From tech titans to outspoken advocates, Jewish billionaires have seen both their wealth and influence soar to new heights in 2025. Some have stepped into the spotlight with public battles over antisemitism and unwavering defense of Israel, while others have chosen quieter paths, strengthening Jewish life and Israeli innovation through philanthropy and investment.
These six billionaires, Jan Koum, Michael Dell, Bill Ackman, Marc Benioff, and Larry Ellison, and Michael Bloomberg, have made a profound impact on Jewish life and Israel through investment and influence, in another year of unprecedented challenges to the Jewish state.
Jan Koum
Jan Koum, a Ukrainian-born American Jew known as the brains behind one of Israel and the world’s most popular messaging apps, WhatsApp, is a quiet yet influential mega-donor to Jewish causes around the world.
He ranked 27th in Forbes Israel’s 2025 list of Jewish billionaires, which estimated Koum’s net worth at $16.3 billion. Koum has donated generously to a range of initiatives, including Jewish education programs, community centers, and cultural preservation projects. Despite maintaining a low public profile, Koum’s impact continues to resonate widely across Jewish communities worldwide.
Michael Dell
Michael Dell is the Jewish-American founder and CEO of the eponymous computing conglomerate Dell Technologies.
Throughout Israel’s war in Gaza, Dell has continued to invest in Jewish communities through the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, set up with his wife, committing $15 million to 17 active projects across Israel and abroad. Beyond immediate relief efforts, he has also supported educational programs, youth leadership initiatives, and technology-focused projects in Israel.
Forbes ranked Dell as the world’s sixth richest Jew in 2025, with a net worth of $113.5b.
Bill Ackman
Bill Ackman, the American Jewish billionaire investor, is a notable public figure for his vocal support of Israel and advocacy against antisemitism.
In 2024’s Most Influential Jews list, where he ranked third, he told The Jerusalem Post that October 7 was “a wake-up call on the importance of Israel and the omnipresence of antisemitism.”
Ackman went into a fierce public battle against his alma mater, Harvard University, over its policies on antisemitism, and continues battling for Israel on the social stage.
He was honored in September by opening trading at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, where he repeated his stance that, despite October 7 and the wars that have ensued, “there is no better time to invest in Israel.”
Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff is the American Jewish co-founder and chairman of software giant Salesforce, as well as the owner of TIME Magazine. Salesforce has continued its investment in the Jewish state through buyouts of Israeli start-ups, as well as its R&D center, which employs hundreds of Israelis.
Despite his few public comments made on Israel since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, Benioff has donated to United Hatzalah in the wake of the attack, and his company has continued investment in its Israeli center, which remains one of Salesforce’s “strategic hubs.”
Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison, New York-born Jewish co-founder of multinational technology company Oracle, is also a philanthropist to Jewish causes, including large contributions to the Friends of the IDF and the city of Sderot.
Ellison, who never finished college and who co-founded Software Development Laboratories (which later became Oracle) with $1,200 of his own money at age 33, eclipsed Elon Musk as the world’s richest man in September after his net worth soared by some $101b. in a single day, due to the success of the company he founded.
Michael Bloomberg
Donating over NIS 100m. to Israeli causes in the past few years has solidified Michael Bloomberg as one of Israel’s biggest supporters in America. A self-made billionaire who has donated over $17b. in his lifetime, the former mayor of New York City left a legacy of change and advancement behind after three terms.
Since his own campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Bloomberg has been one of the largest political donors in recent US elections, showing his influence by giving hundreds of millions of dollars in support of the candidates of his choice.
Bloomberg is also one of the earliest signatories of the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages wealthy people to give away more than 50% of their wealth to charity. As Bloomberg himself put it, “[m]aking a difference in people’s lives – and seeing it with your own eyes – is perhaps the most satisfying thing you’ll ever do.”