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{{Short description|Israeli jewelry designer, editor and businesswoman (born 1950)}}
]]]
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
'''Dorrit Moussaieff''', (born ] ] in ]) is a jewellery designer and businesswoman and the second and current wife of ], president of ]. She is the daughter of ] and Aliza Moussaieff and is Iceland's second foreign-born first lady, as the first president, ], had a ] wife. She was young when she moved to ]. She suffered from ] so she didn't attend ordinary schools but was taught at home. Moussaieff has been very active in ] and ] cultural life. Moussaieff is also active as a business woman and is rumoured to have made a 45m£ profit on a realestate deal in London ]. In recent years she has helped present ]ic culture abroad.
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Dorrit Moussaieff
| image = Dorrit Moussaieff (cropped).jpg
| caption = Moussaieff in 2012
| office = ]
| president = ]
| term_label = In role
| term_start = 14 May 2003
| term_end = 1 August 2016
| predecessor = ]
| successor = ]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|1|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Neil Zarach||reason=div}}
* {{marriage|]|2003}}
}}
| children =
| citizenship = {{hlist|Israel|United Kingdom|Iceland}}
| parents = ] (father)
| relatives = ] (great-grandfather)
}}


'''Dorrit Moussaieff''' ({{langx|he|דורית מוסאיוף}}, born 12 January 1950) is an Israeli jewellery designer, editor, and businesswoman who was the ] from 2003 to 2016. Born in ], she was raised in the ] from the age of 13.
In May ], while visiting ], Moussaieff was detained at ]. According to reports she got into an argument with security personnel who refused to acknowledge her British ]. Part of the incident was captured on film and shown on Israeli television. This caused a minor international incident since it involved the ] of ]. This event prompted Moussaieff to say that she will be applying for an Icelandic ] and that she will not be visiting her country of birth again. The Israeli goverment later released an apology and said it regretted the incident.


==Biography==
] president ] in the ]]]
Dorrit Moussaieff was born in ], ]. Her father, ], was from a wealthy ] family from ], ], part of a long dynasty of jewellers. Dorrit is the great-granddaughter of Rabbi ]. Ancestors of hers are said to have woven the robe of ].<ref name="haaretz.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/|title=Haaretz - Israel News|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref> Her great-grandmother, Esther Gaonoff, was a descendant of ]. Her mother, Alisa, is an ] of ] heritage, but Dorrit identifies more with ] and was raised by her father.


Moussaieff was born and raised in the ] of Jerusalem. At age 13, she moved with her family to ]. She had ] and was home-schooled. In addition to ] and ], she also speaks ], ], and ].<ref name="haaretz.com"/><ref>name=</ref>


Moussaieff describes herself as "religious in the soul"<ref name="haaretz.com"/> and continues to observe ] rituals, such as lighting ] candles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shlomomoussaieff.blogspot.com//2005/04/from-bukhara-to-iceland-dorrit.html|title=Shlomomoussaieff|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref>
{{UK-bio-stub}}
{{iceland-bio-stub}}
]


==Business and media career==
]
As a child, Moussaieff spent a lot of time in her family's jewellery store on Hilton Park Lane in London, and went on to become a successful jewellery designer.<ref name="haaretz.com"/> Other business ventures in which she has been involved are the construction of an office building at ], London and a tourism project in ].<ref name="haaretz.com"/> Moussaieff is a contributing editor to the British society magazine '']''.
]

==First Lady of Iceland==
In 2003, Moussaieff married President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson on his 60th birthday. She has helped present ]ic culture abroad, promoted Icelandic artists and identified foreign markets for Icelandic products. She is also active in raising money for disabled children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.forseti.is/Index/TheFirstLady/DorritMoussaieff/|title=Dorrit Moussaieff|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503014354/http://english.forseti.is/Index/TheFirstLady/DorritMoussaieff/|archive-date=3 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Controversy==
In May 2006, while visiting Israel, Moussaieff was detained at ] after arguing with security personnel who refused to acknowledge her ] and told her that she was obliged by ] to enter and exit the country using her ]. The media related the confrontation as a diplomatic incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3266229,00.html|title=Iceland president's wife delayed at Ben-Gurion Airport|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=22 June 2006|access-date=15 June 2016|last1=Eichner|first1=Itamar}}</ref> The Israeli Embassy in ], which handles diplomatic relations with Iceland, expressed regret over the incident and restated the law that ]s must carry Israeli passports when in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grapevine.is/news/|title=News Archives|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref> Following the incident she applied for ]<ref>{{cite news |title=Dorrit Moussaieff tvívegis í vandræðum í Ísrael á einum mánuði |url=https://www.visir.is/g/200660511064 |access-date=23 August 2019 |work=] |date=11 May 2006 |language=Icelandic}}</ref> which she received on 31 July 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Íslendingar vanmeta Ísland |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3905198 |access-date=23 August 2019 |work=] |date=1 August 2006 |pages=1, 6 |language=Icelandic}}</ref>

In 2016, leaked files linked Moussaieff to ], suggesting that she may have been evading paying her taxes. Her lawyers claimed that, "her business interests were always carried out legally and they were a private matter."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bowers|first=Simon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/may/02/iceland-presidents-wife-linked-to-offshore-tax-havens-in-leaked-files|title=Iceland president's wife linked to offshore tax havens in leaked files|date=2 May 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=19 February 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
===Honours===
====Foreign honours====
* Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the ]<ref> bp.blogspot.com {{better source|date=March 2024}}</ref>
* Sweden: Recipient of the ]<ref> alamy.com {{better source|date=March 2024}}</ref>
* Sweden: Recipient of the ]<ref> purepeople.com {{better source|date=March 2024}}</ref>

===Awards===
Moussaieff was listed third on the '']'' List of the Most Connected People in Britain.<ref name="haaretz.com"/> A local magazine in ] chose her as one of the best-dressed women in Iceland.<ref name="haaretz.com"/> Moussaieff was also named Woman of 2006 by the popular Icelandic glossy magazine ''Nýtt Líf''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grapevine.is/|title=The Reykjavik Grapevine - Your essential guide to life, travel and entertainment in Iceland|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Moussaieff's first husband was Neil Zarach, a Jewish designer, and they ended in divorce.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Procter|first=Jane|title=The Ice Queen cometh|newspaper=]|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-ice-queen-cometh-h69hwcmh2tz|access-date=2021-10-03|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> In 2003, Moussaieff married the ], Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, on his birthday, 14 May 2003, following an engagement of three years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.forseti.is/TheFirstLady/DorritMoussaieff/ |title=Dorrit Moussaieff |access-date=15 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413011510/http://english.forseti.is/TheFirstLady/DorritMoussaieff |archive-date=13 April 2016}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
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Latest revision as of 20:26, 22 December 2024

Israeli jewelry designer, editor and businesswoman (born 1950)

Dorrit Moussaieff
Moussaieff in 2012
First Lady of Iceland
In role
14 May 2003 – 1 August 2016
PresidentÓlafur Ragnar Grímsson
Preceded byGuðrún Katrín Þorbergsdóttir
Succeeded byEliza Reid
Personal details
Born (1950-01-12) 12 January 1950 (age 74)
Jerusalem, Israel
Citizenship
  • Israel
  • United Kingdom
  • Iceland
Spouses
Neil Zarach ​(divorced)​
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson ​ ​(m. 2003)​
ParentShlomo Moussaieff (father)
RelativesShlomo Moussaieff (great-grandfather)

Dorrit Moussaieff (Hebrew: דורית מוסאיוף, born 12 January 1950) is an Israeli jewellery designer, editor, and businesswoman who was the First Lady of Iceland from 2003 to 2016. Born in Israel, she was raised in the United Kingdom from the age of 13.

Biography

Dorrit Moussaieff was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Her father, Shlomo Moussaieff, was from a wealthy Bukharian Jewish family from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, part of a long dynasty of jewellers. Dorrit is the great-granddaughter of Rabbi Shlomo Moussaieff. Ancestors of hers are said to have woven the robe of Genghis Khan. Her great-grandmother, Esther Gaonoff, was a descendant of Yosef Maimon. Her mother, Alisa, is an Austrian Jew of Ashkenazi heritage, but Dorrit identifies more with Bukharian culture and was raised by her father.

Moussaieff was born and raised in the Bukharan Quarter of Jerusalem. At age 13, she moved with her family to London. She had dyslexia and was home-schooled. In addition to English and Hebrew, she also speaks German, French, and Icelandic.

Moussaieff describes herself as "religious in the soul" and continues to observe Jewish rituals, such as lighting Hanukkah candles.

Business and media career

As a child, Moussaieff spent a lot of time in her family's jewellery store on Hilton Park Lane in London, and went on to become a successful jewellery designer. Other business ventures in which she has been involved are the construction of an office building at Canary Wharf, London and a tourism project in Northern Cyprus. Moussaieff is a contributing editor to the British society magazine Tatler.

First Lady of Iceland

In 2003, Moussaieff married President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson on his 60th birthday. She has helped present Icelandic culture abroad, promoted Icelandic artists and identified foreign markets for Icelandic products. She is also active in raising money for disabled children.

Controversy

In May 2006, while visiting Israel, Moussaieff was detained at Ben Gurion International Airport after arguing with security personnel who refused to acknowledge her British passport and told her that she was obliged by Israeli law to enter and exit the country using her Israeli passport. The media related the confrontation as a diplomatic incident. The Israeli Embassy in Norway, which handles diplomatic relations with Iceland, expressed regret over the incident and restated the law that Israeli citizens must carry Israeli passports when in the country. Following the incident she applied for Icelandic citizenship which she received on 31 July 2006.

In 2016, leaked files linked Moussaieff to offshore companies and trusts, suggesting that she may have been evading paying her taxes. Her lawyers claimed that, "her business interests were always carried out legally and they were a private matter."

Awards and honors

Honours

Foreign honours

Awards

Moussaieff was listed third on the Harper's Magazine List of the Most Connected People in Britain. A local magazine in Reykjavík chose her as one of the best-dressed women in Iceland. Moussaieff was also named Woman of 2006 by the popular Icelandic glossy magazine Nýtt Líf.

Personal life

Moussaieff's first husband was Neil Zarach, a Jewish designer, and they ended in divorce. In 2003, Moussaieff married the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, on his birthday, 14 May 2003, following an engagement of three years.

References

  1. ^ "Haaretz - Israel News". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. name="Ísland er stórasta land í heimi"
  3. "Shlomomoussaieff". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  4. "Dorrit Moussaieff". Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  5. Eichner, Itamar (22 June 2006). "Iceland president's wife delayed at Ben-Gurion Airport". Ynetnews. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  6. "News Archives". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  7. "Dorrit Moussaieff tvívegis í vandræðum í Ísrael á einum mánuði". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 11 May 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  8. "Íslendingar vanmeta Ísland". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 1 August 2006. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  9. Bowers, Simon (2 May 2016). "Iceland president's wife linked to offshore tax havens in leaked files". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  10. Image bp.blogspot.com
  11. Image alamy.com
  12. Image purepeople.com
  13. "The Reykjavik Grapevine - Your essential guide to life, travel and entertainment in Iceland". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  14. Procter, Jane. "The Ice Queen cometh". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  15. "Dorrit Moussaieff". Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.

External links

Honorary titles
VacantTitle last held byGuðrún Katrín Þorbergsdóttir First Lady of Iceland
2003–2016 		Succeeded byEliza Reid
Categories: