JERUSALEM — Mitt Romney came to Jerusalem to publicly lock arms with Israel. But privately, he also used the opportunity to raise money and offer top donors an unofficial mini-retreat abroad.

At a breakfast fund-raiser on Monday expected to raise more than $1 million, nearly four dozen donors who had raised between $25,000 and $50,000 were treated to a lavish spread of salads, cheese and smoked fish — and the opportunity to hear Mr. Romney hold forth on the place he referred to as “a holy city.”

“I am overwhelmingly impressed with the hand of providence, whenever it chooses to apply itself, and also the greatness of the human spirit, and how individuals who reach for greatness and have purpose above themselves are able to build and accomplish things that could only be done by a species created in the image of God,” Mr. Romney said. “I come to this place, therefore, with a sense of profound humility, as I look around here at great people who’ve accomplished a great thing, and also a sense of spiritual connection, acknowledging the hand of providence in establishing this place and making it a holy city.”

But if Mr. Romney was the official guest of honor, speaking for nearly 20 minutes in a conference room at the King David Hotel here, the unofficial man of the hour was sitting just to Mr. Romney’s left: Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate who has donated tens of millions of dollars to Republican causes.