Jewish figures from the worlds of education, business, inter-faith relations and philanthropy have been recognised in the Queen's birthday honours.
Iraqi-born entrepreneur Naim Dangoor was knighted for his “extraordinarily generous philanthropy to a range of health, educational and religious charities”.
Mr Dangoor is the grandson of the former Chief Rabbi of Iraq, Ezra Dangoor, and has donated millions of pounds to fund scholarships to UK universities.
Aged 101, he is the second oldest person to be a made a knight.
His son, David Dangoor, said: “Dad is a little unwell, so this has also come as a welcome tonic.
“We, his family, are delighted that he has been recognised in this way. Since coming to the UK, he has worked tirelessly for the benefit of his fellow Iraqi Jews, the Jewish community and the wider community.”
Mr Dangoor was granted asylum in the UK in the 1960s, where he set up a successful property development company.
He has funded charitable projects for refugees and the disadvantaged in Britain and in Jerusalem.
On learning that he was to receive the honour, Mr Dangoor said: “Like many Jewish families before us, my family had to flee its country of origin.
“We left Iraq and found refuge here in the UK. In this wonderful country, immigrants have the opportunity to restart their lives and contribute to the welfare of their new home, as many have done before us.
“My hope for Iraq, and the whole Middle East, is that, there too, harmony and co-operation will one day become the norm once more, to allow that region again to contribute to the welfare of humanity.”
Also given a knighthood was Mick Davis, head of the Jewish Leadership Council and the chair of David Cameron's Holocaust Commission, launched last year. He received the honour for supporting the commission’s international engagements.
The cross-party, multi-faith group was set up by the Prime Minister to investigate ways to educate future generations of Britons about the Shoah.
Mr Davis, 57, said: “I was very honoured to have been given the task of leading the Commission and deeply appreciate this recognition of the work that the Commission did.
“But there are many others who have dedicated their lives to the commemoration of and education about the Holocaust.
“My contribution pales into insignificance when I think of the very brave and resourceful survivors who every day relive that horror so that this and future generations will understand and act to prevent it from happening again.”
He added: “I pay tribute to the many that have promoted and funded Holocaust education and particularly research into how best to educate society on this dark, dark hour of human history when humanity was thrust into the deepest abyss of moral depravity.
“In particular I pay tribute to the Smith Family who set up the Holocaust Centre – Beth Shalom and the Pears Foundation who have supported it and the many other organisations who are devoted to this cause.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said that Mr Davis has demonstrated "incredible passion, dedication and wisdom" in his role on the commission.
She added: "His tireless efforts have resulted in an incredible achievement in the announcement of a national memorial and accompanying learning centre which will ensure that there is a lasting legacy to the Holocaust in this country for generations to come. This honour is richly deserved.”
Facebook EMEA vice president Nicola Mendelsohn was made a CBE for services to creative industries.
Lady Mendelsohn began working at the social networking site in 2012, having previously had a 20-year career in in advertising.
She is frequently named in lists of powerful businesswomen. Earlier this year she hosted a breakfast event for around 200 female leaders to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Mrs Mendelsohn said: "I am very grateful that I have been able to play a part in the great work of the Creative industries in establishing a leading and growing position in the UK. I am really appreciative that I, like many others from the creative industries, have also received awards at this time."
The Manchester-born executive is married to Labour peer and prominent communal figure Lord Mendelsohn.
Former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf was made a Member of the Order of Companions of Honour for his services promoting the rule of law, human rights, prison reform and inter-faith dialogue.
He is a patron of the Woolf Institute, an organisation dedicated to promoting inter-faith relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Journalist and TV presenter Loyd Grossman was honoured for services to heritage, being made a CBE for his work as chairman of The Heritage Alliance.
Mr Grossman began his career as a restaurant critic in Harpers & Queen and the Sunday Times. He presented numerous TV show including Masterchef and Through the Keyhole, and is famous for his food brand that includes Loyd Grossman sauces.
His lifelong passion for history, arts and heritage led to his work with the Heritage Alliance, an umbrella group of almost 100 heritage organisations. He was made OBE in 2003.
Also appointed a CBE was Tower Hamlets councillor Peter Golds for services to local government. “I am very very honoured and very pleased, he said. “For what Jewish community is left in Tower Hamlets I think it is a tribute to them”.
Mr Golds has spent 17 years working in local government, first in Brent and then in Tower Hamlets, in east London.
He was awarded an OBE in 1996 and was a founder of the Jewish Gay Group.
Peter Kessler, the founder of Jewish free school Eden Primary was honoured with an MBE for services to education.
Mr Kessler said: “I feel marvellous to get a little bit of official recognition. It feels like being accepted by the non-Jewish establishment.
“Eden is the first truly cross-communal Jewish primary school in the country and I am extremely proud of having been involved in it and it’s great to get official recognition.”
Mr Kessler helped set up the school in Muswell Hill, north London, in 2011 with the aim of creating an institution that provided a Jewish education for Jewish and non-Jewish children from all backgrounds.
He has recently stepped down from the school governors’ board.
Loraine Warren, president of the Jewish womens' charity Wizo, was made an OBE for charitable services to women and children in Israel.
Mrs Warren has spent 20 years volunteering for Wizo. She said: “I feel quite overwhelmed and very honoured on behalf of Wizo. This is recognition for everyone who volunteers for the charity”.
Also honoured was former president of the Board of Deputies Dr Lionel Kopelowitz who was made an MBE for his services to inter-faith relations.
He said: “Inter-faith has always been important to me. I founded the first Christian and Jewish associations in Newcastle 45 years ago and have been involved in promoting inter-faith all my life.
“I think it is important to ensure a peaceful and stable society for different faith groups and the rest of the country.”
Mr Kopelowitz, 88, added: “I’ve been out of service for some time so it was a pleasant surprise to be recognised for my work now. I honestly thought I might have got one before but it is always very nice to be recognised whenever it happens.”
Julia Hobsbawm was appointed an OBE for services to business. She is the world’s first professor in networking and an honorary visiting professor at the Cass Business School in London.
She founded her company Editorial Intelligence in 2005, helping businesses develop through networking opportunities. She has worked with over 20 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies and a number of top media and consumer brands, in industries ranging from business, technology and media to culture, academia and the arts.
Publisher Ernest Hecht was made an OBE for services to publishing and charity.
Mr Hecht, who owns Souvenir Press, one of the few remaining independently owned major publishing houses in the country, set up his charitable foundation in 2003. Since then it has supported a range of charities helping the disadvantaged and promoting the arts and education.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Mr Hecht arrived in Britain in 1939 on the Kindertransport as a refugee from the Nazis. He founded Souvenir Press in 1951.
He said he was "very grateful" for the honour.
"It recognises what independent publishers can do in the era of conglomorates. We are able to publish books they wouldn't publish," he said.
Rebecca Masri, the former chair of Young Afikim, a group supporting projects aiding disadvantaged Israeli families, was made an MBE for services to charity.
She said she was "completely overwhelmed.
"It was entirely unexpected. Usually the only official letters I receive are parking fines."
Ms Masri has hosted charity events from the age of 13, organising along with a committee of friends and siblings several large fundraisers and dinners for various causes.
She is the founder of Tree of Life, a non-profit foundation which supports and funds charities, particularly those working with children and in the field of medical research.
She said: "The work I do would not be possible without my ever supporting family, phenomenal friends and committee and of course the donors for which I am utterly grateful and truly blessed."
Reading Hebrew Congregation member Karen Ross was appointed MBE for services to children and families.
Mrs Ross is Chief Executive of Relate Berkshire, a branch of the UK's largest provider of relationship support nationwide, where she has worked for twenty five years. She has set up, arranged funding and led the delivery of relationship counselling to help adults, families, children and young people resolve troubled personal relationships.
Mrs Ross, lives in Reading with her husband Adrian, said: "I am surprised and delighted to receive this honour which recognises the importance of healthy relationships, and the huge dedication and commitment of the Relate Berkshire counsellors, supervisors, appointments and admin teams and Trustees."
The president of Friends of Jerusalem Botanical Gardens Andy Jackson has been made MBE for services to conservation.
Mr Jackson became president of the north-west London based organisation in 2014 and has been working in conservation since the age of 19, including stints at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Jerusalem Botanic Garden.
Director of the Royal College of Midwives Louise Silverton has been made CBE for services to midwifery and maternal and child health. She trained as a midwife in Edinburgh and has become a highly regarded consultant, working internationally with the World Health Organisation and consulting Hilary Clinton. She is the author of textbook The Art and Science of Midwifery and has been working as a midwife for 36 years.
Mrs Silverton said: "I feel a mixture of being absolutely delighted and embarrassed. Being British we don't like anything that means we stand out. But actually thinking about it and the comments I've heard from the midwives, they are delighted because it is for all midwives and shows the importance of what we do."
A member of New West End synagogue, she lives in Chiswick with her husband Joseph Mirwitch.
Flora Frank was made medallist of the order of the British Empire for services to the Jewish community and to charity in north London.
Mrs Frank has been volunteering with charities Norwood and Emunah for over 40 years. She has run 32 marathons and raised over £300,000 for the charities since 1997, sometimes doing two or three in a year.
The former JFS teacher said: “First of all I didn’t believe it. I thought the letter was a hoax.
“I was told I received a lot of nominations and I was very heartened by that. I feel very humbled. I have enjoyed what I have done and God has blessed me with health and I don’t feel I deserve a medal for that, but it is very kind and humbling to get it.”
The great-grandmother added: “I wake up every morning and thank God I have the energy. ‘If not now, when?’ That has always been my motto.”
Mark Adlestone, chairman of the Manchester-based welfare charity The Fed, was made an OBE, for services to business and charity in the north of England.
Mr Adlestone also is chairman of Beaverbrooks The Jewellers, which has donated millions to charities.
He said he was thrilled to received the award which had been completely unexpected.
