Spotlight Background

Key Accomplices

Miriam Adelson

Miriam Adelson

Controlling shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, which previously ran casinos in Las Vegas, but now runs casinos exclusively in Asia (China and Singapore).
Net worth: approximately $35 billion.

The Adelsons spent a record $172 million in the 2020 election cycle supporting Conservative candidates, and are among the most prolific donors associated with Israel.
They are ideologically aligned with the far right in Israel, and political candidates seeking their financial support often distinguish themselves by adopting far-right positions relating to Israel.

The Adelsons are financial sponsors of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), but also give directly to non-Israel-focused Conservative PACs — with the recipients understanding that Adelson’s support requires fealty towards Israel.

Adam Milstein

Adam Milstein

Company name: Hagar Pacific Properties.

Was a member of the Israeli army. Was convicted of tax fraud, but received a light sentence.

Ardent and aggressive supporter of Israel. Is thought to be the financial backer of Canary Mission (which he denies).
Canary Mission seeks to intimidate anyone who speaks out against Israel by creating a public database.
Milstein aims to make people afraid to criticize Israel.
Punishing anyone associated with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is a focus of Milstein’s “philanthropic” efforts.

He also directly contributes to political candidates and has heavily supported AIPAC.
His wife is on the board of AIPAC’s affiliate AIEF.
He is the founder of the Israeli-American Council and a Director of the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) — which works to stifle any Pro-Palestinian efforts on college campuses.

Mort Klein

Mort Klein

Organization: Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) — founded in 1897.

Was a lecturer at Temple University.

Openly against the idea of any state for the Palestinian people.

Regularly smears politicians and public figures critical of Israel as anti-Semites.

ZOA focuses on indoctrinating American Jews into adopting extremist Zionist ideology.

If AIPAC were described as Israel’s attack dog,
ZOA would be Israel’s attack dog with rabies.

Bernard Marcus

Bernard Marcus

Co-Founder: Home Depot.
Estimated Fortune: over $8 billion.

Has donated millions to support conservative political candidates,
including $1 million to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022 and another $1 million in 2023.

His funds played a key role in AIPAC’s strategy of spending heavily in Democratic Primaries
to block candidates who are neutral or critical of Israel from advancing to the general election.

Spent $20 million to establish an organization called RootOne,
similar to Birthright Israel, aimed at indoctrinating young American Jews in pro-Israel ideology.

Haim Saban

Haim Saban

Industry: Entertainment and Media
Net Worth: approximately $3 billion.

Founder of the Power Rangers franchise, now heading Saban Capital Group,
a large media and investment conglomerate based in Los Angeles.

He is the Democratic Party’s key donor whose primary focus is on Israel.
Describes himself as “a one-issue guy, and that issue is Israel.”

Has used his resources to ensure that even when Democrats win elections,
U.S. policy remains aligned and submissive toward Israel.

Donated $1 million to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022.

Paul Singer

Paul Singer

Founder: Elliott Management
Net Worth: approximately $6 billion.

Has donated millions to conservative Super PACs, including $1 million to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022.

A major funder of the neoconservative think tank American Enterprise Institute,
the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) — known for its hawkish, pro-war positions —
and the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Founded Start-Up Nation Central (SUNC),
staffed with many alumni of Israel’s Unit 8200, the Israeli equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).

Marc Rowan

Marc Rowan

Co-Founder: Apollo Global Management
Net Worth: approximately $5.5 billion.

Major donor to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022.

Has sought to pressure and intimidate the University of Pennsylvania’s leadership
into silencing Pro-Palestinian voices on campus — publicly announcing that he
would cease donations to the University unless such activism was suppressed.

Part of a broader effort among wealthy pro-Israel financiers
to conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism,
thereby framing any opposition to Israeli policies as a form of hate speech.

Ronald and Gary Lauder

Ronald and Gary Lauder

Family Background: Heirs to the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire.
The Lauder family retains 38% ownership of the company’s stock and 86% of the voting power.

Ronald Lauder is associated with the Republican Party,
while Gary Lauder aligns with the Democratic Party.

Ronald has supported AIPAC’s Super PAC,
while Gary has contributed to the Democratic Majority for Israel Super PAC.

Ronald has threatened to withdraw financial support from the University of Pennsylvania
over campus activities supporting Palestinian rights, which he falsely equates with anti-Semitism.

Ronald also serves as President of the World Jewish Congress,
an organization that actively works to shield Israel from criticism or accountability
regarding its treatment of Palestinians.

Robert Kraft

Robert Kraft

Founder: The Kraft Group
Net Worth: Multi-billionaire entrepreneur and sports franchise owner.

The Kraft Group operates across multiple industries, including packaging, paper manufacturing, and sports.
Robert Kraft is best known as the owner of the New England Patriots.

Donated $1 million to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022.

In 2019, Kraft committed $20 million to fund efforts to fight the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,
which seeks to apply economic and cultural pressure on Israel similar to the movement that helped end apartheid in South Africa.

Jan Koum

Jan Koum

Co-Founder: WhatsApp
Net Worth: approximately $15 billion.

Made the largest individual contribution to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022 — a staggering $2 million.

A major supporter of the Birthright Israel Foundation.

Donated $5.3 million to Friends of the IDF, directly supporting members of a foreign military despite being based in the U.S. and having founded WhatsApp in America.

Also donated $6 million to Friends of Ir David, the U.S. branch of Elad — an organization focused on settling Jewish families in occupied East Jerusalem and displacing indigenous Palestinians.

Amnon Rodan

Amnon Rodan

Chairman: Rodan + Fields — a skincare company founded by his wife Katie Rodan.
The brand is best known for the Proactiv acne treatment line.

Previously served on AIPAC’s Leadership Board,
and currently sits on the board of AIEF, AIPAC’s educational affiliate.

Donated $500,000 to AIPAC’s Super PAC in 2022.

Stacy Schusterman

Stacy Schusterman

Background: Daughter of Charles Schusterman, founder of the oil company Samson Resources.
She took over the company after her father’s passing and later sold it for $7.2 billion.

Currently runs Samson Energy, a deep-water drilling company.

Made the largest single contribution to the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC in 2022 — a total of $2.5 million.

Previously served on AIPAC’s Leadership Board,
and now sits on the Board of AIEF, AIPAC’s educational affiliate.

Edward Levy

Edward Levy

Position: Second-generation owner of EDW Levy & Co,
a Michigan-based company providing services to steel mills and producing materials for the construction industry.
Estimated annual revenue is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Possibly the most prolific political donor in the United States,
having made nearly 500 donations to political candidates and PACs since 2020.

Contributed $600,000 to AIPAC’s Super PAC between 2022 and 2023.

Made 43 contributions — almost all at the maximum legal limit
to political candidates via AIPAC’s PAC between 2021 and 2023.

Previously served as President of AIPAC in the 1980s.

Daniel Loeb

Daniel Loeb

Founder: Third Point LLC — a major New York-based hedge fund.
Net Worth: approximately $3.3 billion.

One of the leading sponsors of the Democratic Majority for Israel Super PAC.

His wife, Margaret Munzer Loeb, has also contributed to AIPAC’s PAC.

Loeb was one of the primary funders behind the Urban Empowerment Action PAC,
an organization claiming to promote Black empowerment but in practice focused on supporting Black candidates
who adopt pro-Israel positions
.

This PAC spent heavily in an attempt to unseat the only Palestinian member of Congress — Rashida Tlaib.

Howard Kohr

Howard Kohr

Position: CEO of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) since 1996.

Under his leadership, AIPAC has increasingly aligned itself with Israel’s far-right political movement.

While AIPAC and its affiliated political arms have funded both Democratic and Republican candidates,
the organization has become more closely aligned with the Republican Party during Kohr’s tenure.

AIPAC is reportedly planning a $100 million spending campaign for the 2024 election season,
aimed at blocking any candidates critical of Israel’s policies from reaching Congress.

Mark Mellman

Mark Mellman

Position: Head of Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI)
Also works closely with Reid Hoffman’s PAC — Hoffman being the billionaire founder of LinkedIn.

Served as a Senior Strategist for Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister of Israel
and current leader of the Yesh Atid political party.

Leads The Mellman Group, a consulting firm that advises Democratic Party leadership.
Through DMFI, Mellman plays a central role in ensuring that
U.S. Democratic politicians remain aligned with pro-Israel policies.

DMFI’s mission is effectively identical to AIPAC’s
to make sure every American politician demonstrates loyalty to Israel.

Yehuda and Anne Neuberger

Yehuda and Anne Neuberger

Yehuda Neuberger is a Baltimore-based private equity investor
and a current member of AIPAC’s Leadership Board.

Anne Neuberger is the Head of Cybersecurity at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).

Between 2012 and 2018, the Neuberger family foundation donated $559,000 to AIPAC.

Both NBC and Mother Jones reported on the conflict of interest this situation presents —
where the head of cybersecurity at the NSA is financially supporting an organization
that effectively acts as a foreign agent on behalf of Israel.

NBC later removed its article under pressure,
but the Mother Jones piece remains online, detailing the issue in depth.

Bill Ackman

Bill Ackman

Founder: Pershing Square Capital Management
Net Worth: approximately $3.8 billion.

A prominent hedge fund oligarch who has used his influence
to pressure elite educational institutions — such as Harvard and Penn
to silence criticism of Israel on campuses by equating it with anti-Semitism.

Sought to have students protesting Israel’s actions placed on a “do not hire” list,
attempting to intimidate and blacklist those who criticize Israeli policies.

Ackman’s wife, Neri Oxman, is an Israeli-American designer and academic.
While working at MIT’s Media Lab, she accepted funding from Jeffrey Epstein
after he had already been convicted of child trafficking (source: Times of Israel).