David Alan Ezra Dangoor (born 1948) is a British businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. One of four sons of Sir

Naim Dangoor Sir Naim Eliahou Dangoor, CBE (17 April 1914 – 19 November 2015) was a British-naturalised Iraqi-born Jewish entrepreneur and philanthropist. Early life Dangoor was born in Baghdad in 1914, the second of six siblings. His father, Eliahou Dan ...

and

Renée Dangoor Renée Rebecca, Lady Dangoor ( ar, رينيه دنكور) was the first beauty queen in the history of Iraq, being crowned in 1947. She was born in December 1925 to a Jewish Baghdadi family in Shanghai ( Republic of China), and died on 9 July ...

, he spent his early life in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

as part of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

's Jewish community, leaving with his parents and his brothers in the 1960s for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, where he was educated at Carmel College and

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

. 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,

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, the UK Space Design Competition,

The Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

Age UK Age UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 25 February 2009, and launched on 1 April 2009, which combined the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern England and Help the Aged to form the UK's largest ch ...

, The UK Israel Tech Hub, the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...

, the Centre for Universal Monotheism, Faculty of Humanities and the Centre for Personalized Medicine at

Bar Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...

Mishkenot Sha’ananim , settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem , image_skyline = שכונת משכנות שאננים וטחנת הרוח. צולם מכיוון העיר העתיקה.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = View of Mishkenot ...

and

Jewish Book Week Jewish Book Week is a literary festival in London, held annually in February and March, that explores Jewish literature, ideas and culture. The festival was founded in 1952 and since 2012 it has been presented at Kings Place. It is organised by t ...

. A subsidiary of The Exilarch's Foundation is Dangoor Education, which has supported ''

Jewish Renaissance ''Jewish Renaissance'' is a quarterly cultural magazine, founded in October 2001, covering Jewish culture, arts and communities in Britain and beyond. It is edited by Rebecca Taylor, a former News Editor at ''Time Out London''. Scope and con ...

'' 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 and tries to use his background and heritage to ensure greater relations between Jews and Arabs. A former President of the Board of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, David Dangoor is President of ''

'' magazine and a Vice-President of the

Jewish Leadership Council The Jewish Leadership Council (previously known as the Jewish Community Leadership Council) is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. ...

. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

and chairs the

Lord Lieutenant of Greater London The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London is the personal representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Greater London. Each Lord-Lieutenant is assisted in, largely ceremonial, duties by Deputy Lieutenants whom he appoints; the Lie ...

’s Council on Faith. He was also made a Fellow of the British Exploring Society and a Fellow of the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

Honours and awards

In 2017 Israel's

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...

awarded Dangoor an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

, citing his "tireless efforts to further education, culture and art throughout the UK and Israel". In 2019 he received the Sternberg Interfaith Gold Medallion. Dangoor was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to the community in Greater London.

References

External links

Dangoor Education
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dangoor, Sir David 1948 births Living people 20th-century British businesspeople 20th-century British Jews 21st-century British businesspeople 21st-century British Jews Alumni of Imperial College London Bar-Ilan University alumni British people of Iraqi-Jewish descent Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy Lieutenants of Greater London Iraqi emigrants to the United Kingdom Iraqi Jews Jewish British philanthropists Jewish refugees Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People from Baghdad People from New York City