Miriam Adelson Biography: Net Worth, Age, Children, Parents, Husband, Height, Daughter, Family

Biography

Miriam Adelson (née Farbstein), born on October 10, 1945, in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine, is a celebrated Israeli-American physician, billionaire businesswoman, philanthropist, and prominent political donor.

The daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants who escaped the Holocaust, she earned a B.S. in microbiology and genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an M.D. magna cum laude from Tel Aviv University‘s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, later specializing in addiction treatment during her time at Rockefeller University.

Adelson founded substance abuse clinics in Tel Aviv (1993) and Las Vegas (2000) alongside her second husband, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, whom she married in 1991; they had one son before his death in 2021.

She holds a majority stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp., publisher of Israel’s Israel Hayom newspaper, and acquired a controlling interest in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks in 2023.

A major Republican donor, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 and has given hundreds of millions to Jewish, Israeli, and pro-Israel causes via the Adelson Family Foundation.

With a net worth exceeding $30 billion, Adelson remains a forceful advocate for U.S.-Israel ties.

Israeli-American physician and businesswoman
Miriam Adelson
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Miriam Farbstein
Stage Name:	Miriam Adelson
Born:	10 October 1945 (age 80 years old)
Place of Birth:	Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Nationality:	Israeli, American
Education:	Hebrew Reali School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University
Height:	1.58 m
Parents:	Simha Farbstein, Menucha Farbstein
Siblings:	Avi Farbstein, David Farbstein
Spouse:	Sheldon Adelson (m. 1991–2021), Ariel Ochshorn (m. ?–1980)
Boyfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	Yasmin Lukatz, Sivan Dumont, Adam Adelson, Matan Adelson
Occupation:	Businesswoman • Physician
Net Worth:	$38.6 billion (USD)

Early Life & Education

Miriam Adelson, née Miriam Farbstein, was born on October 10, 1945, in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel).

Of Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity and practicing the Jewish faith, she grew up in a family deeply influenced by the shadow of the Holocaust, as her parents had fled Poland before its onset.

Her parents were Menucha Farbstein and Simha Farbstein; her father, Simha, was a prominent member of the left-wing Mapam political party in Israel and owned several movie theaters in Haifa, where the family relocated in the 1950s, while her mother, Menucha, managed one of the theater concessions.

She had two siblings: brothers Avi Farbstein and David Farbstein.

Adelson‘s early life was spent primarily in Haifa, where she attended the Hebrew Reali School for 12 years, completing her primary and secondary education there.

She then served two years in mandatory military service before pursuing higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Following this, she obtained a medical degree magna cum laude from the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine, specializing later in internal medicine and addiction treatment.

Career

Miriam Adelson began her professional journey as a physician and researcher specializing in addiction medicine. After graduating magna cum laude from Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, she completed a residency in internal medicine and advanced her expertise in chemical dependency research.

During the 1980s, she worked at Rockefeller University in New York, where she conducted pioneering studies on opioid addiction and co-authored numerous influential papers on substance abuse treatment.

In 1993, she established the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research in Tel Aviv—the first facility in Israel dedicated to treating heroin and cocaine addiction through a combination of medical care, counseling, and social rehabilitation. Building on its success, she opened a second clinic in Las Vegas in 2000, extending her integrated model of addiction recovery to the United States.

Though she gradually stepped back from daily medical practice after marrying Sheldon Adelson in 1991, Miriam remained deeply involved in research and philanthropy. She has co-authored over 50 scientific publications and continues to support advancements in addiction science through the Adelson Family Foundation, which funds global initiatives in healthcare, education, and Jewish causes.

After Sheldon Adelson’s death in 2021, Miriam inherited majority ownership of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the world’s largest casino and resort operator. She also became publisher of Israel Hayom, the high-circulation Israeli newspaper the couple founded in 2007 to promote center-right political perspectives.

In November 2023, Adelson expanded her portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban for approximately $3.5 billion, making her one of the few women in history to control a major U.S. professional sports franchise.

Today, Miriam Adelson remains active across medicine, philanthropy, and business, serving on the boards of several organizations devoted to addiction recovery, neuroscience research, and Jewish community development—a reflection of her lifelong commitment to science, healing, and public service.

Personal Life

Miriam Adelson, born on October 10, 1945, turned 80 years old.

She has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Ariel Ochshorn, an Israeli physician, which ended in divorce in the 1980s (sources vary on the exact year, as 1980 or 1986).

Her second marriage was to casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, whom she wed in Jerusalem in 1991; he passed away from non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021 at age 87.

Adelson has four biological children: daughters Yasmin Lukatz and Sivan Dumont (also referred to as Sivan Ochshorn in some sources) from her first marriage, and sons Adam Adelson and Matan Adelson from her second marriage, both born when she was in her 50s.

She also has three stepchildren—Shelley Adelson, Gary Adelson, and the late Mitchell Adelson—from Sheldon Adelson‘s previous marriage, whom the family often includes in references to their blended family.

Adelson has multiple grandchildren, though the exact number is not consistently detailed in public records. As of 2014, she had at least six grandchildren from her daughters’ families; more recent mentions confirm ongoing involvement with grandchildren, including one granddaughter who immigrated to Israel in 2018 and an oldest granddaughter noted as 20 years old in a 2021 statement.

Grandchildren from her sons or stepchildren may add to this, as family memorials and tributes frequently reference children and grandchildren collectively.

Adelson‘s height is 1.58 m, though she is often described as having a petite or “pint-sized” frame.

She met Sheldon Adelson on a blind date in 1988 while working at Rockefeller University in New York; they began dating that year and married three years later.

Net Worth

Miriam Adelson, the Israeli-American billionaire and majority owner of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, has an estimated net worth of approximately $38.6 billion, according to Forbes and other sources, placing her among the world’s richest individuals at #48 globally and the wealthiest woman in Israel.

Her fortune primarily stems from her controlling stake in the casino giant, valued amid market fluctuations, as well as ownership of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks (acquired for $3.5 billion in 2023) and media assets like Israel Hayom.

Estimates vary slightly—Bloomberg pegs it at $40.5 billion in August 2025, while Forbes’ April 2025 figure was $32.1 billion—reflecting volatility in gaming stocks and broader markets.

Despite a slight dip from prior years, her wealth has grown year-over-year through diversified holdings and philanthropy tied to her late husband Sheldon‘s legacy.