LAS VEGAS — In a country wary of dynasties, former President George W. Bush said he could be a liability for his younger brother Jeb, a likely presidential candidate.

But he will never be a liability for the 700 Republican Jewish donors he spoke to in a ballroom here Saturday night. And especially not for Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the Venetian hotel and casino, where the Republican Jewish Coalition held its spring meeting, and the most sought-after donor in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination.

President Bush remains hugely popular with Mr. Adelson and other conservative members of the group, which has seen its numbers swell as tensions have increased between the Obama administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

That is good news for Jeb Bush. He has an extra hurdle to clear to win over members of the group, particularly Mr. Adelson, who spent at least $100 million to back Republican presidential candidates in 2012 and helped Mr. Netanyahu win re-election in March, and who is thought among donors here to be especially fond of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.