Sheldon G. z"l and Dr. Miriam Adelson

Sheldon G. z"l and Dr. Miriam Adelson are well-known in the philanthropic world for their extensive support of Jewish and other causes throughout the US and Israel. The Adelsons fund medical research in the areas of neurology, immunology and oncology through a groundbreaking and innovative collaborative research model. The Adelsons are the world’s leading private donors to Jewish education, the Taglit-Birthright Israel program, and Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. The Adelsons reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Longtime friends of Reichman University, in 2013 the Adelsons dedicated Reichman University's Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson School of Entrepreneurship, the first school of its kind in Israel. The school aims to provide students with the knowledge and tools to realize their entrepreneurial ideas and ambitions. The architecture of the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship building embodies the spirit of innovation and transformative thinking, central to its mission. The plan is efficient and modular with tall spaces designed to be conveniently reconfigured to support a variety of teaching environments. The building is an extended metaphor for the entrepreneurial mindset - clear, straightforward, no frills while simultaneously assertive, dynamic, passionately creative and humane.

Dr. Miriam Adelson, M.D. has dedicated her life’s work to the medical, social and educational advancement of Israeli society. Through her career in internal medicine, Dr. Adelson established unique expertise in the subject of chemical dependency and drug addiction. Her insight as a researcher and her pioneering initiative in establishing medical care facilities has led to international recognition in the fight against drugs in Israel and in the United States.

Born in Tel Aviv and growing up in Haifa, Dr. Adelson earned a Bachelor of  Science degree in Microbiology and Genetics from the Hebrew University. After two years of service as a biological researcher in the Israeli Army, Dr. Adelson continued her studies, graduating magna cum laude from the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine. Dr. Adelson went on to serve as Head Physician of Internal Medicine as well as Emergency Medicine at Rokach (Hadassah) Hospital in Tel Aviv. In 1986 Dr. Adelson was invited to serve as Guest Researcher and Associate Physician at Rockefeller University Medical Center in New York City, where she continues to serve until today. In this position, she studied chemical dependency and drug addiction, exploring the spread of HIV among drug addicts. Witnessing the depths of the drug crisis firsthand, Dr. Adelson understood the risks to her homeland of Israel.

Along with her husband Sheldon, Dr. Adelson committed herself to her life’s work: the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research was established in Tel Aviv in 1993 with the goal of preventing the spread of HIV before it reached epidemic levels. Dr.  Adelson  established  drug  rehabilitation  centers  in  Israel  and  in  the United  States,  providing  hope  and  opportunity  for  thousands  of  addicts.

Dr. Adelson has published numerous scientific articles concerning the influence of  drug  addiction  on  the  immune  system,  and  today  she  continues  to  advise rehabilitation clinics throughout the world.

Sheldon G. Adelson is Chairman of the Board and CEO, and principal owner, of Las Vegas Sands Corp. He has had a seven-decade career in the US and Asia as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Sheldon Adelson was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1933 and became an entrepreneur at an early age and owning his first business by the time he was 12. In the years that followed he worked as a mortgage broker, investment adviser and finance consultant. Mr. Adelson has created and developed more than 50 different companies, among them Comdex, the world's largest trade show for the computer industry. He went on to build casino resorts in Las Vegas and Asia and become one of the world's leading philanthropists.