The sale of these two buildings was not his first; Levinger was involved in the transactions for the sale of the House of Peace, and the Machpela House, next to the Cave of the Patriarchs.
The two buildings had stood empty for several years, on the market with no buyers. A Gentile representative of the NGO approached the property owner to see if he would be willing to sell to Jews, of course noting he would get more than market price in such a case.
There is also the issue of cost linked to each document, those that confirm ownership, authorizations to sell and so forth. “They don’t do anything for free,” Levinger explained. “Documents that in any other real estate deal in Israel the seller must present and it’s his responsibility to obtain them, here we pay for every such action, and we make sure to document every payment, to record and film.”
The organization films the meetings with the owner of the property, the documents, everything. It’s all on video, and in still photos.
The purchase was carried out solely with funds received from private donations, Levinger said. The NGO is assisted by many, including real estate Attorney Doron Nir-Zvi.
