Calling Israel’s independence “a good day for the world,” Berkshire Hathaway Chairman, President & CEO Warren Buffett hosted an Israel Bonds event in Omaha, Nebraska last week that raised $80 million in Israel bonds investments and intentions to invest.
“I’ve lived through Israel’s entire 70-year history and I believe it is one of the most remarkable countries in the world…I’m delighted to own Israel bonds,” the billionaire and internationally-renowned investor and philanthropist said The exclusive evening with the famed ‘Oracle of Omaha,’ who made Israeli tool company ISCAR Metalworks his first major overseas acquisition in 2006, took place at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
It was attended by over 70 investors from the U.S. and Canada, in addition to Israeli dignitaries and members of the diplomatic corps, including Shai Babad, Director General, Israel’s Finance Ministry; Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations; and Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York.
When asked why he remains committed to Israel and the Bonds institution, Buffett stated, “I have nothing but good feelings about what I am doing. The United States and Israel will always be linked.
It is a good thing for Israel that there is an America, and it is a good thing for America that there is an Israel.”
Finance Ministry Director-General Shai Babad, in citing positive economic markers for Israel including record foreign investment, low unemployment and consistent GDP growth, told the attendees, “We just don’t see you as investors, we see you as great friends of Israel.
Israel Bonds President & CEO Israel Maimon said “The Israel Bonds organization has played a significant role in the realization of one of Israel’s most remarkable accomplishments - the building of a robust, resilient economy. Investors the world over, including Warren Buffett, have taken notice.”