Congratulations are in order for billionaire Kenny Rozenberg who made aliyah from the United States on Monday. He is known as one of the wealthiest American Jews and the father of 28-year old Eli Rozenberg, the controlling shareholder of El Al airline.
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The purchase, which took place in 2020, gave rise to concern as to whether Rozenberg, who at the time of the acquisition was not an Israeli citizen, would influence his son's decision regarding the Israeli airline. Rozenberg's associates declined to comment on the issue.
Israeli law demands that only a citizen of the Jewish state may own an Israeli airline, and Eli, who made aliyah a few years ago, qualifies. As he is an ultra-Orthodox businessman, El Al is expected to continue its traditional trajectory of not operating flights on Shabbat. Subsidiary Sundor airlines is expected to ground Shabbat flights as well.
Also on Monday, El Al launched its green flights program, according to which passengers will be required to take rapid COVID tests before boarding a plane. The very first such green light took off from Tel Aviv to New York. The opening ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport was attended, among others, by Transport Minister Miri Regev and El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin.
In an official statement, the Transportation Ministry welcomed Rozenberg to the country and said that "his aliyah in these uncertain times is a testament to the strength of Israeli society and economy, and illustrates the immigrants' tremendous contribution to Israel's economy."
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