Alona Barkat
| Alona Barkat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
24 June 1969 Ashkelon, Israel |
| Residence | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Known for | Owner of Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
| Home town | Ashkelon |
| Spouse(s) | Eli Barkat |
| Relatives | Nir Barkat (brother-in-law) |
Alona Barkat (Hebrew: אלונה ברקת; born 24 June 1969) is an Israeli businesswoman, and owner of the football team Hapoel Beer Sheva.
Biography
Barkat was born and raised in Ashkelon, Israel.[1] At the age of 14 she moved to Jerusalem to . Four years later she returned to national service in her hometown. She then studied at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,[2] performing undergraduate and graduate studies in the history of the Middle East. During her studies she met Eli Barkat,[2] then a student in Mathematics and Computer Science, and the two married.
In 1996 she moved to Silicon Valley in the United States with her husband, who became a businessman with his brother Nir Barkat. He was an early investor in Check Point and set up the venture capital fund BRM and IVN. In the eight years in which the family lived in the United States, Barkat started in the field of philanthropy. Among other things, the fund management company IVN also funded social projects, and has been active in organizations such as AIPAC and the Jewish Federation of San Francisco.
In 2004, she moved back to Israel with her family. Relations with the businessman Lonnie Herzikovic, then-owner of the football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, led her to consider entering a partnership with Maccabi Tel Aviv. She was involved in establishing a research institute at the University of Tel Aviv, together with the Rashi Foundation, where she met Eli Alaluf, CEO of the Fund at the time. Alaluf convinced her to buy the football team Hapoel Beer Sheva, which played in the second division at the time.
In the summer of 2007, just weeks before the opening of the season, the acquisition of the group from the previous owner, Eli Zino, was completed. Barkat became the first woman in Israel to own a football team.[3] Barkat's management team put special emphasis on a youth department, educational activities, and community connection. In March 2010, the group announced their departure at the end of the season, after a number of fans of the group tried to attack the coach, Guy Azouri. Two months later, after seeing a dramatic improvement in fan behavior, she announced that she had changed her mind and that she intended to stay with the group.
In May 2016 the team won the Football League Championship in football.[4]
Barkat lives with her husband and three children in Tel Aviv, Israel.
References
- ↑ A victory for social change - The Jerusalem Post
- 1 2 "Hapoel Beersheva becomes Israel's Leicester City"
- ↑ (in Hebrew) "Obstacles have been removed, Alona Barkat Hapoel Be'er Sheva acquired". Ynet. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ↑ (in Hebrew) "After 40 years: Hapoel Beer Sheva has won the state championship with a 1-3 for Bnei Sakhnin". WallaSport. Retrieved 21 May 2016.