Marcel Adams
Marcel Adams | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 2, 1920 Romania |
| Died | August 11, 2020 (aged 100) |
| Occupation | Real estate entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founder of Iberville Developments, Holocaust survivor |
Marcel Adams (2 August 1920 – 11 August 2020) was a Canadian billionaire, real estate entrepreneur, and survivor of the Holocaust.
Biography
Marcel Abramovich was born into a Jewish household in Romania in 1920. His father worked as a tanner. Between 1941 and 1944, during World War II, Adams endured forced labor in Nazi camps. Following his escape, he sought refuge first in Turkey and subsequently in Mandatory Palestine, where he participated in the struggle for Israel's independence. In 1951, he relocated to Canada and found employment at a tannery in Quebec City.
Adams ventured into real estate investment in 1955, achieving a 70% return on his initial property purchase. Three years later, in 1958, he established Iberville Developments and launched his inaugural shopping mall in 1959. Upon his retirement, leadership of the company passed to his son, Sylvan Adams, who managed it for nearly a quarter-century before Sylvan’s son, Josh, took over. By 2017, Iberville oversaw a portfolio exceeding 100 properties encompassing eight million square feet.
Personal life
In 1953, Adams married Annie Adams; together they had four children: Julian, Sylvan, Linda, and Leora. Julian pursued a career as a biochemist and played a key role in developing the drug Velcade. Sylvan assumed control of Iberville Developments. Linda became an attorney and is married to commentator Gil Troy, while Leora works as a nurse. Annie passed away in November 1997.
Marcel Adams died on August 11, 2020.
Further reading
- Guy Mercier, Frédérik Leclerq, François Roy, Marcel Adams à Quebec. Les destins croisés d'un homme et d'une ville, in 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)