18 Facts About Shabtai Kalmanovich

Shabtai Kalmanovich, alternatively spelled Shabtai Kalmanovic, was a KGB spy, who later became known in Russia as a successful businessman, concert promoter and basketball sponsor.

Shabtai Kalmanovich's mother was a Holocaust survivor who had been sheltered by a Lithuanian family after escaping Nazi captivity in the Ninth Fort.

Shabtai Kalmanovich studied chemical engineering, and joined the Soviet Army soon after his studies.

In Israel, Shabtai Kalmanovich became active in the Israeli Labor Party, worked in the Government Press Office, and as a parliamentary aide in the Knesset.

Shabtai Kalmanovich had been instructed to infiltrate Nativ by his KGB case officer and pass intelligence on its activities.

Shabtai Kalmanovich became a businessman after the KGB funded investments for him in Israel.

Shabtai Kalmanovich became wealthy by exploiting cheap labor in South African bantustan of Bophuthatswana, in conjunction with other Israeli, South African and Taiwanese businessmen.

Shabtai Kalmanovich lived and worked for a time in Sierra Leone, where he made a fortune in the diamond trade and worked as a representative for Israel.

Shabtai Kalmanovich's wealth allowed him to befriend important Israeli figures, including intelligence officers and several generals, including Brigadier-General Dov Tamari, the first Chief Intelligence Officer of the Intelligence Corps, whom he took on an all-expense-paid tour of Africa as a domestic security consultant.

Shabtai Kalmanovich made contact with Knesset members, and hosted cabinet ministers at lavish parties at his villa in a wealthy Tel Aviv neighborhood.

Shabtai Kalmanovich was extradited to the United States, only to be released on bail and allowed to return to Israel.

Since 1994, Shabtai Kalmanovich was director general of the large Tishinsky shopping center in Moscow.

Shabtai Kalmanovich sponsored three basketball clubs and became general manager of the Russia women's national basketball team in 2008.

Shabtai Kalmanovich had close connections with all sorts of Russian businessmen, one of whom, Vyacheslav Ivankov, was killed in Moscow on October 9,2009.

Shabtai Kalmanovich's philanthropy included large donations to the Kaunas Synagogue, which was sustained mostly by his financial support.

Shabtai Kalmanovich was married three times and had two daughters and two sons.

On November 2,2009, Shabtai Kalmanovich was assassinated by unknown gunmen in a passing Lada Priora vehicle as he was sitting in his car, a Mercedes S500, in Moscow.

Shabtai Kalmanovich's assassin had waited for his car to stop at a traffic light before shooting.