At the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv last night (Tuesday), businessman Israel Alter Schlaff, a resident of Vienna, Austria, and one of the most prominent leaders of the Babov Hasidic movement, celebrated the joy of his daughter's marriage, with the participation of rabbis, businessmen, and public figures from Israel and around the world.
But with all due respect to Israel Alter, who is considered a wealthy man, the one who drew the most attention was his brother, the tycoon Martin Schlaff.
Among those present at the wedding were several of Israel's senior politicians - who came especially in his honor - including the Minister of Economy for the Negev and the Galilee, Aryeh Deri, former Foreign Minister and Chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, MK Avigdor Lieberman, ultra-Orthodox billionaire Dan Gertler, attorney Dov Weisglass, and more - who huddled with him for extended periods during the wedding.
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One of the wedding attendees said that during the chuppah, Schlaf pulled out 200 shekel bills, which he distributed to the guests who arrived at the venue. However, at the wedding itself, he had already replied to the guests who had contacted him, saying that he had run out of money...
Martin Schlaff, considered one of the most influential foreign businessmen in Israeli politics, landed last weekend after not visiting the country for 12 years.
Since 2003, Schlaff, who lives in Vienna, Austria, has avoided coming to Israel due to a number of scandals involving him. He was wanted for questioning by the police on suspicion of involvement in a series of bribery scandals, the most serious of which involved an alleged payment of millions of dollars to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the late, so that he would help him promote a gambling venture in the Red Sea. After Sharon's death, the case was closed.
In addition, Schalf was suspected of being behind the transfer of approximately $650,000 to a Cypriot company allegedly controlled by former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The case against Lieberman was closed due to lack of evidence.
During the visit, Schlaff also went to his parents' graves on the Mount of Olives. At the time, due to fear of being arrested, he did not attend the funeral of his late father, who was a follower of Babov.
