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Casino mogul Adelson buried in Jerusalem

High above on a limestone ridge overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City, mourners said goodbye to Sheldon Adelson, the mogul who turned Las Vegas Sands into the world’s largest casino company. His wife Miriam and other family members laid Adelson’s coffin to rest on Friday.

Adelson was a self-made man from a poor Jewish immigrant family in Boston. He built lavish gambling palaces in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore that made him into one of the world’s richest men with a net worth of $34 billion.

He used some of that wealth in the world of politics, where he bankrolled Republicans including President Donald Trump.

He was also a big donor to Jewish causes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was present when Adelson’s body arrived at the airport, praised him as a “huge Jewish patriot.” Adelson saw one of his long-cherished goals realized in 2017 when Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital – a move that infuriated Palestinians and placed the U.S. at odds with most of the rest of the world.

Sheldon Adelson was 87.