KIBBUTZ SHAMIR, Israel—Shamir Optical Industry brought management, employees and business partners from around the world to its corporate headquarters and R&D center here for a joyous 50th anniversary celebration this week. The event culminated Monday night in a party at a winery in Northern Israel attended by about 700 members of the Shamir team, including former executives and others who have been instrumental in guiding the company’s success over the past five decades. A highlight of the event was the screening of a documentary film that traced Shamir’s evolution from a manufacturer of glass bifocals to a global leader in ophthalmic technology.




Yagen Moshe congratulates the Shamir team on their successes.
The film featured interviews with past and present company leaders who spoke about Shamir’s humble origins as a kibbutz-based lens maker and how the small company struggled during its early years to master the manufacturing techniques needed to create products that could compete on the international market. As the company grew, its engineers and designers created software and other technologies that enabled Shamir to pioneer the development of freeform lenses and other innovations.

Yagen Moshe, CEO and president of Shamir Optical Industry, greeted the crowd and congratulated them on their achievements. Entertainment was provided by Israeli music stars Shlomi Shabbat and Shiri Maimon, who each had the crowd singing along to their hits.





(L to R) Shamir’s Zohar Katzman, Efrat Eldan Shechter, Raanan Naftalovich and Danny Katzman joined in the celebration.
Managers from Shamir’s International team were also on-hand to celebrate. (L to R) are Banu Dulger, Shamir Turkey; Oscar Burgeno, Shamir Spain; and Luis Feijo, Shamir Portugal.
Shamir’s international team toured the Golan Heights the day before the party. They are pictured here, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.










Hilaire van der Veen, former CEO and co-founder of Shamir Insight was in a festive mood.
Israeli pop star Shiri Maimon entertained the crowd with a medley of her hits.
(L to R) EssilorLuxottica’s Giorgio Striano, Paul du Saillant and Francesco Milleri joined Shamir’s Yagen Moshe and Omry Rotem to congratulate the Shamir team on its landmark anniversary.