Shari Arison

Shari Arison (born September 9, 1957) is an American-Israeli billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist, recognized as Israel's wealthiest woman, with a fortune derived primarily from investments in banking and real estate following inheritance from her father, Ted Arison, founder of Carnival Corporation. As chairwoman of Arison Investments, she formerly held controlling stakes in Bank Hapoalim, Israel's largest bank, from 1997 until divesting her remaining shares in 2024, and in construction firm Shikun & Binui until 2018. Arison has promoted corporate social responsibility through initiatives like embedding financial freedom programs at Bank Hapoalim and sustainability practices at Shikun & Binui during her ownership.

Through the Ted Arison Family Foundation, established with her father, Arison has launched ventures focused on community investment and personal empowerment, including Matan for workplace volunteering, Essence of Life for inner peace awareness since 2001, and Good Deeds Day, an annual global event she initiated in 2007 that now engages millions in acts of kindness. Her philanthropy extends to education, Holocaust survivor support—earning her Israel's Medal of Light in 2016—and global unity projects like All One Humanity. Arison, a mother of four and author of books blending business, spirituality, and ethics, resides in Tel Aviv and holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship.

Shari Arison was born on September 9, 1957, in New York City to Ted Arison, an Israeli-born entrepreneur who served in the Jewish Brigade during World War II and Israel's War of Independence before emigrating to the United States in the mid-1950s, and Mina Arison Sapir, who immigrated to Israel from Romania via the Youth Aliyah program. Her father's family had deep roots in pre-state Israel, with his parents relocating to Tel Aviv in the 1920s.

Following her parents' divorce in, Arison, then nine years old, experienced a peripatetic childhood split between Miami—where her father established his business base—and Israel, where she resided primarily with her mother, fostering a sense of displacement amid frequent travels. Raised in a secular environment, she cultivated an early affinity for Israel, Hebrew language use at home, and Jewish traditions that contrasted with her family's non-religious leanings.

Arison's legacy extended to philanthropy; in 1981, he co-established the Ted Arison Family Foundation with his daughter Shari, endowing it with substantial assets to support Israeli causes, education, and social initiatives, reflecting his commitment to his roots despite his American business focus. At the time of his death from a heart attack on October 1, 1999, in Tel Aviv, Forbes estimated his net worth at $5.6 billion, positioning him as the world's wealthiest Jewish individual.