David Dangoor

David Alan Ezra Dangoor CBE DL[2] (born 1948[3]) is a British businessman and philanthropist. One of four sons[4] of Sir Naim Dangoor[5] and Renée Dangoor, he spent his early life in Baghdad as part of Iraq's Jewish community, leaving with his parents and his brothers in the 1960s for the United Kingdom,[6] where he was educated at the Jewish boarding school Carmel College and at Imperial College London.[2]

David Dangoor

CBE DL
Born1948 (age 74–75)
New York[1]
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinessman
Known forPhilanthropy
SpouseJudy (née Emmett)
ChildrenFour (two sons, two daughters)
Parent(s)Sir Naim Dangoor and Renée Dangoor
AwardsHonorary doctorate, Bar-Ilan University, 2017
Honorary doctorate, The Open University, 2022

He is Exilarch of The Exilarch's Foundation, a charity that has initiated, guided and supported many causes, mainly relating to education and health, including Westminster Academy,[7] Imperial College,[8] the UK Space Design Competition, The Open University, Age UK, The UK Israel Tech Hub, the Weizmann Institute of Science,[4] the Centre for Universal Monotheism,[9] Faculty of Humanities and the Centre for Personalized Medicine at Bar Ilan University, Mishkenot Sha’ananim and Jewish Book Week. A subsidiary of The Exilarch's Foundation is Dangoor Education, which has supported Jewish Renaissance magazine and dozens of charities in the UK and Israel. He is a strong believer in strengthening UK-Israel ties and helps fund many initiatives that further these relations.

Dangoor has been Vice-President of the World Organisation of Jews from Iraq (WOJI) for the past ten years. He is a tireless activist for access to the Iraqi Jewish Archives[10] and tries to use his background and heritage[11] to ensure greater relations between Jews and Arabs.[12]

A former President of the Board of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation,[13] David Dangoor is President of Jewish Renaissance magazine[14] and a Vice-President of the Jewish Leadership Council.[14] He is a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London and chairs the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London’s Council on Faith.[2]

He was also made a Fellow of the British Exploring Society[15] and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Albert Hall.[16]

Honours and awards

In 2017 Israel's Bar-Ilan University awarded Dangoor an honorary doctorate, citing his "tireless efforts to further education, culture and art throughout the UK and Israel".[17] He also received an honorary doctorate from The Open University in 2022.[18][19] Accepting the award, he said: “Education was an important factor that allowed my family and me to rebuild our lives when we came from Iraq some years ago and we never forgot the lesson that education is the tool that you can bring with you wherever you are forced to move.”[18] In presenting him for the honorary degree, the University cited Dangoor's "longstanding interest in education" and his belief in education's "lifechanging power" which has led him to become "one of the Open University's most important champions".

In 2019 he received the Sternberg Interfaith Gold Medallion.[20]

Dangoor was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to the community in Greater London.[21]

References
  1. "David Dangoor DL". Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  2. "Faith". Greater London Lieutenancy. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  3. "David Dangoor". Remember Baghdad. 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  4. "The future of the past, Judy and David Dangoor are ensuring science informs our past". Werizmann Compass. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  5. Oliver, Charlotte (12 March 2015). "Funding education runs in their family". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  6. "David Dangoor of the Exilarch's Foundation on his Support for the British Schools Exploration Society". Spear's. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  7. Oryszczuk, Stephen (26 June 2020). "Jewish News meets David Dangoor: 'My dad believed that what he gave, he kept'". Jewish News. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. Evanson, Deborah (22 October 2018). "£5m donation gift by Dangoor Education to transform life and work of Imperial" (Press release). Imperial College London. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  9. "Welcome page". Sir Dr. Naim Dangoor Centre for Universal Monotheism. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  10. Basri, Carole; Dangoor, David (27 April 2018). "The Iraqi Jewish Archive is stolen property that should go back to its original owners". The Hill. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  11. Dangoor, David A (11 December 2017). "Remembering Baghdad". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  12. Dangoor, David A (14 May 2018). "Israeli outreach to Iraqis can have substantial benefits". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  13. Sugarman, Daniel (15 September 2017). "David Dangoor: Britain has been good to us and we give back". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. "Jewish Leadership Council Appoints New Vice Presidents". Jewish Leadership Council. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  15. "Fellow of the British Exploring Society" (Web). N/A. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  16. "Our supporters: Honorary Fellows". Royal Albert Hall. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  17. "Bar-Ilan University Awards Honorary Doctorate to UK Businessman and Philanthropist Dr. David Dangoor" (Press release). Bar-Ilan University. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  18. Green, Philippa (12 April 2022). "The Open University recognises major individual contributions with honorary awards". Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  19. ""Education is the tool that you can bring with you wherever you're forced to move."". The Open University via Facebook. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  20. "David Dangoor gets interfaith medal previously given to the Queen and the Pope". Jewish News. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  21. "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B9.
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