Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., February 08, 2008 Adar1 2, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:44 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

American billionaire Sheldon Adelson. (AP) Last update - 10:21 26/10/2006 World's wealthiest Jew to donate $25 million to Yad Vashem By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, is set to receive the largest private donation in its history from an American billionaire who is considered the wealthiest Jew in the world. Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, will give $25 million to Yad Vashem in a ceremony on Friday that will be attended by Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Education Minister Yuli Tamir. The money will enable Yad Vashem to expand its international activities in the area of Holocaust education, will fund the uploading to the Internet of its main databases, and will help to pay for maintaining the New Holocaust History Museum. Adelson, 73, was born to a poor immigrant family in Boston and earned his fortune developing huge hotel, convention and gambling properties in Las Vegas and, recently, in China. His wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, a former Israeli, is a physician who specializes in treating chemical dependencies. Advertisement Last month, Forbes Magazine ranked Adelson as the fifth-richest man in the world, with an estimated fortune exceeding $20 billion. Forbes pointed out that Adelson's fortune was increasing at the rate of $1 million per hour. In other words, the donation to Yad Vashem represents Adelson's income for a single day. Adelson is a long-standing contributor to Jewish and Israeli institutions as well as to medical research foundations. He is a member of the board of directors of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The Adelsons said their current contribution to Yad Vashem was an expression of the importance to them of the memory of the Holocaust and the institution in Jerusalem as an essential component of the future of the Jewish people, of our children and of our grandchildren. Officials at Yad Vashem pointed out that in contrast to most large benefactors, Adelson agreed to devote his contribution to upkeep, rather than a building or project bearing his name. Yad Vashem's annual budget is approximately NIS 80 million. Half is provided by the Ministry of Education, while half comes from private donors. Adelson's donation is a major achievement on the part of Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev, who has cultivated the relationship with Adelson since becoming chairman a decade ago. Shalev told Haaretz on Wednesday that Adelson believed in Yad Vashem's ability to convince opinion makers of the importance of the existence of the State of Israel in light of the lessons of the Holocaust. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Baghdad, Interrupted Movie star Angelina Jolie takes on Iraq as UN goodwill ambassador. Unwanted praise Hezbollah leader Nasrallah compliments on the Winograd Committee report.   1.   A GOOD MAN 04:40  |  alan 26/10/06   2.   G-d Bless him and his wife 04:53  |  Liora Reznichenko 26/10/06   3.   Good to know that there are still Jews like Sheldon Adelson 05:02  |  Josh 26/10/06   4.   what charity 05:38  |  rabbi s 26/10/06   5.   steve ballmer is the richest Jew 06:01  |  s 26/10/06   6.   A HERO. A TRUE HERO 06:20  |  david 26/10/06   7.   What about the genocide in Darfur? 06:48  |  caritas 26/10/06   8.   Ill gotten gains 06:50  |  L A 26/10/06   9.   #8 07:23  |  Dr. Robert Frosch 26/10/06   10.   Any Jews in Darfur? (7) 07:39  |  sk 26/10/06   11.   Ill gotten gains? Capitalist shit? 07:43  |  sk 26/10/06   12.   Why not Help Israeli and Pal children 07:52  |  doug 26/10/06   13.   my donation of millions 08:06  |  david 26/10/06   14.   #8 is disturbed 08:07  |  Ed 26/10/06   15.   caritas -other than posting snide comments on haaretz... 08:17  |  paul 26/10/06   16.   Yad Vashem donation 08:28  |  Jack 26/10/06   17.   Holocaust should never be forgotten, thank you Mr. Adelson 09:04  |  Gea 26/10/06   18.   Free Education 09:35  |  Ros 26/10/06   19.   G-d bless Sheldon Adelson and his family! 09:39  |  Roni 26/10/06   20.   Small change !!! 09:42  |  Itsik 26/10/06   21.   Too bad he didnt earn his money honestly.. 10:03  |  Igor 26/10/06   22.   CHARITY 10:17  |  AVRO 26/10/06   23.   This donation is wrong 10:43  |  Kym 26/10/06   24.   #7 Carotas: Proverb "Charity starts at Home" 11:04  |  Haham me Bat Yam 26/10/06   25.   # 21 Igor Why sour grapes 11:13  |  Haham me Bat Yam 26/10/06   26.   JEWISH EDUCATION:NON JEWS 11:19  |  ron 26/10/06   27.   #21 Igor 12:36  |  Zorik 26/10/06   28.   #13 - what billions??? 12:49  |  emily 26/10/06   29.   Darfur(#5) 13:06  |  B.T.A. 26/10/06   30.   #24 Bravo!!! 13:12  |  B.T.A. 26/10/06   31.   #14 17:27  |  L A 26/10/06   32.   # 9 17:30  |  L A 26/10/06   33.   #14 Business People are cheats? 12:58  |  Rebecca 27/10/06   34.   L A is not well 00:46  |  Sam 08/02/08   35.   doesnt sound right 01:58  |  Eddy 08/02/08

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