Jews flock to Las Vegas to get more bang for their buck.

Las Vegas isn't exactly the holiest place on earth. Hotels on the Strip have dumped the family-friendly approach in favor of European-style topless shows, and much of the praying takes place at craps tables and roulette wheels. But in this decadent city, synagogues, kosher restaurants and mikvot seem to be springing up quicker than Krispy Kremes to cater to America's fastest growing Jewish community.

About 600 Jews relocate to the Las Vegas metropolitan area every month, according to research by the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. Lured by affordable homes within walking distance of synagogues, a thriving Jewish community, a business-friendly environment and a high median income, Vegas has become a Jewish boomtown. "It's an emerging community," said Beth Miller, Federation director of public relations. "It's exciting because this is the last frontier that's being built."

Sheldon Adelson, chairman of the Sands Hotel, is also the owner of the Venetian, a new Las Vegas complex built in 1999 at a cost of $1.6 billion. Adelson is "one of richest men in America," in 1998 worth about $600 million. [STOLL, I., 1-7-00, p. 1] Adelson, noted the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "is one of the country's largest donors to Jewish groups and he has influence in the national Jewish community." [RALSTON] Adelson, notes the (Jewish) Forward, "has paid for 75 congressmen to visit Israel with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee [the pro-Israel lobbying organization]." [STOLL, I., p. 1] As Joe Gelman noted in 1999, "A number of these sin-palace operators are Jewish and strong supporters of Israel." [GELMAN, p. 15B] [Author Gelman complains about the use of this citation

Sheldon Adelson: casino mogul, one of four foreigners named by the Jerusalem Post as contributing over $100,000 to the Likud's 1996 election campaign (the other three were Ronald Lauder, Joseph Gutnick, and Irving Moscowitz). Sheldon and Mervyn Adelson are not related.

Sheldon Adelson bought out the Las Vegas Sands Hotel, pioneered by Lansky, Moe Dalitz and Bugsy Siegel. Adelson developed the massive Venetian Hotel/casino, its themes carefully modeled on the historical center of oligarchy, tyranny and corruption, Venice. He has fought a long, bitter battle against the workers and labor unions in Las Vegas, and is a central player in the casino domination of politics-ownership of politicians-in Nevada.

Sheldon Adelson has poured huge sums into Israeli politics. He has sought approval to build casinos in Israel itself-as did Meyer Lanksy-but has so far not succeeded. Adelson finances the Lubavitcher cult, which operates a right-wing political and dirty-money empire from Russia to New York's diamond district, to Israel. The Lubvitchers, who agitated against the Oslo peace accords, are emerging as the dominant force in the Jewish community in Las Vegas-despite mainstream Jewish revulsion at their tactics and politics.

Last year Adelson was granted one of three gambling licenses (Steve Wynn also got one) in Macao, China, the former Portuguese colony near Hong Kong. Adelson says what Macao needs is a Vegas-style Strip, which he envisions building.
The Dirty Millions for Armaggedon
Irving I. Moscowitz: casino owner, Likud funder and warmonger. Time magazine's Sept. 29, 1997 issue profiled Moscowitz as a major danger to the Middle East peace process, in the article entitled "The Power of Money: American Millionaire Irving Who?? Sets Off Seismic Jolts in Israel": "It was his [Moscowitz's] bingo-parlor proceeds that financed the Jewish zealots who set up house in an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem, nearly provoking violent confrontation with the Palestinians and casting a blight over the peace process.... His money helped prompt the opening of a new exit to an archeological tunnel in East Jerusalem a year ago that sparked a bloody three-day gun battle between Israeli and Palestinian security forces in which 76 people died. Trust between Israeli and Palestinian leaders has never recovered."

Moscowitz made money selling hospitals to conglomerates, and in 1968 set up the Irving I. Moscowitz Foundation, which funds groups dedicated to expanding Jewish settlements in the territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war. This dollar stream increased markedly after 1968, when officials in Hawaiian Gardens, California, asked his Foundation to take over a failing bingo hall that was a crucial source of local tax revenue. Within three years the take on the parlor grew to $33 million a year. While Moscowitz paid some to the impoverished company town, most of the money went to the Jewish settlers. He launched a movement called the Third Way, which subsequently became a political party in the Likud's ruling coalition 1996-1999. The head of the Third Way, Public Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani, was the man through whom Moscowitz negotiated the opening of the tunnel in which 76 died. In an Israeli newspaper interview in August, 1997, Moscowitz said he had helped Netanyahu financially, stating: "Yes, not much, and in the framework of the law, from my private funds." He added: "Every time Netanyahu asked for advice, I helped. We are friends."

The current Intifada started after Sharon made a visit to al-Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) and other holy sites in East Jerusalem, where Moscowitz had funded the building of a 132-unit apartment building for Jewish settlers in Ras al-Amud. Sharon fully backs this project, and he had himself, in October 1987, rented a flat in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. Sharon draped an Israeli flag on the building, sparking a riot as he entertained 700 prominent Israelis. And when tension was further increased through a Panamanian front company purchasing St. John's Hospice in the Old City's Christian quarter so that 150 settlers could take possession of it, Sharon paid them a visit.

Behind both these incidents was Ateret Cohanim, which is training the priesthood for the apocalyptic Third Temple with major funding from Moscowitz. In 2000 alone, the Irving I. Moscowitz Foundation gave $85,000 to Ateret Cohanim; $90,000 to Old City Charities, for settlers in the Muslim Quarter of East Jerusalem; $105,000 for the Hebron Fund (a hotbed of Kach Party terrorism, as in the case of mass-murderer Baruch Goldstein); and similar large sums to U.S.-based political groups (such as the American Enterprise Institute, and the Zionist Organization of America) promoting war with Muslims.