Eyal Ofer started his career in the family shipping business, and for him, as it was for his father Sammy Ofer, the maritime life has remained both a global commercial enterprise and an enduring personal passion. But shipping has not been the sole focus of his business legacy. Eyal’s entrepreneurial character inspired him to create the family’s international real estate business.
which has grown over three decades and is today globally renowned in hotels, residential and commercial developments.
Growing up in Haifa, in full view of the city’s famous port, Eyal was exposed from a young age to the allure of the sea. He worked on the ships belonging to the family’s fleet, and sailing to distant destinations.
In spite of his schooling overseas, Eyal Ofer has a strong Israeli affinity, steeped in Jewish values, forged during his childhood in Haifa and sealed through strong family ties and service in the Israeli Air Force.
Eyal’s family values of education, hard work, dedication and decency inform every aspect of Eyal’s professional life. And a deep sense of social commitment, compassion, and dedication to helping others are the guiding features of his extensive philanthropic efforts.
An avid collector and patron of the arts, Eyal has continued his family’s philanthropic legacy, with major gifts that make contemporary art and valuable historic assets of cultural heritage more accessible to all. Through the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation, Eyal and his family support a range of educational, artistic and cultural causes.
But Eyal Ofer is first and foremost a highly successful businessman, with shipping, real estate and other interests spread across countries around the globe. He once characterized the Israeli businessperson as having “energy, chutzpah, courage and curiosity”. Clearly, these are characteristics that eminently describe the speaker himself.
The sustaining partnership between the Ofer family and Rambam Health Care Campus traces back to the generous and extensive support to the hospital extended by Eyal’s father, Sammy Ofer. Rambam’s main hospital building – the Sammy Ofer Tower, and the landmark Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital – the largest of its kind in the world, are testaments to his vision and commitment to the safety and wellbeing of Israeli citizens.
For Eyal, his wife Marilyn, and their four children, philanthropy is a primary concern, and a tradition that is passed down over the generations. Their most recent, major gift enabled the establishment of the Eyal Ofer Heart Hospital at Rambam’s West Campus. As CEO of the family foundation, Olivia Ofer played a key role in ensuring that the new hospital project fully embraces and expresses the foundation’s vision, standards and values. The new hospital will benefit the citizens of Northern Israel, by creating the facilities to deliver top-quality medical care, and support Rambam’s cutting edge cardiovascular research program.
In recognition of his extraordinary business acumen and philanthropic magnanimity, Eyal Ofer was awarded the 2015 Rambam Award.
