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Faces of Palestinian Philanthropy

Palestinian philanthropy weaves a legacy of generosity and community upliftment, investing in the empowerment and well-being of its people through education, healthcare, and social services.

  • 21 philanthropists
  • Born 1903–1978
  • 3 from Jerusalem
An UNRWA food distribution in Yarmouk camp, 2014An UNRWA food distribution in Yarmouk camp, 2014
Ambulances waiting at the Rafah crossing to evacuate the injuredAmbulances waiting at the Rafah crossing to evacuate the injured
Photos: UNRWA Archive Photographer Unknown (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo), Ashraf Amra (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo), via Wikimedia Commons

About Philanthropy

Giving back what was taken.

Many Palestinians who built fortunes in exile chose to give back. In 1930 Abdul Hameed Shoman founded the Arab Bank in Jerusalem, and the foundation that bears his name still supports science and culture.

In 1983 a group of Palestinian businesspeople founded the Welfare Association, now Taawon, to fund schools, hospitals and the restoration of the Old City of Jerusalem. The A.M. Qattan Foundation, set up in 1993, supports education and the arts.

The people in this path give their time and their fortunes to schools, clinics, universities and culture, and to the people who need them most.

All 21 philanthropists

Every face in Philanthropy, from the earliest pioneers to the voices of today.

Born across the decades

Tap a decade to filter · 6 without a recorded birth year

  1. 1900s
  2. 1910s
  3. 1920s
  4. 1930s
  5. 1940s
  6. 1950s
  7. 1960s
  8. 1970s

21 philanthropists

Showing 20 of 21