Benjamin (Benny) David Gaon

Early Life

Gaon was born in Jerusalem, the son of Moshe David Gaon and Sara (Hacham) Gaon. He had three siblings: Yigal, Kalila Armon, and the singer Yehoram Gaon.

After completing his regular military service and two years of reserve duty, he was discharged from the IDF with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

In the 1960s, he worked as a lighting technician in shows featuring the Tarnegolim band, which included his brother, Yehoram Gaon, as a member. Subsequently, he worked as an air conditioner technician at "Electra."

In 1962, he was appointed as the marketing manager of the air conditioning department, and after climbing the corporate ladder, he became the CEO of "Tadiran Consumer Products." Gaon studied business management in Geneva.

In 1982, he took over the management of the Koor conglomerate, which was facing dissolution at the time. Gaon successfully revived Koor and served as its CEO until 1998, when he resigned from the position and founded "Gaon Holdings." In 1995, Gaon received the Industry Award in the metals category.

In 1997, he published his first book, "Only the Brave Prevail."

In 1993, Gaon was appointed as the president of the Association for the Fight Against Cancer. Seven years later, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer but underwent surgery and recovered. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In 2007, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and this time, despite treatment, the disease ultimately took his life on May 10, 2008, at the age of 73.

He was buried in the Beit Halevi cemetery in the Hafar Valley. He left behind a wife, three sons, and a daughter, including the journalist and playwright Boaz Gaon and the strategic advisor Moshe Gaon, who was appointed as the CEO of "Gaon Holdings," the company his father had founded.

In addition to his role as president of the Israeli Association for the Fight Against Cancer, Benny Gaon also served as the chairman of the America-Israel Friendship League.

He received several awards in recognition of his extensive contributions to the Israeli economy, including the President of Israel's Award from the Manufacturers Association of Israel, and the Guardian of Jerusalem award from the Prime Minister, Mayor of Jerusalem, and the International Forum for United Jerusalem.