Dan David
Encyclopedia
Dan David was a Romania
n-born Israeli
businessman and philanthropist.
, Romania
. He joined a Zionist youth movement
at the age of 16. After studying economics at university, he worked for Romanian television and became a press photographer. In 1958, his newspaper asked him to travel to West Germany
on an assignment. When he requested an exit permit, he was accused of being a Zionist activist and was fired from his job.
He left Romania for Paris
in August 1960, later settling in Israel. The following year, he traveled to Europe. With a $200,000 loan from a cousin, he won the franchise for Photo-Me International
automated photography booths in certain countries. He opened branches in Israel, Spain
, Romania and Italy
, eventually taking over the company. When David was chairman of Photo-Me in 1999, his and board-member Serge Crasnianski
's shares were valued at 210 and 200 million pounds
, respectively.
David died in London
on September 6, 2011.
, awards the Dan David Prize
(first awarded in 2002), which consists of annual awards of three prizes of $1 million each awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in the fields of science, technology, culture or social welfare.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n-born Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
businessman and philanthropist.
Biography
Dan David was born to a Jewish family in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. He joined a Zionist youth movement
Zionist youth movement
A Zionist youth movement is an organization formed for Jewish children and adolescents for educational, social, and ideological development, including a belief in Jewish nationalism as represented in the State of Israel...
at the age of 16. After studying economics at university, he worked for Romanian television and became a press photographer. In 1958, his newspaper asked him to travel to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
on an assignment. When he requested an exit permit, he was accused of being a Zionist activist and was fired from his job.
He left Romania for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in August 1960, later settling in Israel. The following year, he traveled to Europe. With a $200,000 loan from a cousin, he won the franchise for Photo-Me International
Photo-Me International
Photo-Me International plc based in Bookham, Surrey operates photobooths. It became a plc in 1963 and has built operations in several countries including Japan, Philippines, Germany and France in addition to the UK...
automated photography booths in certain countries. He opened branches in Israel, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Romania and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, eventually taking over the company. When David was chairman of Photo-Me in 1999, his and board-member Serge Crasnianski
Serge Crasnianski
Serge Crasnianski born 3rd July 1942 is a French entrepreneur who founded in 1963 the Grenoble based Key Independent System . This is the company that brought to the world the compact machine that cuts keys, prints business cards, engraves bracelets etc and can be seen in thousands of corner...
's shares were valued at 210 and 200 million pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
, respectively.
David died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on September 6, 2011.
Dan David Prize
In 2000, David founded the Dan David Foundation with a $100 million endowment. The Foundation, together with Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, awards the Dan David Prize
Dan David Prize
The Dan David Prize annually awards 3 prizes of $1 million each awarded by the Dan David Foundation and Tel Aviv University to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in the fields of science, technology, culture or social welfare. There are three prize categories - past, present and...
(first awarded in 2002), which consists of annual awards of three prizes of $1 million each awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in the fields of science, technology, culture or social welfare.
External links
- Official Dan David Prize website, including complete list of all laureates by year.