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 : ''Lünstadt'' ; Lorrain: ''Leneinvile'') 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 Ve ...
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 (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
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
*Consistor ...
of
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
.
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 as head of the central consistory, and thus as
Chief Rabbi of France
Chief 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. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir H ...
.
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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(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, the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region of Southwestern France.
The city is locat ...
on 23 July 1919 and was buried in
Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...
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
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Alfred
1840 births
1919 deaths
People from Lunéville
Chief rabbis of France
19th-century French rabbis
20th-century French rabbis
Knights of the Legion of Honour