By Bruce Newman
It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the loss of Sheldon Adelson and George Shultz. While the two men would seem to have little in common, they were both heroes in the Jewish community. These men shared great leadership skills and love for the Jewish people, and for this reason their accomplishments are worth recounting.
Sheldon Adelson, American Philanthropist and Israel Lover
Sheldon Adelson was born into a poor family in 1933 in Boston, Massachusetts. His love for the State of Israel began during his first visit to the Holy Land. After acquiring affluence, Mr. Adelson -along with his wife Miriam- provided vital funding to the Birthright organization which endeavors to bring as many young Jews to Israel as is possible. The Adelsons realized the gravity of sharing their love of Israel with approximately 20,000 youngsters each year. Their goal was to prevent the growing assimilation of American Jews. Ultimately, Sheldon and Miriam helped instill the love of Israel in 750,000 youth in a fifteen-year period. Mr. Adelson’s philanthropy knew no bounds. He was known to support drug treatment programs, medical research, Holocaust education, and the Maccabee Task Force, which battles anti-Semitism and BDS on college campuses. Sheldon Adelson passed away on January 11, 2021.
Main Photo: Sheldon Adelson with his wife Dr. Miriam Adelson a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
Former United States Secretary of State George Shultz
Former Secretary of State, George Shultz held an impressive four cabinet posts during the Nixon and Reagan administrations. His contributions to the Jewish community were extraordinary. He was known as a highly skilled diplomat and in fact, played a big role in ending the Cold War by developing trusted relationships with Soviet leader Gorbachev and his Foreign Minister, Edourd Schvardnadze. In 1987, Secretary Shultz attended a Passover Seder in Moscow where he passed a note to Mr. Schvardnadze containing the names of Jewish “refuseniks.” Mr. Shultz had requested that these Jews be allowed to emigrate to Israel. His hard work paid off when the Soviets relented and gave permission for these people to emigrate to Israel, among them, refusenik organizer Ida Nudel. George Shultz passed away on February 6, 2021 at the amazing age of 100.
We are pleased to honor the lives of these two giants for their great leadership skills, their courage of conviction, their innate kindness, and their tzedakah. May their memories be for a blessing.
Dr. Miriam Adelson pens heartfelt tribute to husband Mr. Sheldon Adelson on his passing
“Las Vegas Sands founder, Chairman and CEO Sheldon G Adelson passed away Monday night (Las Vegas time) due to complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. His wife of 30 years, Dr Miriam Adelson released the following statement: It is with unbearable pain that I announce the death of my husband, Sheldon G Adelson, of complications from a long illness.” – click here to read article
