The business career of Haim Shiff, who once owned the largest hotel chain in Israel, appears to be over as the controversial, 64-year-old entrepreneur was declared bankrupt by the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday.
Jerusalem lawyer Uri Ganor, who was appointed receiver for Shiff’s Jerusalem properties two years ago, was also named receiver for his interests countrywide.
The former chairman of the Jerusalem and national hotel associations, Shiff began selling off his assets five years ago after running into liquidity problems.
Tuesday’s bankruptcy order forbids him to engage in any financial transactions, including the use of a checkbook or bank credit card.
An early member of the Herut party, Shiff was frequently in the news because of his disputes with a variety of authorities and with business rivals.
He outraged the Jerusalem Rabbinate in 1963 by building the city’s first hotel with a coed swimming pool.
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