Lev Leviev
Israeli businessman and philanthropist (born 1956)
| Lev Leviev
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 July 1956 Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | Diamond industry, Jewish philanthropy |
Lev Leviev (born 30 July 1956) is an Israeli businessman, philanthropist and diamond magnate. He is known for challenging the De Beers diamond monopoly in alliance with the governments of Russia and Angola.
Early life
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (then Soviet Union), Lev Leviev emigrated to Israel in 1971 as part of the Soviet Jewish exodus: Operation Exodus.
Business career
Lev Leviev built a major diamond empire and diversified into real estate and other sectors. He played a key role in breaking the De Beers monopoly by partnering with Russian and Angolan authorities.[1]
Settlement construction
According to Who Profits, Danya Cebus, a subsidiary of Leviev's company Africa Israel Investments, won a tender in 1999 to build 72 homes in Har Homa, won a tender in 2004 for 2,500 homes in Modi'in Illit, and worked in Ma'ale Adumim; Who Profits gives Leviev's holding in the company as 48.13%.[2] In 2008 the architect Abe Hayeem wrote in The Guardian that Leviev was "a major donor to the Land Redemption Fund", which he described as "affiliated with the radical fundamentalist Gush Emunim settler movement".[3]
In June 2008 Reuters reported that UNICEF had cut its ties with Leviev because of his suspected involvement in building settlements in the occupied West Bank, after a campaign by the Arab rights advocacy group Adalah-NY. A UNICEF official said the agency had found "at least a reasonable grounds for suspecting" that companies owned by Leviev were building settlements in occupied territory. Chris de Bono, a senior adviser to UNICEF's executive director, said the agency would not enter into partnerships with, or accept financial contributions from, Leviev or his "corporate people"; he said UNICEF was aware of the controversy over Leviev's reported construction work in the occupied Palestinian territory and that its policy was for partners to be "as non-controversial as possible". Leviev was then chairman of Africa Israel Investments, whose units include Danya Cebus, which Adalah-NY accused of carrying out settlement construction. According to de Bono, Leviev's only known partnership with UNICEF was a donation of jewellery in 2007 to a fashion event in France that benefited UNICEF's French national committee; UNICEF could not say how much Leviev had given as an individual. Representatives of Leviev's jewellery and property businesses were not available for comment.[4]
Philanthropy
Lev Leviev is a major supporter of Jewish education, Chabad-Lubavitch activities and Israeli causes. He has funded synagogues, schools and community projects worldwide. In 2007 The Forward called him "president and chief donor of the Chabad-led Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS".[5]
Notes
- ↑ The Missionary Mogul, New York Times, 16 September 2007.
- ↑ Who Profits, Africa Israel Investments whoprofits.org, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Abe Hayeem, The wrong message to Israel The Guardian, 9 September 2008, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Daniel Trotta, REFILE-UNICEF cuts ties to Israeli billionaire Leviev Reuters, 20 June 2008, accessed 28 October 2026.
- ↑ The Forward, Diamond Billionaire Takes New York The Forward, 15 November 2007, accessed 25 October 2026.