Sammy Ofer dies at 89

Ofer is one of Israel’s most successful businessmen. Independently he was ranked the 132nd richest person in the world. The Ofer Brothers Group owns and operates Israel's largest privately owned shipping enterprise
 
 
Sammy Ofer, one of Israel's most successful businessmen, was found dead in his Tel Aviv home on Friday morning at the age of 89. He had been suffering a serious illness.
 
Ofer is survived by his wife Aviva, sons Eyal and Idan, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. Sammy was considered one of Israel's richest people, if not the richest.
 
Independently he was ranked the 132nd richest person in the world. He combined with his brother for a ranking of 79th, with assets of $10.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Sammy Ofer and his brother, Yuli, built Ofer Bros. Group into Israel's biggest private enterprise, with interests in shipping, oil refineries, chemicals, semiconductors, banking and media.
 
The Ofer Brothers Group owns and operates Israel's largest privately owned shipping enterprise, and through the holding company Israel Corp is a major owner of the container liner company Zim. The Ofer family is also a major investor in Royal Caribbean Cruises.
 
Sammy Ofer was born in Romania in 1922. Ofer immigrated with his family at the age of 2 to Palestine, which was then under British control.
 
He served in the Royal Navy during World War II and the Israeli navy during Israel's 1948 war of independence. He and his brother turned their father's small Haifa-based shipping firm into one of the world's largest, purchasing their first ship in 1950.