List of Jews from the Arab World
Encyclopedia
From the Arab Expansion
until the 1960s, Jews were a significant part of the population of Arab
countries. Before 1948, an estimated 900,000 Jews lived in what are now Arab states. Here is a list of some prominent Jews from the Arab World, arranged by country of birth.
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
until the 1960s, Jews were a significant part of the population of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
countries. Before 1948, an estimated 900,000 Jews lived in what are now Arab states. Here is a list of some prominent Jews from the Arab World, arranged by country of birth.
Algeria
- Jacques AttaliJacques AttaliJacques Attali is a French economist, writer and senior civil servant.Former adviser to President François Mitterrand and first president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, he founded the non-profit organization PlaNet Finance and was nominated President of the Commission for...
, economist, writer - Cheb i SabbahCheb i SabbahCheb i Sabbah , born Haim Serge El Baz in Constantine, Algeria, is a club DJ based in San Francisco, California....
, famous club DJ - Lili BonicheLili BonicheLili Boniche , born to a Sephardic Jewish family in the Kasbah area of Algiers, was a singer of Andalusian-Arab music. He died in Paris...
, musician - Patrick BruelPatrick BruelPatrick Bruel is a French singer, actor, and professional poker player of Algerian Jewish descent.-Biography:...
, singer, actor - Alain ChabatAlain ChabatAlain Chabat is a French actor and director who appeared in La Cité de la peur, French Twist, The Taste of Others and The Science of Sleep.- Life and career :Chabat was born in Oran, French Algeria. He is Jewish....
, actor - Hélène CixousHélène CixousHélène Cixous is a professor, French feminist writer, poet, playwright, philosopher, literary critic and rhetorician. She holds honorary degrees from Queen's University and the University of Alberta in Canada; University College Dublin in Ireland; the University of York and University College...
, feminist writer - Claude Cohen-TannoudjiClaude Cohen-TannoudjiClaude Cohen-Tannoudji is a French physicist and Nobel Laureate. He shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with Steven Chu and William Daniel Phillips for research in methods of laser cooling and trapping atoms...
, physicist, Nobel prize (1997) - Jacques DerridaJacques DerridaJacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
, deconstructionist philosopher - Alphonse HalimiAlphonse HalimiAlphonse Halimi was a French boxer. He was nicknamed "la Petite Terreur."Time wrote of him: "Alphonse went to work with a street fighter's will. A grown-up guttersnipe from the back alleys of Algeria...
, boxer: World Bantamweight Championhttp://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/AlphonseHalimi.htm - Roger HaninRoger HaninRoger Hanin is a French actor , best known for playing the title role in the 1989-2006 TV crime series, Navarro.-Personal life:...
, film actor & director - Enrico MaciasEnrico MaciasGaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
(Gaston Ghrenassia), French singer
Bahrain
- Ebrahim Daoud NonooEbrahim Daoud NonooEbrahim Daoud Nonoo is a former member of the National Assembly of Bahrain and currently the CEO of the Basma Company. The Nonoos are a Jewish family originating from Iraq. In 2006, he financed repairs to the country's only synagogue.-External links:*...
, former member of parliament - Houda Ezra Nonoo, former member of parliament and current Ambassador of Bahrain to the USA
Egypt
- Eli CohenEli CohenEli Cohen was an Israeli spy. He is best known for his work in Syria, where he developed close relationships with the political and military hierarchy and became the Chief Adviser to the Minister of Defense. He was eventually exposed and executed in Syria in 1965...
, celebrated Israeli spy - Sir Ronald CohenRonald CohenSir Ronald Cohen is an Egyptian-born British businessman and political figure, known as "the father of British venture capital" and "the father of social investment".-Early life:...
, Egyptian-born businessman - Aura HerzogAura HerzogAura Herzog, née Ambache was the wife of Chaim Herzog, the sixth President of the State of Israel.Aura Herzog was born in Egypt and educated in French schools in Ismailiya. She has a B.Sc. degree in mathematics and physics from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. ...
- Eric HobsbawmEric HobsbawmEric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
, historian (Jewish-Polish & -German parents living in Cairo) - Edmond JabèsEdmond Jabes----Edmond Jabès was a Jewish writer and poet, and one of the best known literary figures to write in French after World War II.- Life :...
, poet - Ranan LurieRanan LurieRanan R. Lurie is an American Israeli editorial cartoonist and journalist. He is a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a member of the United Nation Correspondents Association, and the editor of Cartoon News magazine.Lurie became a naturalized citizen of the...
, political cartoonist - Moshe MarzoukMoshe MarzoukMoshe Marzouk was an Egyptian Karaite Jew, hanged by Egypt in 1955 for plotting terrorist attacks in Cairo known as Operation Suzannah.Marzouk was born in Cairo to a Karaite family who had immigrated from Tunisia in the early 20th century, though they retained French citizenship...
, doctor - Layla Murad, singer (converted to Islam)
- Haim SabanHaim SabanHaim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:...
, TV producer - Saadia ben YosefSaadia GaonSaʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon was a prominent rabbi, Jewish philosopher, and exegete of the Geonic period.The first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Arabic, he is considered the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature...
, rabbi - Sylvain SylvainSylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
(Sylvain Mizrahi), guitarist for New York DollsNew York DollsThe New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later... - Bat Ye'orBat Ye'orBat Ye'or is a pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, née Orebi, an Egyptian-born British writer and political commentator who writes about the history of non-Muslims in the Middle East, and in particular the history of Christian and Jewish dhimmis living under Islamic governments.She is the author of eight...
, historian - Avraham YosefAvraham YosefHarav Avraham Yosef is the Chief Rabbi of Holon, Israel and is a Sephardi representative on the Chief Rabbinate Council .-Background:...
, rabbi - Yaakov YosefYaakov YosefYa'akov Yosef is an Israeli rabbi and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas between 1984 and 1988.-Biography:Yosef was born in Egypt towards the end of the Mandate era, the second son of Ovadia Yosef, a prominent rabbi. He was educated in the Porat Yosef and Kol Torah...
, rabbi
Iraq
- AdiabeneAdiabeneAdiabene was an ancient Assyrian independent kingdom in Mesopotamia, with its capital at Arbela...
people - Many TannasTannaimThe Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
and AmoraAmoraAmoraim , were renowned Jewish scholars who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral law, from about 200 to 500 CE in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. Their legal discussions and debates were eventually codified in the Gemara...
im, including:- Abba ArikaAbba ArikaAbba Arika was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the 3rd century who established at Sura the systematic study of the rabbinic traditions, which, using the Mishnah as text, led to the compilation of the Talmud...
, "Rabh", amora - Shmuel Yarchina'ah, "Mar Samuel", or Samuel of NehardeaSamuel of NehardeaSamuel of Nehardea or Samuel bar Abba was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amora of the first generation; son of Abba bar Abba and head of the Yeshiva at Nehardea. He was a teacher of halakha, judge, physician, and astronomer. He was born about 165 at Nehardea, in Babylonia...
, amora - Rav HunaRav HunaRav Huna , a Kohen, was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; He was born about 216, died in 296-297 ).-Youth:...
- Rav ChisdaRav ChisdaRav Chisda was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the third generation , mentioned frequently in the Talmud.-Youth:...
- AbayeAbayeAbaye was a rabbi of the Jewish Talmud who lived in Babylonia [בבל], known as an amora [אמורא] born about the close of the third century; died 339 . His father, Kaylil, was the brother of Rabbah bar Nachmani, a teacher at the Academy of Pumbedita. Abaye's real name was Nachmani, after his...
, amora - Abba bar Yoseph bar Hama, "RabhaRava (amora)For the third generation Amora sage of Babylon, with a similar name, see: Joseph b. Hama .Abba ben Joseph bar Ḥama, who is exclusively referred to in the Talmud by the name Rava , was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora, born in 270. He is one of the most often-cited Rabbis...
", amora - Rav PapaRav PapaFor the Amora sages of the Land of Israel,of the 3d Amoraic generetion, see Hanina b. Papi or Hanina ben Pappa.For another Babylonian Amora sage of the 5th Amoraic generetion, see Rav Papi....
, amora
- Abba Arika
- Saleh and Daoud Al-KuwaitySaleh and Daoud Al-KuwaitySaleh and Daud Al-Kuwaity האחים צאלח ודאוד אל-כוויתי) were Jewish - Iraqi musicians born in Kuwait as Saleh and Daud Ezra.-Early life:The brothers were born in Kuwait to a family from an Iraqi origin...
, Famous singers- Rav Ashi (Abana), rav, amora
- Anan ben DavidAnan ben DavidAnan Ben David is widely considered to be a major founder of the Karaite movement of Judaism. His followers were called Ananites and, like modern Karaites, do not believe the Rabbinic Jewish oral law to be divinely inspired...
, founder of Qara'ismKaraite JudaismKaraite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology... - Ari Ben-MenasheAri Ben-MenasheAri Ben-Menashe is the author of Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network, a book purporting to describe his involvement in Iran-Contra and other intelligence operations. An Iraqi Jew who was educated in Israel, he is a former Israeli government employee, and has said that he...
- Dodai ben NahmanDodai ben NahmanDodai ben Nahman was a Babylonian-Jewish scholar of the eighth century CE and gaon of the Talmudic academy at Pumbedita . Little is known of his life...
- Binyamin Ben-EliezerBinyamin Ben-EliezerBinyamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer , , born 12 February 1936) is an Israeli politician and former military officer of Iraqi origin. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party, and has held several ministerial posts, including Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, Minister of...
, politician - Ya'qub BilbulYa'qub BilbulYa'qub Bilbul was an Iraqi Jewish writer. His literary works were published in Arabic, and he achieved recognition as early as 1936 after publishing an article in the Iraqi journal, Al-Hatif...
, poet - Sir Sassoon Eskell, Iraqi statesman and financier
- Naeim GiladiNaeim GiladiNaeim Giladi was an anti-Zionist Iraqi jew, president of the World Organization of Jews From Islamic Countries and author of an autobiographical article and historical analysis entitled The Jews of Iraq...
, writer - HakhamHakhamHakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
Yosef Chayyim of Baghdad, "Ben Ish ChaiBen Ish ChaiYosef Chaim or in Iraqi Hebrew Yoseph Ḥayyim was a leading hakham , authority on Jewish law and Master Kabbalist...
" - Yitzchak Kadouri, rabbi and kabbalist
- Elie KedourieElie KedourieElie Kedourie C.B.E., FBA was a British historian of the Middle East. He wrote from a conservative perspective, dissenting from many points of view taken as orthodox in the field...
, historian - Sami MichaelSami MichaelSami Michael is an Israeli author. Since 2001, Michael has been the President of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel .Michael was among the first in Israel to call for the creation of an independent Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel. In his novels Michael writes about the...
*Sami MichaelSami Michael is an Israeli author. Since 2001, Michael has been the President of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel .Michael was among the first in Israel to call for the creation of an independent Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel. In his novels Michael writes about the...
, Israeli writer - Shafiq AdesShafiq AdesShafiq Ades was a wealthy Iraqi-Jewish businessman of Syrian origins. After a short show trial in 1948, he was executed by hanging on charges of selling weapons to Israel and supporting the Iraqi Communist Party.- Background :Ades was born to a wealthy family based in Aleppo, Syria...
, wealthy businessman - Samir NaqqashSamir NaqqashSamir Naqqash was an Iraqi Jewish novelist, short-story writer, and playwright who immigrated to Israel.-Biography:...
, novelist - Maurice & Charles SaatchiCharles SaatchiCharles Saatchi is the co-founder with his brother Maurice of the global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and led that business - the world's largest advertising agency in the 1980s - until they were forced out in 1995. In the same year the Saatchi brothers formed a new agency called M&C...
, advertising executives - David SassoonDavid SassoonDavid Sassoon was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829. He became the leader of the Jewish community in Bombay after Baghdadi Jews emigrated there.-Biography:...
, Anglo-Indian merchant, and SassoonSassoonSassoon may refer to:*Sassoon Other uses:* Sassoon Eskell , Iraqi statesman and financier* Siegfried Sassoon, English poet and author* Sassoon * David Sassoon Library, in Mumbai, India* Sassoon Docks, in Mumbai, India...
family - Avi ShlaimAvi ShlaimAvi Shlaim FBA is a British/Israeli historian. He is a professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford and a fellow of the British Academy.Shlaim is especially well known as a historian of the Arab-Israeli conflict...
, Oxford Professor born in Iraq - Yaakov Chaim SoferYaakov Chaim SoferYaakov Chaim Sofer was an Orthodox rabbi, Kabbalist, Talmudist and posek . Sofer is author of the work of halakha titled Kaf Hachayim, by which title he is also known....
, rabbi - Dahlia WasfiDahlia Wasfi-Personal life:Born in 1971 in New York to a Jewish-American mother and Muslim Iraqi father, Dr. Wasfi spent part of her early childhood living in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. She returned to the US at age 5, earned her B.A...
, activist - Ovadia YosefOvadia YosefOvadia Yosef is the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, a recognised Talmudic scholar and foremost halakhic authority.He currently serves as the spiritual leader of the Shas political party in the Israeli parliament...
, rabbi
Lebanon
- Guy BéartGuy BéartGuy Béart is a French singer and songwriter.-Biography:He was born Guy Béhart-Hasson in Cairo, Egypt, to a family of Spanish, Swiss, and Russian background. His religious background is unclear, having been referred to as both Jewish and Christian...
, French singer - Yfrah NeamanYfrah NeamanYfrah Neaman OBE was a violinist and an eminent pedagogue.He was born in Sidon, Lebanon to Jewish parents from Palestine. He studied in Paris with Jaques Thibaud, and then settled in London where he continued his studies with Carl Flesch and Max Rostal....
, violinist - Isaac SassonIsaac SassonIsaac Sasson was a leader of the Lebanese Jewish community, who was taken at gunpoint March 31, 1985, on his way from the Beirut International Airport, after a trip to Abu Dhabi.Earlier, kidnappers had also seized Eli Hallak, 60-year-old physician; Haim Cohen, a 39-year-old Iranian Jew; Isaac...
, president of the community 'Haïm Cohen Halala' in Beirut - Edmond SafraEdmond SafraEdmond J. Safra was a Jewish Brazilian-naturalized, Lebanese banker who continued the family tradition of banking in Lebanon, Brazil and Switzerland. He married Lily Watkins. He died in a fire that attracted wide media interest and was judicially determined to be due to arson.-Life of Edmond...
, billionaire banker - Jacob SafraJacob SafraJacqui Eli Safra is a Swiss investor, descendant of the Lebanon-Swiss Jewish Safra banking family. Some of his investments include Encyclopædia Britannica, Merriam-Webster, and Spring Mountain Vineyards, a large wine-growing estate located in Saint Helena, California. He is the nephew of Edmond...
, founder of Jacob E. Safra Bank - Joseph SafraJoseph SafraJoseph Safra currently runs the Brazilian banking and investment empire, Safra Group. As the chairman of all Safra companies, among them Safra National Bank of New York and the large Banco Safra headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, he is ranked at 68 with a net wealth of 11.4$ billion on Forbes...
, chairman of all Safra companies
Morocco
- Michel AbitbolMichel AbitbolMichel Abitbol is an Israeli Jewish historian, professor, and chair of the Department of African Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is considered an expert on the history of the Jews of North Africa. He is also the scientific director of the Center for Research on Moroccan Jewry,...
, an academic at the Hebrew University of JerusalemHebrew University of JerusalemThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J... - Isaac AlfasiIsaac Alfasifor other Al-Fasi's see Al-Fasi disambiguationIsaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek...
, a Talmudist and posek. Best known for his work of halakhaHalakhaHalakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish... - Shlomo AmarShlomo AmarRabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar has been the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and the Rishon LeZion since his appointment in 2003. His colleague is Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel....
, SephardiSephardi JewsSephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
Chief RabbiChief RabbiChief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... - Robert AssarafRobert AssarafRobert Assaraf is a Moroccan Jewish historian and writer. He resides in Paris, France.-Career:In 1996 he established the Centre International de Recherche sur les Juifs du Maroc and co-founded l’Union mondiale du judaïsme marocain in 1999.He is also the president of Radio Shalom and...
, a historian and writer - André AzoulayAndré AzoulayAndré Azoulay is a senior adviser to King Mohammed VI of Morocco. He previously advised Mohammed's father, King Hassan II. He currently presides over the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures, based in Alexandria, Egypt...
, advisor to Kings Hassan IIHassan II of MoroccoKing Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
and Mohammed VIMohammed VI of MoroccoMohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:... - Shlomo Ben-AmiShlomo Ben-AmiProf. Shlomo Ben-Ami is a former Israeli diplomat, politician and historian.-Biography:Ben-Ami was born in Tangiers, Morocco, and immigrated to Israel in 1955....
Israeli diplomat, politician and author born in TangierTangierTangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel... - Ralph BenmerguiRalph BenmerguiRaphael Benmergui is a Canadian television and radio personality and political advisor. Most recently a morning host on JAZZ.FM91, he left the station on November 26, 2010, and currently holds the position of director of communications for Glen Murray, Minister of Research and Innovation.Born in...
, Canadian media personality, born in Tangier - Raphael BerdugoRaphael BerdugoRaphael Berdugo , is a son of Rabbi Mordecai Berdugo, was a dayan, a scholar, and one of the greatest rabbis of Morocco.Raphael was respected by his contemporaries, and his decisions continue to be a source of inspiration to Moroccan rabbis...
, dayan, scholar, and rabbi - Salomon BerdugoSalomon BerdugoChief Rabbi Salomon Berdugo was a halakhic authority, poet and rabbi in Meknes, Morocco. He was the son of Rabbi Daniel Berdugo. In 1897 he was appointed rabbi of the community...
, poet and rabbi from MeknesMeknesMeknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The... - Aryeh DeriAryeh DeriAryeh Deri is an Israeli politician, and former leader of Israel's Shas Party.-Biography:After Deri was convicted of taking $155,000 in bribes while serving as Interior Minister and given a three-year jail sentence in 2000, he was replaced by Eli Yishai...
, Israeli politician, a former leader of ShasShasShas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
Party - Edmond Amran El MalehEdmond Amran El MalehEdmond Amran El Maleh was one of the best known Moroccan writers.-Biography:El Maleh was born in Safi, Morocco to a Jewish family from Safi. He moved to Paris in 1965, working there as a journalist and a teacher of philosophy.He only began writing in 1980, at the age of 63, traveling back and...
, writer - André ElbazAndré ElbazAndré Elbaz is a famous Moroccan painter and filmmaker.Elbaz studied art and theatre in Rabat and Paris from 1950 to 1961. He started painting only at the age of 21, until which age he had been interested mainly in theatre...
, a painter and filmmaker from El JadidaEl JadidaEl Jadida is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the province of El Jadida. It has a population of 144,440... - Gad ElmalehGad ElmalehGad Elmaleh is a French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut . He has starred in several feature films, including Coco, Hors de prix, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris.- Early years :Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco...
, humorist, actor - Manuel FerraraManuel FerraraManuel Ferrara is a prolific French pornographic actor and adult film director.Ferrara was originally a protégé of Rocco Siffredi, and had an award winning acting career, making his American acting debut in John Stagliano’s Fashionistas. In 2002 he appeared in Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp...
, world renowned French pornstar - David HassineDavid HassineRabbi David Hassine is one of the best known figures of Jewish liturgic poetry in Morocco and his piyyutim were spread around the Sephardic world....
, a liturgic poet and rabbi - Dunash ben LabratDunash ben LabratDunash ha-Levi ben Labrat was a medieval Jewish commentator, poet, and grammarian of the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. He was, according to Moses ibn Ezra, born in Fes. In his youth he travelled to Bagdad to study with Saadia Gaon.Dunash is called the founder of Spanish Hebrew poetry...
, grammarian, poet - David LevyDavid Levy (Israeli politician)David Levy is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1969 and 2006, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Minister of Housing & Construction and as a Minister without Portfolio...
, Israeli politician - Chalom MessasChalom MessasShalom Messas, , was the Chief Rabbi of Morocco from 1961 until 1978, when he made aliyah to become the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, in which position he served until his death...
, the Grand Rabbi of MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
until 2003 - David MessasDavid MessasRabbi David Messas was the son of Rabbi Chalom Messas the former Chief Rabbi of Morocco who subsequently became the sefardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem: He married Dolly Berdugo...
, the Grand Rabbi of ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
since 1995 - Amir PeretzAmir PeretzAmir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
, Israeli politician, leader of the Labour Party - Baba SaliBaba SaliAfter this incident, the Jewish population of Tafilalt fled to the nearby city of Arfoud, and then to the city of Boudnib. In Bodniv, Rabbi Yisrael was asked to succeed his brother as rav, but he refused. He wanted to travel to Palestine to print his brother's sefarim...
, rabbi - Abraham SerfatyAbraham SerfatyAbraham Serfaty was an internationally prominent Moroccan dissident, militant, and political activist, who was imprisoned for years by King Hassan II of Morocco, for his political actions in favor of democracy and development’s regime, during the Years of Lead...
, political activist - Meir SheetritMeir SheetritMeir Sheetrit is a Moroccan-born Israeli politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for Kadima. He has served as Minister of the Interior, Minister of Housing & Construction, Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Education, Culture &...
, Israeli politician of KadimaKadimaKadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians... - Avi ToledanoAvi ToledanoBorn in Meknes in Morocco April 4, 1948, Avraham Toledano is known to European audiences for his involvement with the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1982 he represented Israel in Harrogate, UK with the uptempo revivalist number Hora...
, a singer who competed at the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition... - Mordechai VanunuMordechai VanunuMordechai Vanunu ; is a former Israeli nuclear technician who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986. He was subsequently lured to Italy by a Mossad agent, where he was drugged and kidnapped by...
, Israeli dissident (converted to Christianity)
Saudi Arabia
- Samaw'al ibn 'AdiyaSamaw'al ibn 'Adiyaas-Samaw’al bin ‘Ādiyā’ .AlSamuel ibn 'Adiya was an Arabian poet and warrior, in the first half of the 6th century. His clan converted to Judaism when they were in Yemen...
(Samuel ibn 'Adiya), poet, warrior - David ReubeniDavid ReubeniDavid Reubeni was a Jewish political activist, described by the Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia as "half-mystic, half-adventurer."- Origin :The mysteries of ha-Reubeni's origins are manifold, and have not been solved to this day....
, false messiahMessiahA messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
Tunisia
- Max AzriaMax AzriaMax Azria is a French fashion designer of Tunisian Jewish descent who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBGMAXAZRIA. Azria is also the designer, chairman and CEO of BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP, a global fashion house that encompasses over 20 brands...
, fashion designer, founder of BCBGBCBGBCBG may refer to:* the French acronym bon chic bon genre or * Women's clothing line created by Max Azria* Bon Chic Bon Genre, an album by Campag Velocet... - Roger Bismuth, Tunisian senator
- Alain BoublilAlain BoublilAlain Boublil is a musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End...
, lyricist - Claude ChalleClaude ChalleClaude Challe is a French DJ and club owner, the creator of the Buddha Bar restaurant/clubs and music compilations.Challe moved to France at age three. He attended Rabbinical school as a young man...
, club impresario and DJ - Pierre DarmonPierre DarmonPierre Darmon was a French tennis player.In 1963, he reached his highest world ranking, # 8. He was also ranked in the top 10 worldwide in 1958 and 1964.-Tennis career:...
, tennis player - Albert MemmiAlbert MemmiAlbert Memmi is a Tunisian Jewish writer and essayist who migrated to France.- Biography :Born in colonial Tunisia,from a Tunisian Jewish mother and a Tunisian-Italian Jewish father, he speaks Hebrew and Tunisian-Arabic...
, novelist & sociologist - Silvan ShalomSilvan Shalom' , born 4 October 1958) is an Israeli politician, member of the Knesset for Likud and the country's Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development. He previously served as the country's Foreign Minister and Finance Minister.-Biography:...
, Israeli politician and former Foreign Minister of Israel
Yemen
- Nethanel ben IsaiahNethanel ben IsaiahNethanel ben Isaiah was a Yemenite Jewish rabbi, Biblical commentator and poet of the fourteenth century...
- Jacob ben NathanaelJacob ben NathanaelJacob ben Nathanael ibn al-Fayyumi was a rosh yeshiva of the Yemenite Jews in the second half of the 12th century CE. All that is known of him is that at the suggestion of Solomon ha-Kohen, a pupil of Maimonides, he wrote to the latter asking his advice in regard to a pseudo-Messiah who was leading...
- Ofra HazaOfra HazaOfra Haza was an Israeli singer of Yemeni origin, an actress and international recording artist....
, famous Israeli singer - Yosef QafihYosef QafihYosef Qafih , widely known as Rabbi Kapach , was one of the foremost leaders of the Yemenite Jewish community, first in Yemen and later in Israel. He was the grandson of Rabbi Yihhyah Qafahh, also a prominent Yemenite leader and grandson of the founder of the Dor Deah movement in Yemen...
rabbi and leader of Baladi Yemenite Jewish community - Abdullah ibn SabaAbdullah ibn SabaAbd Allah ibn Sabaʾ al-Ḥimyarī was a 7th-century figure in Islamic history who may or may not have had an actual historical existence and often associated with a group of followers called the Sabaʾiyya.Modern historical view, is not clear what historical person or persons lay behind this figure...
, converted to Islam (born Jewish) - Makeda Queen of Sheba (converted)
- Rabiah ibn Mudhar & Dhu NuwasDhu NuwasYūsuf Dhū Nuwas, was the last king of the Himyarite kingdom of Yemen and a convert to Judaism....
, kings of Himyarite - Wahb bin Munabbih (?-732), converted to Islam (born Persian Jew)
- Shalom ShabaziShalom ShabaziRabbi Shalom ben Yosef Shabbazi, also Abba Shalem Shabbezi or Salim Elshibzi was one of the greatest Jewish poets who lived in 17th century Yemen and now considered the 'Poet of Yemen'. Shabbazi was born in 1619 at Jewish Sharab, close to Ta'izz, and lived most of his life in Ta'izz from which he...
, poet
See also
- Jewish exodus from Arab landsJewish exodus from Arab landsThe Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries was a mass departure, flight and expulsion of Jews, primarily of Sephardi and Mizrahi background, from Arab and Muslim countries, from 1948 until the early 1970s...
- Jewish refugeesJewish refugeesIn the course of history, Jewish populations have been expelled or ostracised by various local authorities and have sought asylum from antisemitism numerous times...
- List of Jews
- List of Egyptians
- List of Lebanese people
- List of Syrians
- List of Iraqis
- History of the Jews in TunisiaHistory of the Jews in TunisiaThe history of the Jews in Tunisia goes back to Roman times. Before 1948, the Jewish population of Tunisia reached a peak of 110,000. From the 1950s, half this number left for Israel and the other half for France...
- History of the Jews in MoroccoHistory of the Jews in MoroccoMoroccan Jews constitute an ancient community. Before the founding of Israel in 1948, there were about 250,000 to 350,000 Jews in the country, but fewer than 7,000 or so remain.-Under the Romans:...
- History of the Jews in AlgeriaHistory of the Jews in AlgeriaHistory of the Jews in Algeria refers to the history of the Jewish community of Algeria, which goes back to the 1st centuries CE. In the 14th century, many Spanish Jews moved to Algeria...
- History of the Jews in Yemen
- List of famous Arabs