Reb Ezra Unger, a 36-year-old real estate entrepreneur from Boro Park, is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire Arkia, Israel’s budget carrier, with the goal of transforming it into a fully Shabbos-observant operation. The report originated with Kikar Shabbat and quickly spread through Chasidish business circles in the United States given Unger’s background and rapid rise.

Unger, a Vizhnitz and Bobov Chasid who was raised in Monsey and learned at the Vizhnitz Kiryat Yishmiya yeshiva. He later married into the family of the Rimanover Rebbe and initially settled in Yerushalayim before building his real estate career.

Unger’s path to wealth reportedly began while he was learning in kollel, when he started selling baked goods to fellow yungerleit to help support his family. That venture led him into brokering deals, and he eventually drew capital from early backers who believed in him, paving the way for his entry into the New York City real estate market, where he built a reputation for closing major transactions.

A family member told Kikar Shabbat that Unger’s motivation for pursuing the airline purchase is rooted in a desire to end Chillul Shabbos. The relative said Unger had grown increasingly troubled by the widespread Shabbos violations across Israel’s aviation industry, often taking place in view of Jewish children, and that this concern is what drove him toward the acquisition.

Should the deal be finalized, Arkia would become the second-largest Chasidish-owned airline in the world, behind Challenge Airlines, which is owned by Belgian businessman Reb Itzik Falk. Details on the purchase price and the terms of Shabbos observance under the new ownership have not been made public.