AFTER BEING in the eye of the storm of the Beitar Jerusalem football club for the past seven years, it looks as if the club’s chairman, Itzik Kornfein, is about to embark on a parting of ways. Kornfein was the representative of controversial Russianborn tycoon Arkadi Gaydamak, who bought the club in 2005 and provoked the ire of racist elements within Beitar when he hired two Muslim Chechen players last season.Gaydamak proved to be an exceedingly generous cash cow and under his ownership, Beitar enjoyed Israeli football’s top budget. Because the money was available, new players and managers were brought in, and Beitar scored several impressive victories. Guma Aguiar – the somewhat eccentric Brazilianborn American millionaire who made his fortune from oil and gas exploration, and who along the way became an ardent Zionist – bought up several properties in Israel, including a home in Yemin Moshe. He commuted on a frequent basis between Jerusalem and Florida and was keen to buy the Beitar Club, investing more than $4 million towards this end.However, Gaydamak had some legal problems that complicated the sale.In July 2011, it seemed that the legal obstacles had been ironed out, and Beitar Jerusalem announced that it was selling the club to American businessmen Dan Adler and Adam Levin – who initially displayed great enthusiasm for their proposed acquisition, but then backed off at the last moment. Eli Tabib, who had been ousted from the ownership of Hapoel Tel Aviv by long-term fan and former government minister Haim Ramon, who headed a group of investors that took over the ailing club, was still keen to remain in the stable of football club owners. He began negotiating with Gaydamak last year after relinquishing control of Hapoel Tel Aviv. The negotiations ran hot and cold for several months, but the deal finally went through on June 20 – exactly a year after Aguiar disappeared off the coast at Fort Lauderdale. His boat landed on the beach, but Aguiar’s body was never recovered.The Israel Football Association last week approved Tabib’s 75-percent controlling stake in Beitar Jerusalem, and Tabib immediately appointed businessman and retired international football player Haim Revivo as his representative. Revivo, in a desire to sweep the team clean but nonetheless to find someone familiar, has approached former football striker Nir Sivilia to take over as chairman. Sivilia played for Beitar from 1997-1999 and again from 2000-2001.THE CONGREGATION at Hazvi Yisrael Synagogue is largely made up of immigrants from English-speaking countries, primarily the United States. But at the kiddush last Saturday, the dominant accents were British. In addition to regular congregants of British background, scores of British expats arrived from other congregations and filled the synagogue’s Blondheim Hall. They had come to celebrate the 70th birthday of Andrew Braude, and it was fairly obvious that the Braude family has a very large circle of friends. One of the well-wishers told Braude that he was now eligible to sit in the front seat of the bus.Actually, he’s been eligible for the past three years, but hopefully will not need to take advantage of this particular service for senior citizens.IN ADDITION to being a successful film director, playwright, satirist and stand-up comedian, Reshef Levi, whose film Hunting Elephants last week opened the annual Jerusalem Film Festival, is also a devoted dad to seven children whom he brought with him to the film festival. But earlier in the day he took them to the Western Wall, and from there on a tour of the Western Wall tunnels – where dad had just as much fun as the kids.
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