Dr. Miriam Adelson: Taglit asked Sheldon for $5M – he planned to give $50M

Hundreds of members of the Taglit Excel community, the business leadership program of Taglit in Israel, gathered Thursday at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv in the presence of Dr. Miriam Adelson, the organization's leading donor.

During a special conversation, Dr. Adelson shared personal stories about her and her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, and their donations to Taglit. "In his time, we saw there was a waiting list for young Jews who wanted to come to Israel. It pinched Sheldon's heart – it pained him that there would be young Jews who wanted to come to Israel and couldn't, because his father had wanted his entire life to come to Israel, and it wasn't possible for him because his family was without means. So we sat with the person in charge, asked him how much he wanted, and he answered, '5 million.' So, when we left, Sheldon told me, 'I planned to give him 50 million.'"

"In the first year, there was a waiting list of zero young people, and it worked. Masses stayed and started studying in Israeli institutions, and it was a pleasure to see them walking around with the branded shirts in Tel Aviv."

Regarding the war, Dr. Adelson announced, "After October 7, I decided that I'm not giving one more single shekel to enterprises that aren't Israeli. I decided to invest in Israeli and Zionist enterprises only." Taglit CEO Gidi Mark reinforced the message, emphasizing that since October 7, the organization has brought in 40,000 participants and is "the largest bridge today between Israel and the Diaspora."

In the special panel, Dr. Adelson said, "All the time I go with what I believe in, it's a rule for life. If I believe in something – I stand on it, even if it means I'll stand alone. This statement was also hanging in Sheldon's office, who was a shrewd businessman. If you're Jewish, I think you need to stand your ground," Dr. Adelson shared when sharing memories from her days as a young doctor. "When you do that, your friend will do it too. You have to start somehow, through the strong. We don't need to be afraid; we need to stand firm."

Video: Dr. Adelson talked about her and Sheldon Adelson's connection to Taglit / Credit: Moshe Ben Simchon

Dr. Adelson talked about her and Sheldon Adelson's connection to Taglit and their early days as donors to the organization. "At the beginning of my and Sheldon's philanthropic activity, we lived in Boston. There, we started donating to the country anonymously. We continued doing this for several years out of the belief in 'giving in secret.' They tried to convince us to do it openly, claiming that people would see us and start doing like us."

"How do we choose who to donate to? Sometimes we choose who to donate to, and sometimes people come to us and tell us about their activity. We donate to United Hatzalah and to Shomrim HaChadash, which establishes settlements throughout the country. At first, we donated in a relatively small way; however, after we saw that our donations helped realize the vision, we started donating more. I think we are everywhere."

Matan Adelson addressed Israel's global image amid the war. "It's no secret that Israel is not good, to put it mildly, at telling its story. Only recently, 'Hapoel' had to leave before the match in Barcelona because of pro-Palestinian protests that took place outside the hotel, when the police feared there would be confrontations between the team and the protesters."

"The protesters outside have no idea who Israel is and where it is on the map; they join the protest only because it's 'trendy.' This shows how bad we are at telling our story; I think we as a people and as a country need to think about the way we explain ourselves, we need to understand that Israel is the strong side but not the evil side in the story, and not as they present us. We need to present this story, and show that the other side is not the victim as they try to present."

When asked what the Jewish people should focus on in the future, Dr. Adelson answered, "I would say in investing to learn the Israeli story. It's absurd that in England, for example, there's a place you can't enter because of the demographic situation, it's like a small Gaza."

"Same for France. I suggest we stop defending ourselves against the whole world. We've been asleep for too long, and I think about how we can start now. Invest billions in universities, like for example Qatar, which finances Hamas, which signs on documents that it's forbidden to express a negative opinion about it."

"We don't have money like Qatar, but Israelis have a sharp mind, and we can use it to reduce the propaganda against Israel. I'm optimistic because of the people in Israel; I know we'll never surrender, for so many years we survived, suffered, and I'm sure we'll continue. I'm not worried about that, but rather about the consequences of what happened on October 7, for example, it reminds me sometimes of the stories about the periods before the Holocaust. Everything started like this. I call October 7 'another Holocaust.' It was evil to kill, rape, loot, and burn people alive in one place. In the Holocaust, they found one solution – at one time, they could kill many. Here – it's terrible too, to rape women and then shoot them."

Gidi Mark, Taglit CEO, opened and said, "We've brought 40,000 participants since October 7. We are the largest bridge today between Israel and the Diaspora; if we're the 'startup' in the field, 'Excel is the startup of the startup.' We invest in you more than any organization invests in the field, since we believe in the fruits this yields. I hope that through your path the Jewish people will be stronger. I trust you. Thank you for what you've done, and especially – thank you for what you'll do for the Jewish people."

Taglit Excel is the flagship program for leadership and business of Taglit, which aims to create a network of young Jewish businesspeople from Israel and the Jewish world, working together to strengthen the ties between Israel and the Diaspora. The community, which currently numbers more than 1,500 members from Israel and dozens of countries around the world, continues to grow and have influence in the fields of business, high-tech, philanthropy, and social action.

During the day, panels and lectures will be held with the participation of leading figures in the economy and Israeli society, including: Noam Bardin, chairman of Playtika, formerly founder and CEO of WAZE; Jeffrey Schwartz, chairman of Maoz (formerly CEO of global Timberland); Dr. Hedva Bar, deputy CEO and COO of eToro, formerly the Supervisor of Banks at Bank of Israel; Ayelet Gilen, manager of Palantir Israel; and Avi Gil, formerly the military secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.