Birthright celebrates $70 million in donations from the Adelsons this year

The couple have given $410 million over the years to fund ten-day trips to Israel for young Jews, 33,000 of whom are slated to visit this summer

Sheldon and Miriam Adelson donated some $70 million this year alone to Taglit-Birthright Israel, the organization providing free ten-day trips to Israel for tens of thousands of young Jews each year, the group said.

The organization thanked the couple, who have given some $410 million in total over the years, at a gala event Wednesday marking 18 years since Birthright’s founding.

Some 33,000 young Jews from around the world are slated to visit Israel on Birthright trips this summer.

The Birthright program, which offers its free trips to Israel to Jews aged 18-26, was founded by Charles Bronfman and real estate magnate Michael Steinhardt in 1999. To date, over 650,000 participants from 67 countries have participated in Birthright trips, according to the organization.

Adelson, a major giver to Jewish and pro-Israel causes, was among the biggest donors to US President Donald Trump’s campaign and his inauguration.

In May, Adelson donated $30 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a political action committee aligned with the Republicans in the House of Representatives, in order to help the House keep its GOP majority. The donation is three times as large as the amount he gave in 2016.

JTA contributed to this report.