Lev Leviev’s business. Africa Israel Investments, real estate investments

Contents:

- Lev Leviev — short biography

- Lev Leviev’s business: Africa Israel Investments, AFI Development, and other projects

- Charity work

Most business people can rarely combine a large-scale business in several countries with philanthropic projects and still support others in need of help. It is even harder to devote time to family and children in such conditions. Lev Leviev is one of those rare individuals who can combine both. He is a well-known businessman, philanthropist, and family man who has nine children with his only wife and 30 grandchildren.

We will learn what kind of business Lev Leviev is doing now and what he did in the past, what charitable projects he has set up, and what life principles he is guided by.

Lev Leviev — short biography

Lev Leviev was born in Tashkent (Uzbek SSR) into a family of orthodox Bukhara Jews. Though his attachment to the Jewish faith was not particularly welcome in the Soviet Union, he and others in his family were brought up Jewish. In an interview Lev Leviev says that his father, Rebbe Avner, and grandfather Rebbe Zevulun ran an underground yeshiva (Torah and Talmud school) where Jews in need could come at any time for material and spiritual assistance. This is probably where Leviev’s philanthropy had its origins — if you can help people in any way, do it and do not hesitate.

In 1971 Leviev’s family moved to Israel, his historical homeland. Immediately after arriving, the 16-year-old had to work as an apprentice in a diamond processing plant. After serving three years in the Israeli army, Leviev continued to study jewelry-making and soon opened his diamond-polishing workshop. Lev Leviev’s first business was a success, and his outstanding entrepreneurial skills were already evident. For a long time, Leviev was referred to in the press as the “king of diamonds.” Soon afterward, the businessman started to explore new commercial fields, where he also enjoyed success.

In the mid-90s, he acquired stakes in several mining companies and opened a chain of jewelry shops worldwide. Among his most successful acquisitions was a controlling interest in Africa Israel Investments. Within a few years, Leviev has managed to turn the firm into a successfully developing holding company with branches and subsidiaries worldwide.

Today Mr. Leviev is the owner and president of the Leviev Group, which includes many global projects in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Lev Leviev’s business — Africa Israel Investments, AFI Development, and other projects

Africa Israel Investments has an extensive network of subsidiaries in Israel, the United States, Russia, and Eastern Europe. The holding company actively invests in various business sectors and is constantly developing new areas.

Among the most significant subsidiaries is AFI Development, which is involved in construction. The company constructs buildings in European capitals. In Russia, it is one of the leading developers in Moscow and the Moscow region. The company is considered a backbone structure of the construction market and is supported at the federal level. Russia’s total area of completed projects is close to 1 million square meters, with approximately the same amount in the pipeline. All the buildings are original architectural and design projects. The residential buildings are equipped with modern smart systems, and the developed infrastructure makes such complexes virtually self-contained, with everything necessary for a fulfilling life, work, and recreation.

Besides, as the owner of Leviev Group, Lev Leviev is constantly looking for new directions for business development. His commercial interests are diverse and include mining, international trade, tourism, the fashion industry, and cryptocurrency mining.

Philanthropic activities

Raising capital is not the only sphere in which Mr. Leviev has excelled. His philanthropic projects are well known around the world. In 1992 he established the Or Avner foundation, which he named after his father. This organization has been involved in helping Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union and elsewhere in the world for about 30 years.

During this time, more than 120 schools and other educational institutions have been opened in which students receive not only secular but also religious education. In addition, the foundation opens canteens, summer camps, and other institutions. Or Avner’s priority is to preserve Jewish traditions and culture in communities outside the historical homeland.

Lev Leviev’s other charitable projects are also well known. He opened the Cardiology Centre in Israel with his wife, Olga. It is the largest institution in the region, and it performs complex heart and vascular operations and carries out scientific research.

Leviev and his family organized camps for children wounded in wars and opened Jewish schools in England, the United States, Azerbaijan, and other post-Soviet republics. He does not forget the country where he was born and spent his childhood, Uzbekistan. Not only does Leviev develop and support the local Jewish community, but he also helps elementary schools — most recently, in September 2021, he equipped several classrooms with computers. Before that, he donated $400,000 worth of pandemic personal protective equipment to the Uzbek government.

Lev Leviev has homes in London, Cyprus, Russia, and elsewhere. He often travels around the world for business and charitable reasons. In recent years, however, the businessman had preferred to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, something he could not always do when he had a lot of work.