Syrian refugee turned LA mogul builds America’s largest Jewish center

The mogul behind what will be America’s largest Jewish center arrived in the US as a struggling Syrian refugee — and has since built a real-estate empire featuring some of LA’s most expensive, recognizable properties.

Alon Abady, 55 — whose Hollywood-drenched dealings have involved stars from Justin Bieber to Simon Cowell — rose to quiet fortune after settling in California with his family from Damascus in the 1970s.

He and his relatives ended up on Los Angeles’s Westside, and Abady got into real estate while attending UCLA, working as an agent and learning the business firsthand.

Decades later, he is still buying — particularly when others hesitate, including with the $35 million purchase of a vacant Century City office building in LA in 2023 that is now worth an estimated $103 million.

The married real-estate titan recently donated the property so that it can be developed into a massive Chabad Campus for Jewish Life, offering educational and other services for the community.

As the CEO of Waterfall Bridge Capital and president of Abady Holdings Corporation, he manages a portfolio that includes hotels that host A-listers, Beverly Hills mansions passed between celebrities and office buildings in the heart of Hollywood.

His name is often associated with high-value deals, though he keeps a low profile.

In 2021, Abady was revealed as the buyer of the Sofitel Beverly Hills in a deal valued at roughly $96 million.

The hotel has long been a magnet for entertainment insiders, touring artists and foreign cash. The purchase turned heads and solidified Abady’s stance on the charts.

But despite his proximity to fame, Abady — who has peddled posh homes to celebs such as Justin and Hailey Bieber and scooped up properties including Simon Cowell’s former Beverly Hills spread — stays out of the spotlight.

You won’t find any flashy interviews or an Instagram trail.

Instead, he apparently prefers discretion, off-market moves and private relationships.

Abady also apparently finds strength in his faith.

Leaders of LA’s Chabad community — which aims to educate people and support Jews — helped his family when they arrived in the US, he said.

This is a lifelong dream that also allows me to honor my parents and my children,’’ Abady said in a statement announcing his property donation

“When my family immigrated to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Chabad was there for us. That was never forgotten.”