Khedouri Zilkha

Khedouri Aboody Zilkha was an Iraqi-Jewish banker.

Early life

Khedouri Zilkha was born in Baghdad in 1884, the only son of the textile merchant Aboudi Zilkha.

Career

He started as a banker in Baghdad in 1902, founding Zilkha Bank, and gradually expanded to Beirut, Damascus, Cairo, Alexandria, Geneva, New York, Paris and the Far East.
In 1941 or 1942, he emigrated to New York and died there in 1956.

Personal life

He married Louise Zilkha and had four sons and three daughters:

Ezra Zilkha
Selim Zilkha
Maurice Zilkha
Abdullah Zilkha
Helene Zilkha
Hanina Zilkha
Bertie Zilkha

His son Ezra was an American financier and philanthropist. His son Selim was a British entrepreneur who founded the large Mothercare chain. His son Abdullah ran an investment bank in Zurich named Ufitec. His son Maurice was an Egyptian banker.

Legacy

His son Ezra established in his father's memory the Khedouri Zilkha Fund for the Study of the History of Jewish Civilization in the Near East at Princeton University. The fund supports a professorship, the current holder of which is Marina Rustow and past holders Mark R. Cohen and Abraham Udovitch.