Yossi Dina (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: יוסי דינה; born August 21, 1954) is an Israeli

pawnbroker A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...

, businessman, entrepreneur, and reality television personality.

Biography

Yossi Dina, the entrepreneur and TV personality, was born in Israel on August 21, 1954. He spent time on a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

, a communal settlement, and then served in the

Israel army The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...

. In 1981, at the age of 27, Dina arrived in the United States. After a brief stint in New York, he hitched a ride to Los Angeles and found his niche in the jewelry business selling diamonds door-to-door. Soon he began to extend loans to people who needed money but were reluctant to sell off their beloved items. Eventually Dina saved enough money to open his own shop and went into business as South Beverly Wilshire Jewelry and Loan. He became known as the "jeweler and pawnbroker to the rich and famous" and transitioned from his small store into a large gallery-style boutique called The Dina Collection in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. Dina has done business with many celebrities, including

Lenny Dykstra Leonard Kyle Dykstra (; born February 10, 1963), is an American former professional baseball center fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets (1985–1989) and Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1996). Dykstra was a thre ...

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program ...

, and many others. Dina's shop, the subject of the reality series ''

Beverly Hills Pawn ''Beverly Hills Pawn'' is an American TV show filmed in Beverly Hills, California. Description It is filmed in The Dina Collection pawn shop owned by Yossi Dina Yossi Dina (Hebrew: יוסי דינה; born August 21, 1954) is an Israeli pawnbr ...

'' on the

Reelz Channel Reelz (formerly known as Reelz Channel) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The network's programming was formerly devoted to entertainment-oriented programming focusing on the Hollywood ...

, sells millions of dollars' worth of paintings, sculptures, jewelry, watches, first editions, cars, and memorabilia. Dina resides full-time in Beverly Hills near his Dina Collection shop, and also owns a multi-million dollar beach home in Malibu, once owned by entertainer

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

.The Pawn King
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References

External links

*
thedinacollection – official website

(Hebrew) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dina, Yossi Living people People from Hollywood, Los Angeles People from Beverly Hills, California Participants in American reality television series Israeli businesspeople 1954 births