Jewish billionaire Bill Ackman, recently made famous for his critiques of Harvard and the Ivy League for their failure to combat antisemitism, just purchased 5% of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange along with his wife Neri Oxman for 95 million NIS, according to Calcalist.
The purchase comes due to the decision to force the local banks of Beinleumi and Mizrahi-Tefahot to divest their shares in the TASE, on the grounds that their possession of these shares are contrary to securities laws. The shares are now being offered to foreign investors, and they amount to 18.5% of the total shares in the TASE. Ackman has now purchased over a quarter of these.
Ackman's acquisition comes on the heels of efforts by firms led by former Trump administration officials Steve Mnuchin and Jared Kushner to acquire the Phoenix Insurance Group, one of the largest insurance companies in Israel.