"Different is Better," as the saying goes. Sheldon Adelson told me this when we first met, and that's what he kept telling us, at Israel Hayom, at every meeting. Because that was Adelson: different – and definitely better.
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I was privileged to be among the founding members of Israel Hayom and I was privileged to work with him and his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson.
I have known Miri since we were children: our mothers were good friends, both from Poland, both with memories of the relatives and acquaintances lost in the Holocaust. Both from the generation that founded Israel.
I met Mr. Adelson many years later. I met a smart man. A direct man. A Zionist.
I spent 35 years in journalism. I know media cynicism well and I have met it – the choir singing in unison, the arrogance and self-confidence held by the few certain they speak the gospel truth and were therefore a monopoly – time and again over the years.
This was the monopoly Adelson sought to shatter. Out of faith, out of love for Israel. Yes, he was a Zionist. He cared about Israel and the Israeli public.
"One of the most important values that my late father taught me is Zionism," he told us. "And I've never compromised on values. I am not a half-Zionist – I am a Zionist in every sense of the word."
I sat next to him at Taglit-Birthright events. In front of thousands of enthusiastic Jewish youth from all over the world, who sang their hearts out. He radiated with pride and joy. His donations to Birthrigh were rooted in the belief that the people of Israel must prevail, just like his donations to Yad Vashem were rooted in the belief that "Never Again" is not a slogan, but a way of life.
He cared deeply that for years, Israeli media was uniform, controlled by a financial and opining monopoly. He had a vision, and it drove him and his wife to form Israel Hayom, granting me the honor of being its founding editor.
Together with the team we put together, we formed a newspaper that became a platform to what until then were different, marginalized voices.
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The public welcomed the change and embraced us and the monopoly was broken. Freedom of expression means every opinion has its place and deserves to be heard. Let the public decide who they prefer.
Conversing with Adelson was always an experience. He embodied determination and possessed humor and humanity. He always meant what he said and there was always something to learn from him.
Adelson was a true leader. He was different. He was a giant. I will miss him. We all will.
Amos Regev is the founding editor of Israel Hayom.
