Alfred Lévy (14 December 1840 – 23 July 1919) was a French rabbi who became Chief Rabbi of France in the period immediately before and during World War I.
Life
Alfred Lévy was born in
Lunéville
Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle.
It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze.
History
Lun ...
on 14 December 1840. He studied at the Collège de Lunéville and in 1860 entered the Rabbinical Seminary of Paris.
On completing his studies he became rabbi at
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
for two years, and then was rabbi of Lunéville for twelve years.
In 1880 he became chief rabbi of the
consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
*Consistory ...
of
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
.
In that role, in July 1880 he was named a member of the public education committee of the department of the Rhone.
He came to be known as a philanthropist, a French patriot and an eloquent speaker.
He was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1888.
In 1907 Lévy succeeded
Zadoc Kahn
Zadoc Kahn (18 February 1839 in Mommenheim, Alsace – 8 December 1905 in Paris) was an Alsatian- French rabbi and chief rabbi of France.
Life
In 1856 he entered the rabbinical school of Metz, finishing his theological studies at the same ...
as head of the central consistory, and thus as
Chief Rabbi of France
Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') 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. Since 1911, through a ...
.
The election was opposed by one other candidate, Israël Lévi, who was appointed Deputy Chief Rabbi in 1914.
At the start of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–18) Alfred Lévy established a list of military chaplains.
Each year of the war he published the soldier's ''Tefila'', ritual prayers for use by Israelite soldiers on campaign.
His health deteriorated during the last two years of the war, and Israël Lévi acted as Chief Rabbi of France in his place.
Alfred Lévy died at
Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pau (, ) is a Communes of France, commune overlooking the Pyrenees, and prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
The city is located in the heart o ...
on 23 July 1919 and was buried in
Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery (french: link=no, Cimetière du Montparnasse) is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery ...
in Paris.
In 1923 his grandson Robert Gamzon founded the first chapter of the
Éclaireurs Israélites de France (EIF) in Paris.
This scouting organization brought together native-born and immigrant Jewish youth, and affirmed their Jewish identity.
Alfred Lévy's granddaughter
Renée Lévy
Renée Léa Lévy (26 September 1906 – 31 August 1943) was a French school teacher of Jewish origins. During World War II (1939–45) she became a member of the French Resistance, was arrested and was later executed. She received several posthumo ...
(1906–1943) aided the Resistance during World War II and was executed by the Germans.
She is one of the 16 representatives of Fighting France who is buried at the ''
Mémorial de la France combattante
The Mémorial de la France combattante (Memorial to Fighting France) is the most important memorial to French fighters of World War II (1939–1945). It is situated below Fort Mont-Valérien in Suresnes, in the western suburbs of Paris. It commemo ...
''.
Publications
Lévy's publications include:
* ''Le Deuil et les Cérémonies Funèbres chez les Israélites'' Paris, 1879
* ''Notice sur les Israélites du Duché de Lorraine'' 1885
* ''Notice sur les Israélites de Lyon'' 1894
* ''Les Doctrines d'Israel, Recueil de Sermons'' Lyons, 1896.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Alfred
1840 births
1919 deaths
People from Lunéville
Chief rabbis of France
19th-century French rabbis
20th-century French rabbis
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur