HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — At a certain point, Dr. Miriam Adelson, the GOP donor and Jewish philanthropist, determined that making charitable donations openly accomplished more than doing so anonymously, as she had initially done and instinctively wanted to do.

Adelson, one of the richest women in the world following the death of her casino magnate husband, Sheldon Adelson, traced her early desire to make donations anonymously to her modest upbringing in Mandatory Palestine and early Israel, as the daughter of parents who had made aliyah from Poland before the Holocaust.

Her father, who owned movie theaters, made a point of inviting soldiers to attend premieres free of charge, while her mother quietly created work for a Holocaust survivor in need. “All my life, I watched my parents helping people,” Adelson said. “I learned the importance of giving in secret.”

That belief stayed with her when she moved to Boston four decades ago and married Sheldon Adelson in 1991. As she became more involved in Jewish communal life, she resisted public recognition for her donations, convinced that anonymity was the purest form of giving.

Her perspective shifted after a conversation with the then-head of Boston’s Jewish federation, who urged her to attach her name to her philanthropy — not for recognition, but for impact. “He told me that if I gave my name, others would donate,” Adelson said. “So we surrendered.”

Over time, she came to understand that visibility could serve a greater purpose, helping inspire others to give. 

Jokingly, Adelson, who is worth an estimated $34.6 billion, added that she had just turned 80 and, though it might be early, she had already written her will and was “working to give away my money,” adding, after a beat, “it’s a big work.”

Adelson recalled this shift in her thinking during a panel conversation at the Israeli-American Council’s 10th National Summit in Hollywood, Fla., over the weekend. Sitting alongside her were two other U.S.-based Israeli philanthropists, Naty Saidoff and Adam Milstein. All three have been major donors to IAC, with Milstein helping found the organization in 2007 and Saidoff coming on board soon thereafter. The discussion was moderated by Noa Peri Jensch, chief community officer of IAC.

Saidoff, 70, who is also a leading supporter of the advocacy group StandWithUs, similarly said that he had realized the value in making donations publicly. 

Knowing Israeli psychology, he believed that in his community, people always want to “one-up” one another and give more, so giving publicly offered his peers something to outdo. “I know my crowd,” he said. 

Since 2022, Saidoff has held the controlling stake in Shikun & Binui, a real estate company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. He spoke about growing up in poverty in Israel. “But I didn’t know we were poor,” Saidoff said. “We lived in an abandoned Arab house — me, my mom, my dad, and my grandmother. My grandma was my North Star; from her I learned charity.”

He recalled how his hardworking grandmother would give them everything she had, even though she had so little herself.

Saidoff immigrated to the U.S. for college, married his wife, Debbie, and remained there. He began his career as a diamond dealer and later became an investor. But even before achieving success, he gave as much as he could, just as his grandmother had taught him.

“When you join a community, what do you do? You join the giving,” he said. “I didn’t have much back then, but when you give, you meet the best people in the world — people you wouldn’t otherwise meet.”

Eighteen years ago, when he helped launch the IAC with other Israelis in the Los Angeles community, he coined a phrase: “I aspire to be a freier,” using the Hebrew slang for a “sucker.” 

“That became our motto: Just give back. I believe the secret of life is giving,” Saidoff said.

Milstein, 73, co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation with his wife in 2000. Together, they have donated to dozens of causes. The foundation supports a network of over 200 nonprofit organizations and has facilitated more than 1,000 collaborations among groups aligned with its mission, particularly those related to combating the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Milstein recalled meeting the Adelsons through Birthright Israel and inviting them to IAC gala events several times until they finally attended in 2013. Their involvement marked a turning point for the organization: The Adelsons’ vision and generous support helped expand IAC chapters across the U.S.

In his closing remarks, Saidoff reflected on the deeper meaning of philanthropy in Jewish tradition. “You don’t have ownership of anything in this world,” he said. “The only thing you leave behind is your legacy, your stewardship. Giving gives you fulfillment. All of the impact you put on others’ lives — that is your legacy.”

Disclosure: The Israeli-American Council provided eJewishPhilanthropy’s travel and accommodations.