Shari Arison (born 1957) is an Israeli-American businesswoman and Israel's wealthiest citizen. She is the owner of several businesses, the largest among them Bank Hapoalim. According to Forbes, she is the richest woman in the Middle East, and the only woman to be ranked in the region's top 20 richest people in 2007.[1][2]
Arison was born in New York, and is the daughter of the businessman Ted Arison and Mina Arison Sapir. She has an older brother, Micky. In 1966 her parents divorced, and she moved to reside with her mother in Israel. At the age of 12 she returned to the United States to live with her father, and five years later she returned to Israel in order to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Arison is the mother of four children. She has been married three times, most recently to businessman Ofer Glazer. In 2007 her husband, Ofer Glazer, was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison, for sexual harassment and indecent acts on two women.
In 1999 Arison's father died, and bequeathed her 35 percent of his possessions. Her estimated assets are around US$3.2 billion.[3]
In 2003, she caused a big wave of protest after 900 workers were fired from Bank Hapoalim.
In March 2009, Arison sponsored Israel’s third annual “Good Deeds Day” in which her non-profit organization, Ruach Tova, inspired thousands of Israelis to get involved in volunteering across the country.[4] As part of the event, which took place near Tel Aviv, a Palestinian youth orchestra performed in an hour-long concert in honor of Holocaust survivors.[5] They played classical Arabic tunes and songs of peace, but upon the group’s return to Jenin, authorities condemned the orchestra’s leader for her so-called “exploitation of the children for political purposes.”[6] The event garnered lots of media attention from around the world.[7][8][9] Following the concert to celebrate “Good Deeds Day”, the orchestra conductor was expelled from her hometown of Jenin.[6]
   | Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People - Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People 2004 |
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