Marcel Adams (2 August 1920 – 11 August 2020) was a Canadian real estate investor, billionaire, and Holocaust survivor.Forbes: The World's Billionaires - Marcel Adams April 2017
Biography Marcel Abramovich (later Adams) was born to a Jewish family in Romania in 1920. His father was a tanner.The Press Reader: "Billionaire Marcel Adams Cultivates Israeli Brainpower" May 2, 2010 During World War II he was forced to work in Nazi labor camps (1941–1944).Financial Post: "93-year-old Canadian real estate mogul makes Forbes billionaires list for first time" by Nicolas Van Praet March 4, 2013 He escaped and fled first to Turkey and then to Mandatory Palestine where he fought for the independence of Israel. In 1951, he immigrated to Canada where he worked at a Quebec City tannery.Canadian Business: "Canada's Richest People 2017 - Marcel Adams" 2017 In 1955, he began investing in real estate making a 70% profit on his first building. In 1958, he founded Iberville Developments and in 1959, he opened his first mall. Adams retired and his son, Sylvan Adams, operated the company for almost 25 years, before being succeeded by his own son, Josh.Immobilier Commercial" "SYLVAN ADAMS en tête de peloton" volume 7 - numéro 6 - December 7, 2014 As of 2017, Iberville owns and manages a diverse portfolio of over 100 properties consisting of eight million square feet.
Personal life In 1953, he married Annie Adams; they had four children: Julian, Sylvan, Linda, and Leora. His son Julian is a biochemist who led a team that developed the drug Velcade; his son Sylvan ran Iberville; his daughter Linda is a lawyer married to commentator Gil Troy; and his daughter Leora is a nurse. Annie died in November 1997.
Adams died on August 11, 2020, at the age of 100.
References
Further reading Guy Mercier, Frédérik Leclerq, François Roy, Marcel Adams à Quebec. Les destins croisés d'un homme et d'une ville, en Pierre Anctil, Simon Jacobs dir.: Les Juifs de Québec. Quatre cents ans d’histoire. Presses de l'Université du Québec PUQ, Québec 2015, pp 195 – 220 (French)