16. Ronald Lauder
No. 182 of the Forbes 400
Net Worth: $3.4 billion
Lauder, son of the cosmetics giant Estee Lauder, is well-known for his Israel and Jewish advocacy throughout the world. The current president of the World Jewish Congress and a political supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu, he is also involved with several other Jewish organizations, including the Jewish National Fund, which is largely active in promoting the growth and settlement of Israel. Lauder has been outspoken against boycotts and bans on products made in Israeli settlements, and has worked to increase sanctions upon Iran and other enemies of Israel. He is also a partial owner of Israel’s Channel Ten television station and has participated in a number of media deals in the Jewish State.
17. Bernard Marcus
No. 194 of the Forbes 400
Net Worth: $3.3. billion
Marcus, who made his fortune from his home-improvement chain Home Depot, sits on the board of directors of the Republican Jewish Coalition and co-founded the Israel Democracy Institute, a think tank based in Jerusalem’s Talbiya neighborhood. He contributed $5 million towards the building of the Institute, and has continued to support its operation with hundreds of millions of shekels. He promotes US-Israel relations, donating generously to the America-Israel Friendship League and serving on the board of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
18. Henry Samueli
No. 256 of the Forbes 400
Net Worth: $2.6 billion
The son of Holocaust survivors, Samueli, who cofounded the semiconductor tech firm Broadcom, has invested heavily in the Israeli high-tech field, having acquired 11 Israeli companies at a total cost of roughly $2 billion. Israel’s Broadcom site is the second-largest outside of the US. He received a prize from the Israeli government honoring his contributions to innovation in the country. He has also donated generously to philanthropic causes, crediting his Jewish heritage for imbuing him with altruistic values.
19. S. Daniel Abraham
No. 327 of Forbes 400
Net Worth: $2.1 billion
The founder of weight-loss company Slim Fast, Abraham has used his wealth and influence to work towards a solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict, founding the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace and authoring the book “Peace is Possible”. Abraham has also funded the Dan Abraham School for Business Administration and Economics at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program at Yeshiva University, and the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women. Former President Bill Clinton has said of him, “When peace finally comes to the Middle East, it will be because of people like Dan Abraham.”
20. Paul Singer
No. 327 of Forbes 400
Net Worth: $2.1 billion
Singer, a large supporter of the GOP and an advocate for Republican candidates and causes, made his money through hedge funds. He is a strong supporter of Israel and is active in pro-Israel philanthropy and advocacy. In addition to sitting on the boards of several pro-Israel organizations and founding several neoconservative research groups, he is a large contributor to The Israel Project, an Israel-advocacy organization focused on providing accurate and positive information about Israel. He also founded the Paul E. Singer Foundation, whose mission is to “ensure Israel’s survival as an independent and vibrant Jewish state by increasing and broadening support for Israel.
If the US ever cuts off the $3.5 Billion in weapons it gives to Israel annually, these people between them could make up for it easily.
Obama is now meeting with Netanyahu tomorrow, to mend the fence in the aftermath of bucking Bibi on the Iran Deal. Israel demands a minimum increase in US foreign aid comprising $50B package to replace current $30B package ending in 2017. Israel also has asked for a free $13B air craft carrier.
Where’s Soros?
Where’s billionaire auto dealer Norman Braman? He funds Rubio. Beat Singer to it.