Paul Michel Gabriel Lévy
Encyclopedia
Paul Michel Gabriel Lévy (27 November 1910 – 16 August 2002) was born in Belgium
and a Holocaust survivor. He worked for many years as Director of Information at the Council of Europe
, helping create the Flag of Europe in the 1950s after it was proposed by Arsène Heitz
.
and Catholic University of Leuven
until 1941 when the Nazis invaded Belgium. He was then imprisoned at Fort Breendonk
. During his incarceration at the concentration camp, he told of physical abuse by Sturmbannfuhrer
upon arrival, kicked around numerous times. He was freed after a year and smuggled to London through GroupeZero, where he took a position with the BBC
. Following the invasion of Europe by the Allies, he returned to the continent working as an interpreter with media credentials alongside General Linden. His coverage included the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.
. In 1950, he joined the staff of Winston Churchill
's newly established Council of Europe
and became its first Chief of its Department of Culture.
Some see Lévy's conversion to Christianity as an origin of the claimed religious symbolism on the flag. The flag's circle of stars resembles the twelve-star halo of the Virgin Mary seen in Roman Catholic art and the flag's designer (Arsène Heitz) has acknowledged that he was inspired by that symbolism. Lévy originally backed the flag of the Pan Europe Movement. However, the cross element in its design was rejected by the Socialists and Turks as too Christian. It is claimed that one day, Lévy passed a statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo of stars and was struck by the way the stars, reflecting the sun, glowed against the blue of the sky. Lévy later visited Léon Marchal, the then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and suggested that he should propose twelve golden stars on a blue ground as motif for the flag of Europe. Lévy, however has stated that he was only informed of the connection to the Book of Revelation after it was chosen. Official authorities of the European Union disregard the biblical interpretation as myth.
It wasn't until 1985 that this particular flag was chosen to represent the European Economic Community
, eventually the European Union
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and a Holocaust survivor. He worked for many years as Director of Information at the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
, helping create the Flag of Europe in the 1950s after it was proposed by Arsène Heitz
Arsène Heitz
Arsène Heitz was a French draughtsman, born in Strasbourg, who worked at the Council of Europe. He is the author of the Flag of Europe ....
.
Early career
Lévy was originally of Jewish descent. He worked at the University of StrasbourgUniversity of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
and Catholic University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
until 1941 when the Nazis invaded Belgium. He was then imprisoned at Fort Breendonk
Fort Breendonk
Fort Breendonk is a fortification built in 1906 as part of the second ring of defences around the city of Antwerp . Originally one in a chain of fortresses constructed to defend Belgium against a German attack, Breendonk was near the town of the same name, about 12 miles southwest of Antwerp...
. During his incarceration at the concentration camp, he told of physical abuse by Sturmbannfuhrer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
upon arrival, kicked around numerous times. He was freed after a year and smuggled to London through GroupeZero, where he took a position with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Following the invasion of Europe by the Allies, he returned to the continent working as an interpreter with media credentials alongside General Linden. His coverage included the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.
Council of Europe
Having survived the war, he duly became a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. In 1950, he joined the staff of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's newly established Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and became its first Chief of its Department of Culture.
Flag
Lévy had to sort through the proposals flooding into his department and drew up the exact design of the finalist--Arsène Heitz's proposal for a circle of stars.Some see Lévy's conversion to Christianity as an origin of the claimed religious symbolism on the flag. The flag's circle of stars resembles the twelve-star halo of the Virgin Mary seen in Roman Catholic art and the flag's designer (Arsène Heitz) has acknowledged that he was inspired by that symbolism. Lévy originally backed the flag of the Pan Europe Movement. However, the cross element in its design was rejected by the Socialists and Turks as too Christian. It is claimed that one day, Lévy passed a statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo of stars and was struck by the way the stars, reflecting the sun, glowed against the blue of the sky. Lévy later visited Léon Marchal, the then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and suggested that he should propose twelve golden stars on a blue ground as motif for the flag of Europe. Lévy, however has stated that he was only informed of the connection to the Book of Revelation after it was chosen. Official authorities of the European Union disregard the biblical interpretation as myth.
It wasn't until 1985 that this particular flag was chosen to represent the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
, eventually the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.