Sheldon Adelson was an exceptional man. Having started out by selling newspapers on a street corner, he went on to achieve extraordinary things.
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He was a visionary who possessed the ability to think several steps ahead. More than that, he was a man of action. He had the wisdom and daring to make his dreams come true.
Sheldon was also incredibly kind. It might have seemed from the outside that he was a tough person, when in fact he was soft, caring, and incredibly loving.
For many years Sheldon and I met every time he visited Israel, always on a Friday, always at the same café, and later at home, we would talk for hours on end.
I listened to him with great attention, and I was especially touched by his love for Israel and the Jewish people. From this love stems his connection to Yad Vashem.
He was aware of the inherent dangers anti-Semitism poses to the Jewish people and the entire world. He understood the importance of remembering the Holocaust and recognized how valuable education is in achieving that.
Although he did not personally experience the horrors of the Holocaust, he understood the damage that had been inflicted on the Jewish people, and therefore greatly contributed to the creation of an international system of Holocaust education.
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With Sheldon's support, and with the support of his dear wife Miri, we built a pioneering worldwide system of professional teachers who possess the knowledge, values, and understanding of the need to teach and study about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
Sheldon made a unique distribution to the Jewish people and Holocaust commemoration. We are eternally grateful, and we will miss him greatly.
Avner Shalev is the chairman of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
