Jewish entrepreneur Arcadi Gaydamak has become the rising star in Israeli media. According to analysts, the Russia-born financier, who for years has been aiding the poor segments of the Israeli society (Russian emigrants, Arab Israelis), has the potential to establish himself as a prominent political leader.
The popularity of Gaydamak among the Russian population in Israel is evident. According to a recent article published by the Tel Aviv-based Haaretz daily, Dr. Eliezer Feldman, a pollster and researcher specializing in Israel's Russian population, conducted his Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) poll in which participants were asked, in an open question, to name their "Man of the Year." Many names were suggested in this telephone poll, but none of them was prime minister "Ehud Olmert." The winner, supported by 68 percent of those surveyed, was Arcadi Gaydamak. In a conversation with Haaretz, Feldman claimed he was so surprised by the results that he did not publish the survey's findings, "fearing that some methodological error had occurred."
But the same result also emerged from another poll. The popular Russian-language Web site www.zahav.ru asked surfers to name the person they considered the most prominent in the last year. This online survey was conducted last month. Out of 3,364 people who participated, less than 1 percent named Olmert as their "Man of the Year" - significantly less, for example. The site's "Man of the Year," chosen by over 50 percent of the participants: Arcadi Gaydamak.
But Gaydama's popularity has already gone beyond the Russian population. Many in Israel, including Arab citizens admire the man. So what is the secret of this 54 year old philanthropic person? Well, many observers in Israel claim Gaydamak owes his great popularity not only due to his generosity during the recent Lebanon war, for instance, but to the fact that he is not a political person. "Not yet, anyway," as Haaretz wrote.
The big question is what Gaydamak intends to do. In recent times, every political party in Israel is busy deciphering his moves. His press interviews are examined with a "magnifying glass.". Wisely enough, the experienced businessman has been keeping his cards close to his chest regarding his future political moves. Some claim he wants to enter the political fray while others say he maintains no real intention to become involved in politics.
It should be recalled that current Premier Ehud Olmert was the one who once brought Gaydamak into public life; now he is keeping his distance from the financier. "Anyone can be prime minister, but there's only one Gaydamak," members of the tycoon's close circle were quoted by Haaretz.
In a recent speech in northern Israel, the rift with Olmert was obvious as Gaydamak slammed the government for his handling the Lebanon crisis. "We believed that the actions of our government were calculated. Our soldiers were confidant in the measures taken by the government during the war. They absolutely didn't image that the country's leadership completely lacked any understanding of the situation. There was no organized plan to evacuate the public…," he said during the speech.
During the July-August war, Gaydamak constructed a tent-village in southern Israel that hosted thousands of families who fled Hizbullah rockets. Gaydamak's contributions earned him considerable praise among some Israelis. Gaydamak swift action also highlighted the failure of Olmert cabinet to cope with the crisis.
It should be mentioned that Gaydamak become a well known figure for sports fans in Israel last summer when he announced his entrance to the sport businesses and became the sponsor of a Jerusalem-based basketball club. After about a month, he decided to donate to an Arab football club based in the Galilee town of Sakhnin. Generally speaking, Gaydamak has voiced moderate views regarding the Arab-Israeli dispute. Earlier this year, he told the Haaretz that he would try to forge peace with the Palestinians and Israel's Arab neighbors by promoting free market policies. "Israel-Arab relations have to be based on economic cooperation and development," said Gaydamak.
In the meantime, he expanded his interests. In March 2006, for instance, he announced his offer to buy French newspaper France Soir via his company Moscow News. He had already bought the Russian Moskovskie Novosti newspaper in 2004. Just last week, Gaydamak entered Israel’s real estate market with a lucrative deal in Tel Aviv.
Will Gaydamak translate his growing popularity in the Israeli street and try to use the political crisis following the Lebanon war for bringing a new type of leadership to Israel? The answer for this question remains to be seen….
