List of Jews from the Arab World
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| List of Jews by country |
| Europe |
| Eastern Europe | North Europe |
| South-East Europe |
| West Europe |
| Americas |
| Latin America | Caribbean |
| Canada | United States |
| Rest of World |
| Oceania | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Arab World | Asia | Israel* |
| (*most are Jewish) |
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 origin.
Contents |
[edit] Algeria
- Alexandre Arcady, film director
- Yvan Attal, film director, actor (Jewish-Algerian parents)
- Jacques Attali, economist, writer
- Baruj Benacerraf, immunologist, Nobel prize (1992) (Jewish-Algerian mother)
- Paul Benacerraf, philosopher (Jewish-Algerian mother)
- Jean Benguigui, actor
- Eric Benhamou, CEO of 3COM
- Lili Boniche, musician
- Patrick Bruel, singer, actor
- Alain Chabat, actor
- Hélène Cixous, feminist writer
- Robert Cohen, boxer: World Bantamweight Champion
- Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, physicist, Nobel prize (1997)
- Cy Curnin, lead singer of The Fixx (Jewish-Algerian mother, non-Jewish father)
- Gérard Darmon, actor
- Jacques Derrida, deconstructionist philosopher
- Alphonse Halimi, boxer: World Bantamweight Champion
- Roger Hanin, film actor & director
- Claude Lelouch, film director (Jewish-Algerian father)
- Enrico Macias, singer
- Patrick Timsit, humorist, actor
[edit] Egypt
- Alain de Botton, writer (Jewish-Egyptian father)
- Eli Cohen, celebrated Israeli spy
- Aura Herzog
- Eric Hobsbawm, historian (Jewish-Polish & -German parents living in Cairo)
- Ishtar (singer), singer in Alabina (Israeli born; also of Moroccan heritage)
- Edmond Jabès, poet
- Benny Levy, author & secretary to Jean-Paul Sartre
- Ranan Lurie, political cartoonist
- Mosheh & Aharon ben Amram
- Moshe Marzouk, Dr.
- Philo
- Edgar Harari
- Onkelos, the Proselyte (converted)
- Layla Murad, singer (converted to Islam)
- Claudia Roden, chef
- Haim Saban, TV producer
- Sylvain Sylvain, guitarist for New York Dolls
- Ignaz Tiegerman, lived in Egypt
- Bat Ye'or, historian
- Kaley Zeitouni, founder of Youth Against MS (Jewish-Egyptian father)
- S'adyah ben Joseph, Gaon (born on Egypt)
[edit] Iraq
- Adiabene people
- Many Tannas and Amoraim, including:
- Abba Arika, "Rabh", amora
- Shmuel Yarchina'ah, "Mar Samuel", or Samuel of Nehardea, amora
- Rav Huna
- Rav Chisda
- Abaye, amora
- Abba bar Yoseph bar Hama, "Rabha", amora
- Rav Papa, amora
- Huna ben Joshua, amora
- Huna ben Nathan
- Rav Ashi (Abana), rav, amora
- Anan ben David, founder of Qara'ism
- Dodai ben Nahman
- Eli Amir, Israeli novelist
- Shimon Ballas, writer
- Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, politician
- Ya'qub Bilbul, poet
- Mordechai Eliyahu, rabbi
- Naeim Giladi, writer
- Shlomo Hillel, Israeli Interior Minister
- Moshe Houri (Moussa Houri)
- Hakham Yosef Chayyim of Baghdad, "Ben Ish Chai"
- Jack F.R. Jacob, Jewish-Indian general & politician
- Lawrence Elly Kadoorie, famous industrialist, hotelier, and philanthropist.
- Sir Michael Kadoorie, business executive, one of the world's foremost tycoons and philanthropists.
- Elly Kadoorie, Shanghai-based businessman
- Yitzchak Kadouri, rabbi and kabbalist
- Anish Kapoor, sculptor (Baghdadi mother, non-Jewish father)
- Elie Kedourie, historian
- Yosi (Saffi) Levy, Israeli, Iraqi singer in L.A
- David Saul Marshall, Chief Minister of Singapore (Jewish-Iraqi parents)
- Sami Michael*, Israeli writer
- ([1]; not -Amin al Shammas)
- Layla Murad, Singer (Iraqi father)
- Samir Naqqash, novelist
- Daniel Pearl, journalist (Iraqi mother)
- David & Simon Reuben, businessmen (Jewish-Iraqi parents)
- Maurice & Charles Saatchi, advertising executives
- David Sassoon, Anglo-Indian merchant, and Sassoon family
- Eizabeth Shammash, US soprano singer (Jewish-Iraqi mother)
- Ella Habiba Shohat, Israeli-American academic (Jewish-Iraqi parents)
- Yaakov Chaim Sofer, rabbi
- Alan Yentob, television executive
- Ovadia Yosef, rabbi
- Khedoury & Selim Zilkha, businessmen
See also:
[edit] Lebanon
- Yfrah Neaman, violinist (Lebanese-born)
- Nasim Nisr, Revolutionist (Muslim father, Jewish mother)
- Edmond Safra, banker (Lebanese-born)
[edit] Morocco
- Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
- Arthur, radio and TV host
- Natacha Atlas, singer (French born; partly Jewish-Moroccan father, non-Jewish mother)
- André Azoulay, advisor to Kings Hassan II and Mohammed_VI
- Shlomo Ben-Ami Israeli diplomat, politician and author born in Tangier
- Baruj Benacerraf, immunologist, Nobel prize (1992) (Jewish-Moroccan father)
- Paul Benacerraf, philosopher (Jewish-Moroccan father)
- Emmanuelle Chriqui, actress (Jewish-Moroccan parents)
- Albert Devico, Owner and CEO of Nora Foods - which operates in consortium with his brother's companies: Vittal, Aicha, Marocapres
- Edmond Amran El Maleh, writer
- Gad Elmaleh, humorist, actor
- Ishtar (singer), singer in Alabina (Israeli born; also of Egyptian heritage)
- Dunash ben Labrat, grammarian, poet
- David Levy, Israeli politician
- Maurice Lévy, head of Publicis Groupe
- Paul, Georges, Maurice & Armand Marciano, founders of Marciano and GUESS
- Layla Murad, Singer (Moroccan father)
- J.S. Nachmani Real Estate, currently lives in Downtown, New York.]]
- Amir Peretz politician, leader of the Labour Party
- Monique Powell, singer in Save Ferris (Jewish-Moroccan mother)
- Baba Sali Famous Rav
- Sapho (singer), singer
- Abraham Serfaty, political activist
- Ralph Toledano, Chairman and CEO of Chloé
- Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli dissident (converted to Christianity)
- Yossi Benayoun, Israeli football player (Moroccan mother)
[edit] Saudi Arabia
- Samaw'al ibn 'Adiya (Samuel ibn 'Adiya), poet, warrior
- David Reubeni, false messiah
[edit] Sudan
- Nessim Gaon, financier
[edit] Syria
- Paula Abdul, singer & dancer (Syrian father)
- Eddie Antar, the owner of Crazy Eddie electronic stores (Syrian father).
- Roxanne Assoulin Jewelry Designer, founder of Lee Angel (Syrian Parents)
- Ezra Attia, Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva
- Dan Hedaya, actor (Syrian parents)
- Isaac Mizrahi, fashion designer & talk show host (Syrian parents)
- Jerry Seinfeld, TV actor (Syrian mother, Hungarian father), see also Seinfeld
- Moshe Safdi, Architect (Syrian Parents)
[edit] Tunisia
- Senator George F. Allen (French-Tunisian Jewish mother)
- Max Azria, fashion designer, founder of BCBG
- Roger Bismuth, Tunisian senator
- Alain Boublil, lyricist
- Michel Boujenah, actor
- Dany Brillant, singer
- Claude Challe, club impresario and DJ
- David Charvet, TV actor (Tunisian father)
- Pierre Darmon, tennis player
- Agnès Jaoui, director & actress (Tunisian parents)
- Albert Memmi, novelist & sociologist
- Raphaël Mezrahi, humorist
- Victor Young Perez, boxer: World Flyweight Champion
- Nick Valensi, guitarist for The Strokes (Tunisian father)
- Silvan Shalom, Israeli politician and former Foreign Minister of Israel
[edit] Yemen
- Yigal Amir, religious activist, murderer of Yitzhak Rabin
- Nethanel ben Isaiah
- Jacob ben Nathanael
- Yosefa Dahari, Israeli singer (Jewish-Yemenite parents)
- Ofra Haza, Israeli singer (Jewish-Yemenite parents)
- Margalit Oved, dancer, choreographer, entertainer
- Abdullah ibn Saba, converted to Islam (born Jewish)
- Makeda Queen of Sheba (converted)
- Ahinoam Nini (Noa), Israeli singer (Jewish-Yemenite parents)
- Rabiah ibn Mudhar & Dhu Nuwas, kings of Himyarite
- Sara Levi-Tannai*, Israeli musician (Jewish-Yemenite)
- Wahb bin Munabbih (?-732), converted to Islam (born Persian Jew)
- Izhar Cohen - Suleiman's son, Israeli winner of Eurovision song competition
- Dana International- Born Yaron Cohen, Israeli transexual winner of Eurovision song competition (Yemenite parents)
- Shoshana Dhamari born 1923 in Yemen, very famous Israeli singer
- Shalom Shabazi, poet
- Tomer Yosef, Israeli modern singer/musician
