NEW YORK (JTA) — Oracle’s Larry Ellison remains the world’s wealthiest Jew, placing fifth on Forbes magazine’s annual world billionaires list for 2014.
Meanwhile, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg (ranked at No. 21) was the “biggest dollar gainer” on the list, with his fortune jumping $15.2 billion, to $28.5 billion.
Ellison (with a net worth of $48 billion) and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson (No. 8, with $38 billion) were the only Jews in the top 10 on the list released Monday.
Eighteen Israelis (up from 17 last year) were among the 1,645 billionaires, a number that is 219 more than in 2013. In addition, several of the list’s 268 newcomers — including Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, Jan Koum of WhatsApp (which was just sold to Facebook) and sisters Aerin and Jane Lauder, heirs to the Estee Lauder cosmetics firm and daughters of World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder — are Jewish.
Microsoft’s Bill Gates topped this year’s list, with a fortune of $76 billion.
