Donor Spotlight: The Dangoor Family
Supporting PJ Library families in the UK is “a privilege” for one philanthropic family.
By Rachel Zaimont, Managing Editor
This story appeared in the summer 2026 issue of PROOF, a PJ Library magazine.
The Dangoor family values PJ Library’s ability to help families connect with Jewish life.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIBBY DANGOOR
When David A. Dangoor considers his children’s and grandchildren’s Jewish education in London, he can’t help but note the contrast with his own early childhood. David grew up in Iraq, one of four sons in a prominent Jewish family at a time when societal conditions were deteriorating for the country’s once-vibrant Jewish community.
“I grew up in Baghdad. There, you could not be open about being Jewish,” recalls David, who immigrated to the UK in the 1960s with his parents and siblings. “Because there were so many dangers for Jews in Iraq, you had to keep a lot of things hidden. Storybooks with Jewish elements are things we didn’t have then, and we are happy to have them now — especially those that resonate with Sephardi Jews.”
David and his family — including his wife, Judy, son Simon, daughter-in-law Libby, and David and Judy’s three other children — have become committed supporters of PJ Library in the UK through their family foundation, the Exilarch’s Foundation. With their philanthropic work focused largely on education and the Jewish community, they all feel strongly connected to PJ Library’s mission.
“The beauty of exposing youngsters to Jewish education is they can learn to enjoy so many aspects of Judaism: dressing up for Purim, eating meals in a sukkah,” Judy says. “In focusing on the young, PJ Library is absolutely hitting the right spot. When children are exposed to our history and our value system, it gives them a wonderful moral foundation and sense of identity. When you look at the role PJ Library has taken on, it’s an invaluable program.”
Simon and Libby discovered PJ Library at their synagogue and have seen the impact firsthand as they’ve raised their three children, now ages 12, 9, and 9. “PJ Library books are professionally done, smart books that imbued our kids with pride in their Judaism,” Simon says. “PJ Library books give you a vehicle to communicate an important message to your child that you wouldn’t necessarily have the right voice to communicate. Reading becomes a collaborative event between you and your child. That’s very special.”
For Libby, who didn’t grow up Jewish, PJ Library offered an easy way to transmit Jewish lessons to her children. “I converted and, for me, the books were such a useful tool,” she says. “I could share a Jewish story with my children with guidance. These books were like how-to guides, which was very helpful.”
Libby took her enthusiasm for PJ Library a step further and joined PJ Library’s UK Advisory Board, which she now chairs. There, she provides feedback to the staff about programs, hosts events to raise awareness of PJ Library, and strategizes about driving engagement — especially in hard-to-reach communities far from centers of Jewish life.
The whole family is proud that their support helps share books they consider classics — like Shohamʼs Bangle, Bagels from Benny, and My Grandfather’s Coat — with children across the UK.
“My late grandfather used to say, ‘What I spent, I had. What I saved, I lost. What I gave, I kept.’ There’s a lot of wisdom in that,” Simon recalls. Adds Judy, “To be able to help in any way is a privilege. We’re blessed to be able to do this.”