Ratio’s Founders
Yeshayahu (Shaike) Landau
Yeshayahu (Shaike) Landau, one of the founders of the Ratio Group, was born in Ukraine in 1927.
As a teenager during World War II, he emigrated with his family to Uzbekistan. In 1946, he made “Aliyah” alone aboard the illegal immigration ship “Haganah”. He was captured by the British and imprisoned at the Atlit detention camp.
Landau joined the Palmach, fought in Israel’s War of Independence, and was one of the first soldiers in the Golani Brigade. He completed his military service with honor and was discharged as an officer with the rank of Major.
In the 1950s, he founded Hiram-Landau Ltd., which developed construction and infrastructure projects. He was involved in extensive infrastructure projects in the south of Israel and in the Lachish area and in the construction of the Kiryat Malachi and Kiryat Gat towns.
After the Six Day War, Yeshayahu worked as an infrastructure contractor and won Ministry of Defense tenders to build airports and IDF bases in the Sinai Peninsula. Among other things, he worked in Africa under the auspices of the Hiram-Zeevi Group, which engaged in the construction of desalination plants, diversion of rivers, road paving and the construction of airports in Kenya. Having also built the Entebbe Airport, he was later able to provide the IDF with its precise drawings and construction plans during the planning of Operation Entebbe and thus contributed to its success.
In 1981, Landau, together with partners, founded Granite HaCarmel, which operated as a holdings company that included energy companies Sonol, Supergas, Tambour and the Consolidated Company for Oil Production.
During his work at Hiram-Landau, Landau and his partners initiated the building of the largest private power plant in Israel – Dalia Energies.
Landau financed the transaction whereby the Ormat Electric Turbine Company built a power plant in Southern California and was a partner in the American company that acquired the plant.
In 1992, he acquired an interest in the Union Bank of Israel together with the Rotlevy family and additional partners. That year, the Landau and Rotlevy families founded the limited partnership Ratio Oil Exploration, which was then listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 1993. The partnership became one of the largest oil and gas exploration partnerships in Israel. In 2013, the Landau and Rotlevy families, together with Eitan Aizenberg, established the Ratio Petroleum Partnership, as part of the Ratio Group.
Yeshayahu Landau passed away on November 25, 2018.
David Rotlevy
David Rotlevy, one of the founders of the Ratio Group, was born in 1930 in Tel Aviv, where he was raised and educated.
Following the dismantling of the Palmach, where he served, Rotlevy was transferred to the Intelligence and Signal Corps and participated in its first commanders’ course.
After completing his military service, Rotlevy studied law as part of the first class of the new law faculty at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He completed his studies with honors. In the 1950s and 1960s, his star as a lawyer shone, and he quickly became a partner in the leading law firm M. Seligman & Co., where he practiced law until the mid-1980s, in parallel with his political activities with the Herut party.
In the 1970s, he entered the civil service, and was elected head of the Tel Aviv District Office of the Israel Bar Association and a member of the Tel Aviv City Council on behalf of the Likud party. In 1979, he was invited by then-Minister of Finance to take on the position of Economic Attaché in the United States – a position he held for two and a half years and in which he contributed to the development of the economic ties between Israel and the United States, as well as with other countries.
On his return to Israel, Rotlevy resumed his political activities and in 1984 was one of the Likud party’s candidates for the Knesset and served as Chairman of the Jabotinsky Institute. During these years, he continued his work as an attorney while engaging in extensive business activities. Among other things, he was an active partner in the family-owned textile company Rotex, the acquisition of Lodzia and Argaman, and the management of these two companies. He also participated in the planning and financing of the development and launch of the Amos satellite project. He has served as a director on behalf of the Israeli government in numerous companies, including Zim and Leumi Bank.
Between 1990 and 1999, he served as head of the Central District of the Israel Bar Association, and as acting Chairman of Herut Hatzohar. Shortly before his death, he was appointed a member in the Bank of Israel’s Advisory Committee.
In 1992, he acquired an interest in the Union Bank of Israel together with the Landau family and additional partners. That year, the Landau and Rotlevy families founded the limited partnership Ratio Oil Exploration, which was listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 1993. The Partnership became one of the largest oil and gas exploration corporations in Israel. In 2013, the Landau and Rotlevy families, together with geologist Eitan Aizenberg, established the Ratio Petroleum Energy Partnership, as part of the Ratio Group.
David Rotlevy was a member of the group that envisioned and founded the Performing Arts Center, serving as a board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee and remaining active in it until his death. He was also one of the founders of the Israeli Yiddish Theater and served as its founding Chairman for the remainder of his life.
David Rotlevy passed away in 1999 in Tel Aviv, where he had lived his entire life.
Eitan Aizenberg
Eitan Aizenberg was born in 1936 and began his career in geology at a young age. In 1960, while studying at the Hebrew University, he joined “Naphtha Petroleum Company”, where he started working as a geologist.
Later, he moved to “Netivei Neft”, where he served as Chief Geologist and Technical Director. During his tenure, Eitan established a technical team that successfully increased the production of the Sinai oil fields to 120,000 barrels per day. Additionally, he initiated oil exploration in the Gulf of Suez and was responsible for the development of the offshore “Alma” oil field.
In the 1980s, Eitan served as CEO of several American oil companies that invested in oil exploration in Israel and Sinai. Subsequently, he moved to the United States, where he worked in various roles within the oil industry. Later, until 1992, Eitan focused on private projects and provided consultancy services to oil companies in Israel and abroad.
In late 1992, Eitan co-founded “Ratio Oil Explorations Partnership” (now “Ratio Energies”) together with the Landau, Rotlevy, and Ziffer families. He served as Senior Vice President of Exploration and Production until 2024. Eitan was the first to identify the geological potential of the “Leviathan” gas field.
In 2011, Eitan Aizenberg was one of the founders of “Ratio Petroleum”, established to explore and develop new geological basins with potential for oil and gas discoveries outside Israel. Eitan Led all the technical activities of Ratio Petroleum until 2024.
Today, Eitan remains actively involved in various business ventures. As a true visionary, he continues to advance his many ideas, combining decades of knowledge and experience gained through his extensive car.
