Avi Samuels

Samuels was born in New York to Malki and Kalman Samuels. His father, originally from Vancouver, Canada, immigrated to Israel and became a Observant jew. His mother, Malki, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, married Kalman, and the family settled in Jerusalem.

Avi’s older brother, Yossi, suffered severe injury as a child due to a faulty DPT vaccine, losing his sight, hearing, and motor function. The family’s experience coping with Yossi’s disabilities had a profound influence on Avi’s life. Just months before Avi’s birth, the family moved to New York for Yossi’s treatment. Avi was born there, and five years later, his parents returned to Israel.

In 1990, his parents founded the Shalva Association, with the goal to create a therapeutic and educational framework for children with disabilities and supporting their families. Avi grew up immersed in Shalva’s work, beginning to volunteer and assist in its activities from a young age.

As an adult, he studied at Hebron Yeshiva, and at 19 transferred to Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey. Alongside his studies, he mentored at-risk youth on weekends. At 21, he married Debbie, a native of the United Kingdom. At 22, he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, commanding a Haredi platoon in the Education Corps.

He later studied Business Administration at Ono Academic College. During his studies, he entered the real estate field with a fellow student, building several homes and small buildings in the Nachlaot and Rehavia neighborhoods of Jerusalem.^[1][2]

As Shalva grew and plans for the new National Center in Jerusalem advanced, Samuels played an important role in supporting the organization and its mission. The main challenge was transitioning from a small, home-like institution to a large, complex center with wide-ranging programs, a shift requiring fresh thinking, new organizational structures, and managing rapid growth. In 2010, he was appointed Chairman of the Association.^[3][4][5][6]

During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of Shalva’s new Jerusalem center - a 22,000 m² facility adjacent to Highway 16 and Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the Beit VeGan neighborhood. To achieve this, he raised hundreds of millions of shekels in donations from Israel and abroad.^{[7][5][8][9][10]} Today, the center serves thousands of individuals with disabilities and is the largest of its kind in Israel, and among the most advanced in the world.^{[11][12][4][13]}

Under Shalva’s auspices, the Shalva Band was formed - an Israeli ensemble of seven musicians, some with disabilities. The band competed in the sixth season of the reality show The Next Star for Eurovision, reaching the finals.^[14] They withdrew from the competition to avoid performing on Shabbat, thus forfeiting the opportunity to represent Israel in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.^[15]

During his leadership, Shalva was granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (2018),^[16] received the Jerusalem Prize, and more.^[17] In June 2019, Avi and his family were awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Ruppin Academic Center.^[18]

In 2018, after years of social involvement, Samuels returned to the real estate sector, specializing in taxation, construction, and investment. He is now considered one of Israel’s leading entrepreneurs in the field of urban renewal.

Samuels heads Adi Capital, a holding company that invests in projects, acquires companies, and leads strategic initiatives in real estate and development across Israel. The company holds approximately 15,000 housing units in planning and construction, in 12 cities. Notable projects include a residential tower at the Ono Academic Campus in Petah Tikva, the Alfei Menashe Business Park, and the Migdal HaMayim neighborhood in Safed.^[19]

According to Dun’s 100, the company’s holdings rank among the largest in Israel’s urban renewal sector.^[19]

In 2025, Adi Capital acquired 50% of Terra Ltd., an active Jerusalem-based company engaged in large-scale redevelopment and National Outline Plan 38 projects. Terra is planning and building over 50 major projects throughout Jerusalem.^[20][21] According to Dun’s 100, The company is known for its financial stability, close working relationship with the banking system, and extensive expertise in zoning, permitting, and execution. Its strong cooperation with the municipality enables expedited approvals and project advancement.^[22]

Samuels is married to Debbie, is a father of five, and resides in Beit Shemesh.^[1]