Martial arts champion and social entrepreneur Danny Hakim has been named in the 2022 Australia Day Honors.
For Hakim who has been living in Israel for many years, but is still heavily involved with Australia, the award came as a complete surprise because he was unaware that it was also given to Australians living outside the island continent.
Hakim who founded Budo for Peace in 2004, continues to serve as its chairman and to train Israeli youth of all backgrounds and religions in the use of martial arts for peace rather than war.
He was the founding chairman and remains a board member of the Israel branch of Kids Kicking Cancer, which empowers child cancer patients to deal with their pain through mastering martial arts.
He has represented Australia, Japan and Israel in international karate competitions and twice won an international silver medal for Australia.
Hakim and his brother Paul are founders of the Israel Life Saving Federation and he is also a member of the Secretariat of the Maccabi World Union.
He has also produced peace-oriented documentary films and is a board member of the Jerusalem Psik Theater. He is also a director of the Azrieli Foundation Canada. He is married to Danna, one of the three Azrielli sisters, who is a prominent businesswoman and philanthropist.
Additionally, Hakim is a founding board member of the Heritage Center for Middle East and North African Jewry – and all this is only a fraction of what he does socially, culturally, educationally and in the spheres of sport and peace.
He has won awards and recognition in Australia, Japan, Europe, the US and Israel.