Full Breakdown
Miriam Adelson’s Public Honors and Philanthropy Highlight Hostage Advocacy
By Drooid · · How we work
White House Recognition and National Honors
On December 16, 2025, Miriam Adelson appeared beside President Donald Trump at a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House. During the event, Trump publicly named her, underscoring her prominence in the administration’s outreach to hostage-family groups. Earlier that month, Israeli President Isaac Herzog presented Adelson with the Presidential Medal of Honor, and she used the ceremony’s remarks—delivered on behalf of all recipients—to draw attention to the families of hostages.
Awards from Jewish Organizations
In May 2025, the Israeli-American Council honored Adelson with a lifetime achievement award in Los Angeles.
Philanthropic Investment in Jewish Youth and Institutions
Adelson and her husband entered the Birthright Israel program in 2011 after learning that a waiting list of 10,000 young Jews existed each year due to financial constraints. Their contributions funded the original list and its subsequent expansion, amounting to roughly a quarter-billion dollars by 2015 for that single initiative. Additional donations have supported the Ariel medical faculty, Yad Vashem, the Israeli-American Council, and addiction-treatment clinics.
Advocacy Statements and Future Commitment
During a final stop of a recent trip at Independence Hall, a participant asked Adelson what the families of hostages desired in return for their sacrifices. Adelson replied that she would defend Israel if it ever faced danger, promising to go to the White House and raise her voice. She also asserted that the “investment” in the hostages’ release had already been repaid because the families had been reunited.