At a Jerusalem conference, Sylvan Adams announced an ambitious plan to bring one million new immigrants to Israel within five years — turning Aliyah into the engine of Israel’s next economic boom.
At the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration’s special conference titled “Aliyah as a Growth Engine for the Israeli Economy,” philanthropist and businessman Sylvan Adams, who now serves as President of the World Jewish Congress – Israel Region, unveiled a bold and visionary plan:
To bring one million new Olim (immigrants) to Israel within the next five years.
Speaking with Arutz Sheva – Israel National News, Adams described the initiative as a transformative national project, echoing the massive immigration wave from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s that reshaped Israel’s demographics, economy, and culture.
“It changed the country,” Adams recalled. “It injected a new demographic balance, a new energy, a new level of education, culture, and sport. This is the perfect moment to bring massive numbers of new Olim — given the antisemitism we’ve seen abroad, and the fact that we’re closing the war chapter since October 7.”
Adams outlined both the moral urgency and economic logic behind this historic undertaking:
- The Push Factor: Soaring antisemitism across Europe and North America, including his native Canada.
- The Pull Factor: Israel’s promise of security, opportunity, and belonging.
“There’s hostility to Jews abroad that we haven’t seen since the Holocaust,” he said. “That’s the push. The pull has to be economic opportunity, affordable housing, education, and a full, happy life here.”
Building a Nation That Welcomes a Million
Adams emphasized that infrastructure is key to success:
“They won’t even get on the plane unless they know there’s support here — jobs, affordable housing, schools, sports and leisure facilities. Everything that makes life sustainable.”
He pointed to Israel’s southern frontier, the Negev, as the country’s greatest untapped opportunity:
“The biggest backyard we have is in the south. To fulfill Ben-Gurion’s dream and populate the Negev with high-tech jobs, housing, and strong communities would hit all the right notes.”
This strategy aligns with Israel’s long-term development vision — decentralizing growth away from the crowded center and turning the Negev into a new innovation and settlement hub.
Adams also called on the government to ensure inter-ministerial coordination, noting that Aliyah is not just a demographic project but an economic one — capable of boosting GDP, fueling labor markets, and invigorating Israel’s global competitiveness.
A Bridge Between Israel and the Diaspora
As head of the World Jewish Congress in Israel, Adams defined his mission as building a living bridge between Diaspora Jewry and the Jewish homeland:
“My role is to act as a liaison between Diaspora communities and the State of Israel to make it happen. We must be ready — able to comfortably accommodate 200,000 new immigrants a year. Without opportunity, they won’t come.”
Aliyah as Israel’s Next Growth Revolution
Adams’s plan reframes immigration as a national growth strategy, not merely a moral calling. As global hostility rises and Jewish communities abroad seek security and identity, Israel stands at a defining crossroads — poised to absorb a new wave of talent, capital, and creativity.
If successful, the plan could reshape Israel’s demographic map, reinvigorate the economy, and rekindle the founding Zionist vision: a homeland that welcomes every Jew — and thrives because of them.At the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration’s special conference titled “Aliyah as a Growth Engine for the Israeli Economy,” philanthropist and businessman Sylvan Adams, who now serves as President of the World Jewish Congress – Israel Region, unveiled a bold and visionary plan:
To bring one million new Olim (immigrants) to Israel within the next five years.
Speaking with Arutz Sheva – Israel National News, Adams described the initiative as a transformative national project, echoing the massive immigration wave from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s that reshaped Israel’s demographics, economy, and culture.
“It changed the country,” Adams recalled. “It injected a new demographic balance, a new energy, a new level of education, culture, and sport. This is the perfect moment to bring massive numbers of new Olim — given the antisemitism we’ve seen abroad, and the fact that we’re closing the war chapter since October 7.”
Adams outlined both the moral urgency and economic logic behind this historic undertaking:
- The Push Factor: Soaring antisemitism across Europe and North America, including his native Canada.
- The Pull Factor: Israel’s promise of security, opportunity, and belonging.
“There’s hostility to Jews abroad that we haven’t seen since the Holocaust,” he said. “That’s the push. The pull has to be economic opportunity, affordable housing, education, and a full, happy life here.”
Building a Nation That Welcomes a Million
Adams emphasized that infrastructure is key to success:
“They won’t even get on the plane unless they know there’s support here — jobs, affordable housing, schools, sports and leisure facilities. Everything that makes life sustainable.”
He pointed to Israel’s southern frontier, the Negev, as the country’s greatest untapped opportunity:
“The biggest backyard we have is in the south. To fulfill Ben-Gurion’s dream and populate the Negev with high-tech jobs, housing, and strong communities would hit all the right notes.”
This strategy aligns with Israel’s long-term development vision — decentralizing growth away from the crowded center and turning the Negev into a new innovation and settlement hub.
Adams also called on the government to ensure inter-ministerial coordination, noting that Aliyah is not just a demographic project but an economic one — capable of boosting GDP, fueling labor markets, and invigorating Israel’s global competitiveness.
A Bridge Between Israel and the Diaspora
As head of the World Jewish Congress in Israel, Adams defined his mission as building a living bridge between Diaspora Jewry and the Jewish homeland:
“My role is to act as a liaison between Diaspora communities and the State of Israel to make it happen. We must be ready — able to comfortably accommodate 200,000 new immigrants a year. Without opportunity, they won’t come.”
Aliyah as Israel’s Next Growth Revolution
Adams’s plan reframes immigration as a national growth strategy, not merely a moral calling. As global hostility rises and Jewish communities abroad seek security and identity, Israel stands at a defining crossroads — poised to absorb a new wave of talent, capital, and creativity.
If successful, the plan could reshape Israel’s demographic map, reinvigorate the economy, and rekindle the founding Zionist vision: a homeland that welcomes every Jew — and thrives because of them.
