Idan Ofer Wikipedia
Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife Batia are resigning from the board of Harvard’s Kennedy School in protest of the school’s failure to do anything about the numerous student groups that came out in support of the terrorist organization Hamas after its barbaric murder of more than a thousand innocent civilians on Saturday. He was also not happy with Harvard President Claudine Gay’s belated expression of support for Israel.
Israeli publication The Marker quoted Batia Offer as saying, “We resigned as a protest against the shocking and insensitive response of the university president, who did not condemn the letter of the student organizations that held Israel solely responsible for the massacres.”
Former Harvard President and US cabinet secretary Lawrence Summers has also been highly critical of the school’s failure to condemn the 35 student groups at Harvard that issued statements of support for Hamas.
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And billionaire investor Bill Ackman called on Harvard to release the names of the students involved in those groups so that business executives would know not to hire them.
In the statement that Harvard President Claudine Gay did issue she said, “Let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.”
“As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas,” she said in an official statement released by Harvard. “Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.”
Idan Ofer is an Israeli billionaire businessman and philanthropist, with interests in shipping, energy, mining, and sports. He is the founder of Eastern Pacific Shipping, and the principal of the Quantum Pacific Group, a holding company. He is majority shareholder of the Israel Corporation, listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, as well as Kenon Holdings, listed on the Tel Aviv and New York Stock Exchange. He is also the owner of the Israeli holding company Lynav Holdings and the Dutch-based Ansonia Holdings.
Ofer was born in Haifa, Israel, to a family of Ashkenazi Jewish (Romanian-Jewish) descent. He is the son of the late Israeli billionaire Sammy Ofer (originally Shmuel Herskovich) and Aviva Ofer. His father was an Israeli shipping magnate who immigrated to Israel from Romania. His older brother is Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. His uncle is Yuli Ofer.
Idan Ofer grew up in Haifa, Israel, and was enlisted to mandatory military service in the Israeli Navy, serving as deputy commander of a patrol boat. After his military service, he studied business administration at the London Business School, where he earned an MBA degree in 1980.
After graduating from business school, Ofer returned to Israel and joined his father’s shipping company. In 1985, he founded his own shipping company, Eastern Pacific Shipping, which has since grown to become one of the world’s largest shipping companies. In addition to his shipping interests, Ofer also has investments in energy, mining, and sports.
Ofer is a major philanthropist, and has donated to a variety of causes, including education, healthcare, and the arts. He is the founder of the Idan Ofer Foundation, which supports a variety of charitable organizations in Israel and around the world.
