Sammy Ofer
Sammy Ofer | |
|---|---|
סמי עופר | |
| Born | Shmuel Herskovich 22 February 1922 |
| Died | 3 June 2011 (aged 89) Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Spouse | Aviva Ofer |
| Children | Eyal Ofer, Idan Ofer |
| Relatives | Yuli Ofer (brother) |
Shmuel "Sammy" Ofer (Hebrew: שמואל "סמי" עופר; born Shmuel Hershkovich; 22 February 1922 – 3 June 2011)[2] was an Israeli shipping magnate and one of the richest men in the country.
Early life
Shmuel Hershkovich was born in 1922 in Galați, Romania, to a Jewish family.[3] In 1924, his family immigrated to the then British Mandate of Palestine. The family resided in the port city of Haifa. His father was a merchant who supplied ships, and after finishing elementary school Ofer worked in the family business. He also worked as a messenger boy for a shipping agency in the city and joined the Haganah. During World War II, Ofer enlisted in the Royal Navy and served on a minesweeper.[3][4] During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, he served in the Israeli Navy.
Career
After finishing his military service, he became a shipping agent with the Eastern Conglomerate, and by 1950 had bought his first ship. He expanded in the shipping business.[5]
Ofer's assets were partly in his exclusive ownership and partly owned together with his brother Yuli, consisting of one of the largest private shipping companies in the world, with a value of $3.6 billion in 2011.[6] This includes the companies ZIM, Royal Caribbean International, Israel Corporation, Israel Chemicals, Oil Refineries Ltd, Bank Mizrahi-Tfahot, and Tower Semiconductor.
The annual Forbes magazine's list of The World's Billionaires estimated in 2011 his fortune, together with his brother Yuli's, to be $10.3 billion, ranked him in 2011 as the 79th in the wealthiest people in the world, and the wealthiest man in Israel.[7]
Philanthropy
In March 2008, Ofer donated £20 million to London's National Maritime Museum (NMM) at Greenwich, as part of a £35 million programme of expansion.[8] Ofer donated £3.3 million to help complete the restoration of the Cutty Sark by 2010.[9]
In 2013, a £1.5 million donation from Eyal Ofer enabled the NMM to buy two paintings by George Stubbs from 1772. The paintings depict a kangaroo and a dingo, and are the first depictions of Australian animals in Western art.[10]
In 2007, Ofer donated $25 million to the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, which included $17 million[11] for its 2000-bed Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital.[12]
On 10 November 2008 he was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in recognition of his involvement with maritime heritage in the United Kingdom.[13]
Personal life
He was married to Aviva Ofer. They had two sons: Idan Ofer and Eyal Ofer. They mainly resided in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Death
On 3 June 2011, Ofer died in his house in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the age of 89.[14]
Legacy
In 2013, Idan Ofer donated £25 million to London Business School in honor of his father, Sammy.[15] A new educational facility at Marylebone Town Hall was established as the Sammy Ofer Centre. The gift was the largest in the school's history.[15] There is also a well-known Israeli soccer stadium named after him that he also partially funded, Sammy Ofer Stadium in the city Haifa, Israel.
References
- ^ Magnatul israelian Sammy Ofer, nascut in Romania, a decedat la varsta de 89 de ani
- ^ Isabel Kershner (4 June 2011). "Sammy Ofer, Magnate and Israeli Power Broker, Dies at 89". The New York Times.
- ^ a b John Reed, Idan Ofer: fleeing Israel's new populism, The Financial Times, 12 April 2013
- ^ Controversial Israeli billionaire dies at 89
- ^ "Memorial to Sammy Ofer". Memorial website.
- ^ "Sammy Ofer Israeli businessman and philanthropist who was seldom far from controversy". The Times. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "The World's Billionaires:#132 Sammy Ofer & family". Forbes. 11 March 2000.
- ^ "Tycoon's £20m donation to museum". BBC News Online. 27 March 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Shipping magnate saves the Cutty Sark with £3.3m gift". Evening Standard. 24 June 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "George Stubbs' kangaroo and dingo paintings to stay in UK". BBC News Online. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ 'Tats' and tales The Jerusalem Post; Accessed 22 July 2024.
- ^ Amid northern jitters, Haifa's fortified underground hospital readies for war Times of Israel; Accessed 22 July 2024.
- ^ Honorary Awards Archived 5 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- ^ Maayana Miskin (3 June 2011). "Businessman Sammy Ofer Dies at 89". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ a b Della Bradshaw, Adam Palin, Idan Ofer gives £25m to London Business School, The Financial Times, 26 September 2013