Sheldon Adelson, who built the world’s largest empire of casinos and resort hotels in Las Vegas, Macau, Singapore and other gambling meccas, died Jan. 11 at his home in Malibu, CA. He was 87. He had built a fortune estimated by Forbes in 2019 at $35.1 billion, and used his wealth to promote right-wing political agendas in America and Israel.

In Israel, where he had a home and owned major conservative media outlets, Mr. Adelson supported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. He opposed statehood for Palestinians, favored Israeli settlement in occupied territories, and underwrote junkets to Israel by congressional Republicans. Reportedly, he spent $67.7 million to buy the former U.S. ambassador’s residence in Tel Aviv. It was the largest amount paid for a home in Israeli history and appeared aimed at making it more difficult for future presidents to reverse the Trump administration’s move of the U.S. Embassy in Israeli to Jerusalem in 2018.

Mr. Adelson and his wife contributed hundreds of millions to medical research, education and other philanthropies in America and Israel. According to the New York Times, Mr. Adelson first visited Israel in 1988, wearing the shoes of his father, a Lithuanian-born Jew who had never made the trip.