Ofer Nimrodi is an Israeli jurist, businessman, and former publisher. Ofer, together with his father, Yaakov Nimrodi, and other members of the Nimrodi family, own a large group of companies and enterprises, primarily in the fields of real estate, the media, and energy.
In 1988, Yaakov Nimrodi purchased the Israel Land Development Company from the Jewish Agency. A year later, Ofer was appointed its CEO. In 1992 the family purchased the Ma'ariv newspaper, after the passing of its previous owner Robert Maxwell. Ofer was appointed Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. Nimrodi's entering the media field, and Maariv particularly, was considered outstanding since neither Nimrodi, nor any of the family members had ever been engaged in the field of journalism or any other media. The engagement of "tycoons" in the media world drew much criticism and hostility from the veteran "media dynasties" in Israel and led to fierce competition, still visible today. This competition also brought the leading publishers to purchase other media such as cable TV channels, until a law passed that banned cross-ownership in the media field. In June 2011, The Israel Land Development Company sold the controlling shareholding of Ma'ariv to Discount Investment Corporation, a member of the IDB Group, controlled by Nohi Dankner. ILDC continues to hold a 27% stake in Ma'ariv. In the 21st century, Ofer Nimrodi has greatly expanded ILDC's business abroad. The company engaged in the development of large residential real estate projects by building neighborhoods in Warsaw and Bucharest, commercial real estate through logistic parks in Poland and Romania, shopping malls in Romania, Moldova, and Morocco, and in hotels and resorts in Canada and Morocco. In 2010, the company had entered another new field with the establishment of the Israel Land Development Company - Energy Ltd. The young company quickly purchased licenses and options for licenses for locating gas and oil in the Levant Basin of the Mediterranean and in the Adriatic Sea. The company began drilling in two of its leading licenses: Sara and Myra.
Criminal convictions
Nimrodi served an 8-month prison sentence during 1998-1999 for ordering illegal wiretapping while serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Ma'ariv. In 2000, he received a 25-month prison sentence for obstruction of justice, which was served concomitantly with an originally suspended 12-month sentence handed for his 1998 conviction. The decision not to add the 12 months to his prison-time was criticized by the State Prosecutor's office upon his release in 2002, expressing concerns that Nimrodi had recidivist tendencies.
Personal and charity
Nimrodi's name is frequently found in tabloids and the gossip-section of newspapers. He is married for the second time, a father of six who resides in Savyon in a house named the "White House", which spreads over 7.5 acres. Ofer's sister, Ruth Nimrodi-Weissberg, was killed in Sinai in 1996 when the vehicle she was traveling in drove over an old Egyptian mine in an unmarked minefield. The family has commemorated her by making a generous donation to Variety Israel, an organization attending to children with special needs. Its center in Jerusalem carries her name.
