportedly "told Milstein that Al Jazeera had selectively edited his quote to make it appear that he

192-747: The American-Israel Educational Foundation (AIEF), the educational wing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), MFF created the Campus Allies Mission to Israel and the Campus Allies delegation to AIPAC's annual Policy Conference. The initiatives "engage African-American, Christian, and Latino student leaders and educate them to become advocates for Israel." The Campus Allies Mission to Israel

224-899: The Commons foreign affairs committee to conduct an inquiry into what appeared to be improper interference in British politics by a foreign power. The Leader of the Opposition , Jeremy Corbyn , wrote to the Prime Minister along the same lines. Alex Salmond , the Scottish National Party ’s foreign affairs spokesman, asked for a full investigation, while Crispin Blunt questioned whether Israel's interests were best served by such methods. However, Boris Johnson , then Foreign Secretary , rejected calls to take action against

256-460: The Israeli embassy and said that he regarded the matter as closed. The National Union of Students said it was investigating alleged attempts to influence last year’s leadership election, which saw its first black, Muslim, female president Malia Bouattia voted in. Following claims that opposing NUS members held “secret meetings” with activists supported by the Israeli embassy, a spokesperson for

288-648: The Israeli-American Council (IAC). In 2000, Milstein and his wife Gila founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation (MFF). The organization sponsors education of students and young professionals to identify with their Jewish roots, and gain knowledge to advocate for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Milstein is a co-founder of the Israeli-American Council. In 2015, he was named chairman of

320-780: The Jewish Homeland — Then, Now, Tomorrow (2018). The section on Milstein presents his "vision of Israeliness to invigorate Zionism and Jewish identity—in Israel and abroad." In 2019, Milstein withdrew from speaking at that year's AIPAC conference, after he made tweets seeking to connect Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to the Muslim Brotherhood . Milstein and his wife Gila live in Encino , California. They have three daughters and three grandchildren. In 2009, Milstein pleaded guilty to tax evasion involving his donations to

352-406: The Qatari government had reneged on its earlier promise to block Al Jazeera from screening the controversial documentary which, like the earlier British series, had utilized clandestine footage and recordings of pro-Israel activists. Al Jazeera's decision not to screen the documentary drew criticism from Clayton Swisher, who accused the network of capitulation to outside pressure. Swisher said that

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384-464: The US companion series. According to Haaretz , the Qatari government had reportedly hired Republican Senator Ted Cruz 's former aide Nicolas Muzin to open communications channels with Jewish American organisations. Earlier, the network had sent letters to several American pro-Israel organisations informing them that their employees would appear in the documentary. These letters generated speculation that

416-710: The United States and their relationship to the BDS movement . In the UK, the National Union of Students , Jewish Labour Movement , Union of Jewish Students , Conservative Friends of Israel , Labour Friends of Israel and other UK based pro-Israel groups were profiled. Additionally, the series explores claims of antisemitism in the Labour Party and also the role of MP Joan Ryan . Using undercover techniques,

448-654: The United States , was made, in which an Al Jazeera reporter named James Anthony Kleinfeld had infiltrated several pro-Israel advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C. including Stand With Us , Brandeis Center , The Israel Project , the Foundation for Defense of Democracies , the Israel on Campus Coalition , the Zionist Organization of America 's (ZOA) Fuel For Truth, and the Canary Mission . One of

480-498: The United States. In 1983, Milstein received an MBA from the University of Southern California . He started working in commercial real estate as a sales agent. Milstein is a managing partner of Hager Pacific Properties, overseeing the firm's financing, disposition and accounting. The firm specializes in acquiring, rehabilitating and repositioning industrial, retail, office and multi-family properties. In 2007, Milstein co-founded

512-540: The United States. Milstein strongly opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, and has had several op-ed pieces published on this subject. Milstein and his wife Gila are co-founders of Sifriyat Pijama B'America, which provides free monthly books in Hebrew to Israeli-Jewish American families in the United States. In 2016, they started "The Impact Forum," an initiative which “fights antisemitism, strengthens

544-477: The claim is an exchange between Al Jazeera's undercover reporter "Tony" who is posing as an intern and Eric Gallagher, an employee at The Israel Project : Gallagher tells “Tony” that Milstein spoke with him on the phone about starting a “name-and-shame” effort, and solicited his feedback. “So, Adam Milstein funds The Israel Project and he’s funding the Canary Mission website?” Tony asks. “Yeah, which

576-555: The documentary series were aired by several outlets including The Electronic Intifada . In early November, The Electronic Intifada released the four episodes of The Lobby—USA simultaneously with the French media outlet Orient XXI and the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar . Al Jazeera issued a statement condemning its release. Asa Winstanley called The Lobby a "superb undercover investigation." The Jewish Chronicle dismissed

608-539: The film relied primarily on fly on the wall footage using a surreptitious bodycam and other cameras whose presence were not known to those being filmed. The film took six months to make and was broadcast on Al Jazeera in January 2017. The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev apologized to Alan Duncan for the comments made by Masot. Masot was sent back to Israel and resigned, as did the civil servant involved. The Shadow Foreign Secretary , Emily Thornberry , called on

640-610: The foundation in 2000. In 2000, the Milsteins founded MFF, which is based in Los Angeles . Adam Milstein serves as the president of the foundation. The mission of the foundation is to educate and train students and young professionals to identify with their Jewish roots and to connect with and advocate for the State of Israel. The foundation has three main operating principles: "Active Philanthropy," "Life Path Impact," and "Philanthropic Synergy". "Active Philanthropy" means that

672-532: The foundation remains actively involved, investing time and resources to ensure the impact and success of the organizations, projects, and programs they support. The foundation funds and supports dozens of organizations, often in concert with several other philanthropic organizations. The foundation also offers grants to support students on college campuses. The grants are available to help fund cultural events, coalition-building initiatives, campaigns and social media activism led by students. In partnership with

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704-524: The goal to "bring the pro-Israel community together." In July 2017, MFF launched its "Milstein Meme Competition" in an effort to find the "funny side of pro-Israel activism." Adam Milstein said, "This contest is a fun way for us to express our love and support for Israel with wit and levity." In January 2018, the foundation launched the website Virtually Israel 2.0, which hosts virtual reality tours of popular sites in Israel. Adam Milstein said

736-469: The group. Milstein also sits on the boards of StandWithUs , Hasbara Fellowships , and PragerU . He previously served on the boards of Israel on Campus Coalition , Jewish Funders Network , and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) National Council. In June 2015, Milstein joined with Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban to organize the inaugural Campus Maccabees summit , which opposes anti-Semitic groups and activities on college campuses in

768-523: The lack of transparency around the network's decision to delay the broadcast. In March 2018, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer , Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin , and Ted Cruz penned a letter urging United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate whether Al Jazeera should register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act . They also urged

800-491: The major claims in the film is that Israeli-American real estate investor Adam Milstein , a major donor to pro-Israel campus groups, funds Canary Mission, an anonymous website that records and shames people it believes "promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses". Critics have accused Canary Mission of intimidating pro-Palestinian activists and threatening them with blacklisting . The evidence for

832-414: The practice of using undercover investigators "is used by many international broadcasters, including BBC and CNN, and is carefully managed, through multiple layers of legal and editorial review, to ensure it is performed consistently with local laws, industry regulations, and our own Code of Ethics". Swisher took a sabbatical from Al Jazeera due to the network's failure to respond to attacks on the project and

864-410: The state of Israel, and protects American democracy.” In 2016, The Jerusalem Post selected Milstein for its list of the world's 50 most influential Jews. In 2015 and 2016, Algemeiner Journal named Milstein to its list, "The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life." Gil Troy identifies Milstein as a contemporary leader of cultural Zionism in his book The Zionist Ideas; Visions for

896-489: The union said the organisation was looking into the allegations, particularly regarding NUS officers. The Labour Party declined to investigate complaints arising from the programme against Joan Ryan and the Jewish Labour Movement director. In October 2017, Ofcom rejected complaints that the series was antisemitic or had breached impartiality rules. A US version of the film, on the Israel lobby in

928-477: The videos show "Israel is not a war zone" but "a place of peace and prosperity and happiness and innovation, a place that anybody should go and enjoy." According to MFF's webpage, the organizations that it supports include: The Lobby (TV series) The Lobby is a series of documentaries produced by Al Jazeera that investigate the influence of the Israel lobby in the United Kingdom and in

960-596: Was conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces and served during the 1973 Yom Kippur War . Afterwards he enrolled in the Technion , where he graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business and economics. While in college, he worked with his father to expand their real estate construction and development business. In 1974, Milstein married Gila Elgrably in Haifa. In 1981, the family moved to

992-408: Was planning to air a documentary film based on the reporter's work. Clayton Swisher , Al Jazeera's director of investigative reporting, also acknowledged that the network had stationed an undercover journalist in both the UK and US at the same time. On February 8, 2018, it was reported that Qatari leaders had reassured the leaders of Jewish American organisations that Al Jazeera would not be airing

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1024-726: Was saying Milstein backed the operation". Milstein claims the documentary’s reporting are untrue. Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation ( MFF ) is a Los Angeles , California-based nonprofit foundation which aims to strengthen the State of Israel and its ties to the United States , as well as to strengthen the Jewish identity of American Jews and their connection to Israel. Israeli-American real estate investor Adam Milstein and his wife Gila established

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