Efraim Ilin ( he, אפרים אילין; 1912–2011) was an Israeli tycoon and security expert. He is known for founding
Kaiser in Israel.
Early life
Ilin was born in
Kharkov,
Russian Empire (today Kharkiv,
Ukraine). He grew up with
Zionist upbringing and spoke
Hebrew from the age of 6. In 1925 his family emigrated to
Mandatory Palestine, settling in
Ness Ziona. Ilin studied at the
Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium. In 1934 he married his wife Ziporah.
Security career
In 1938 Ilin was drafted by
Avraham Stern
Avraham Stern ( he, אברהם שטרן, ''Avraham Shtern''), alias Yair ( he, יאיר; December 23, 1907 – February 12, 1942) was one of the leaders of the Jewish paramilitary organization Irgun. In September 1940, he founded a breakaway m ...
to volunteer in the
Irgun. He worked with Stern and
David Raziel who was one of its founding members. In 1948, together with
Ehud Avriel, Ilin, who was then living in
Milan, negotiated a deal with
Czechoslovakia to supply arms for the
IDF. In 1948 Ilin also negotiated an arms equipment deal with
Levi Eshkol and the Yugoslavians on behalf of the
Mossad
Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...
.
Financial career
In 1945 Ilin helped Max Cukier and Avram Goldstein to contract to buy Egyptian cotton to be spun in Italy for re-export to Palestine and became their junior partner.
In 1948, after the founding of the State of Israel, the
Ford Motor Company sought to invest in Israel and facilitate the large number of vehicles it would need for the military and government. After threats of boycotts from the Arab nations, Ford backed down.
While the government was searching for alternatives, Lord
Marcus Sieff of London, put Ilin in contact with
Hickman Price Hickman Price Jr., (1911–1989) was the Assistant Secretary for Domestic Affairs in the United States Department of Commerce from 1961 to 1963 and a business executive with Kaiser-Frazer and Willys.
Early life
Price was born on August 14, 1911 ...
of
Kaiser-Frazer. Kaiser had recently built an automobile plant in the Netherlands, and were planning to build an additional one in Greece. Ilin met Price and the two agreed to begin a $2.5 million project. Kaiser-Frazer was prepared to invest half a million dollars and it would be Ilin's responsibility to invest the other two million dollars. In 1950, Ilin, who was unsure if the investment would be successful, traveled to Brooklyn, N.Y. to meet Rabbi
Menachem M. Schneerson for advice on the matter. Schneerson urged Ilin to provide the two million needed to bring the deal to fruition, telling Ilin that the new car company would boost the Israeli economy and provide jobs for Israeli citizens,
Holocaust survivors and new immigrants. Schneerson told Ilin the deal would be successful.
Kaiser was opened in Israel in 1951.
The factory in Israel built Kaiser-Frazer products, along with Mack trucks, under license. By 1956, Kaiser-Fraizer was responsible for 28% of Israeli exports. By the end of the 1950s, the operation was known as Kaiser-Ilin, named after Ilin.
In 1959, Kaiser-Ilin reached an agreement to assemble six-cylinder
Studebaker Lark
The Studebaker Lark is a compact car that was produced by Studebaker from 1959 to 1966.
From its introduction in early 1959 until 1962, the Lark was a product of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. In mid-1962, the company dropped "Packard" fr ...
s in Haifa, to help potential buyers bypass stiff Israeli duties on imported vehicles. Earlier that year, the Kaiser-Frazer plant at Haifa laid off 400 workers and suspended operations for two weeks because of a lack of parts.
[http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2007/07/01/hmn_feature27.html ]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilin, Efraim
1912 births
2011 deaths
Israeli businesspeople
Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine