British businessman and Jewish philanthropist David Dangoor has been awarded the Sternberg Interfaith Gold Medallion, an award bestowed on those who have made “an exceptional contribution to the improvement of understanding between the faiths in the United Kingdom, and across the world.”
Previous recipients include HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the late Pope John Paul II, HM King Hassan II of Morocco, former President of Germany Dr. Johannes and the late Shimon Peres, former President and Prime Minister of Israel, among dozens of other former heads of state and international leaders.
“It is an especially great honor to be named alongside these world leaders and luminaries,” David Dangoor said upon receiving the award.
“As an Iraqi Jew who grew up in Baghdad where many religions intermingled peacefully and cordially, it is important for me that we are able to use our different religious backgrounds as a point of unity rather than a source of division.”
“Our family was always taught that people of differing backgrounds, faiths and nationalities enriches our culture and understanding of society. Together, our faiths can become a source of harmony and accord, and only in unity can we hope to meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities of the present and the future.”
The Gold Medallion was awarded to Mr. Dangoor by the Chairman of the award, Mr. Michael Sternberg.
Dangoor is Exilarch of The Exilarch’s Foundation, a charity that has generously initiated, guided and supported many causes, mainly relating to education, science and health. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London and chairs the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London’s Council on Faith, an initiative that works with faith groups to assist their engagement with the wider London population.
Dangoor was a major supporter of the launch of the British Library’s online collection titled ‘Discovering Sacred Texts’ which was compromised of some of the rarest and most ancient religious texts online for the general public to be able to access them from around the world with the purpose of furthering understanding about ancient faiths.
Under the banner of Dangoor Education, the Exilarch’s Foundation has supported dozens of charities in the UK and Israel, including Westminster Academy, Imperial College, the UK Space Design Competition, The Open University, Age UK, The UK Israel Tech Hub, the Centre for Personalized Medicine at Bar Ilan University, Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jewish Book Week and the Centre for Universal Monotheism at Bar Ilan University.
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”.