The Dangoor Family has pledged £2 million from The Exilarch’s Foundation, the family’s charitable foundation, to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), whose patron is Queen Elizabeth II and was founded in 1831 – making it the oldest defense and security think tank in the world. This is the largest gift the think thank has ever received in almost two centuries since they were founded.
RUSI promotes the study and discussion of developments in military doctrine, defense management and defense procurement. In recent years RUSI has broadened its remit to include all issues of defense and security, including financial and organized crime, terrorism and the ideologies which foster it and the challenges from other man-made or man-assisted threats and from natural disasters.
“I believe that the work of RUSI has become increasingly important in these challenging times and it deserves our support,” said David Dangoor, Exilarch of The Exilarch’s Foundation, a charity that has generously initiated, guided and supported many causes, mainly relating to education and health in the UK and Israel. “Our gift should help RUSI fulfil its charitable mission by providing independent, politically-unbiased analysis and information to the wider public, in the UK and overseas.”
Dangoor is a well-known British Jewish businessman and philanthropist of Iraqi origin, who 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. He has supported 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.
Sir David Lidington, RUSI’s Chair, remarked: “I am bowled over by the generosity of the Dangoor Family and the Exilarchs’ Foundation. Given the impact of the pandemic, I was concerned that the fundraising campaign would take a hit. But this donation from David Dangoor and his family is extraordinarily welcome and a huge vote of confidence in RUSI and in our plans for the future.”
Dr Karin von Hippel, RUSI’s Director-General, added: “I regard this exceptional and historic gift as an accolade to the quality of our research, analysis and expertise, and of course, to our hardworking and talented staff. The Dangoor gift will allow RUSI to invest in its research and conference facilities, as well as our historic Library.”