Leviev: First
צילום: סיוון פרג'
Leviev bumps Wertheimer from top of Israel's rich-list
Israeli financial publication TheMarker releases Israel's-500-richest list; Leviev tops list, kicks Wertheimer down to second place
Lev Leviev, owner of Africa Israel, has replaced the Wertheimer family at the top of the 'Israel's 500 Richest' list, compiled by the financial magazine TheMarker
Leviev, estimated to be worth $6-6.5 billion, led Africa Israel under his leadership to invest large sums of money in the US, eastern Europe, Africa, the Philippines and India, where he sees the next growth engine.
Africa Israel's growth, however, is due mostly to investments in diamonds, mostly in the Moscow, Russia, region.
In 2006, the Wertheimer family was at the top of the list. This year they were rated second with $5.5-6 billion; Shari Arison took third place, with an estimated $5 billion; the Ofer family came in fourth with $4-4.5 billion; and Yitzhak Tshuva ranked fifth with an estimated $3-3.5 billion.
The 500 richest Israelis are worth a total of $81 billion, 24.6 percent higher than the $65 billion they were worth in 2006.
A survey conducted for TheMarker checked how well the Israeli public is acquainted with the billionaires in the Israeli market and who is identified as being the biggest donor to the state.
The survey revealed that Arcadi Gaydamak topped the list, with 94 percent of the public familiar with him. Almost half, 45 percent, thought that he was the biggest contributor to society. Shary Arison and Lev Leviev were also found to be quite known with 88 percent of the public knowing Arison and 85 percent, Leviev.
Regarding their involvement in society, 18 percent thought that Leviev was a role model, while only 8 percent thought so about Arison.
