List of Jews from the Arab World

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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.

Algeria

• Jacques Attali, economist, writer
• Cheb i Sabbah, famous club DJ
• Lili Boniche, musician
• Patrick Bruel, singer, actor
• Alain Chabat, actor
• Hélène Cixous, feminist writer
• Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, physicist, Nobel prize (1997)
• Jacques Derrida, deconstructionist philosopher
• Alphonse Halimi, boxer: World Bantamweight Champion^[1]
• Roger Hanin, film actor & director
• Enrico Macias (Gaston Ghrenassia), French singer

Bahrain

• Ebrahim Daoud Nonoo, former member of parliament
• Houda Ezra Nonoo, human rights activist & member of parliament

Egypt

• Eli Cohen, celebrated Israeli spy
• Sir Ronald Cohen, Egyptian-born businessman
• Aura Herzog
• Eric Hobsbawm, historian (Jewish-Polish & -German parents living in Cairo)
• Edmond Jabès, poet
• Ranan Lurie, political cartoonist
• Moshe Marzouk, doctor
• Layla Murad, singer (converted to Islam)
• Haim Saban, TV producer
• Sylvain Sylvain (Sylvain Mizrahi), guitarist for New York Dolls
• Bat Ye'or, historian
• S'adyah ben Joseph, Gaon (born on Egypt)

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
• Ari Ben-Menashe
• Dodai ben Nahman
• Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, politician
• Ya'qub Bilbul, poet
• Sir Sassoon Eskell, Iraqi statesman and financier
• Naeim Giladi, writer
• Hakham Yosef Chayyim of Baghdad, "Ben Ish Chai"
• Yitzchak Kadouri, rabbi and kabbalist
• Elie Kedourie, historian
• Sami Michael^*, Israeli writer

([2]; not -Amin al Shammas)

• Layla Murad, Singer (Iraqi father)
• Samir Naqqash, novelist
• Maurice & Charles Saatchi, advertising executives
• David Sassoon, Anglo-Indian merchant, and Sassoon family
• Yaakov Chaim Sofer, rabbi
• Dahlia Wasfi, activist
• Elliott Yamin, singer (American Idol contestant]]
• Ovadia Yosef, rabbi

Kuwait

• Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity, Kuwaiti (late Israeli) famous singers

Libya

• George Borba, footballer

Lebanon

• Guy Béart, french singer
• Yfrah Neaman, violinist
• Isaac Sasson, president of the community 'Haïm Cohen Halala' in Beirut
• Edmond Safra, billionaire banker
• Jacob Safra, founder of Jacob E. Safra Bank
• Joseph Safra, chairman of all Safra companies

Morocco

• Michel Abitbol, an academic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Isaac Alfasi, a Talmudist and posek. Best known for his work of halakha
• Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Robert Assaraf, a historian and writer
• André Azoulay, advisor to Kings Hassan II and Mohammed VI
• Shlomo Ben-Ami Israeli diplomat, politician and author born in Tangier
• Ralph Benmergui Canadian media personality, born in Tangier
• Raphael Berdugo, a dayan, a scholar, and a rabbi
• Salomon Berdugo, poet and rabbi from Meknes
• Aryeh Deri, Israeli politician, a former leader of Shas Party
• Edmond Amran El Maleh, writer
• André Elbaz, a painter and filmmaker from El Jadida
• Gad Elmaleh, humorist, actor
• David Hassine, a liturgic poet and rabbi
• Dunash ben Labrat, grammarian, poet
• David Levy, Israeli politician
• Chalom Messas, the Grand Rabbi of Morocco until 2003
• David Messas, the Grand Rabbi of Paris since 1995
• Amir Peretz, Israeli politician, leader of the Labour Party
• Baba Sali, rabbi
• Abraham Serfaty, political activist
• Meir Sheetrit, Israeli politician of Kadima
• Avi Toledano, a singer who competed at the Eurovision Song Contest
• Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli dissident (converted to Christianity)

Saudi Arabia

• Samaw'al ibn 'Adiya (Samuel ibn 'Adiya), poet, warrior
• David Reubeni, false messiah

Sudan

• Nessim Gaon, financier

Syria

• Ezra Attiya, rabbi and rosh yeshiva

Tunisia

• Max Azria, fashion designer, founder of BCBG
• Roger Bismuth, Tunisian senator
• Alain Boublil, lyricist
• Claude Challe, club impresario and DJ
• Pierre Darmon, tennis player
• Albert Memmi, novelist & sociologist
• Silvan Shalom, Israeli politician and former Foreign Minister of Israel

Yemen

• Nethanel ben Isaiah
• Jacob ben Nathanael
• Ofra Haza, famous Israeli singer
• Yosef Qafih rabbi and leader of Baladi Yemenite Jewish community
• Abdullah ibn Saba, converted to Islam (born Jewish)
• Makeda Queen of Sheba (converted)
• Rabiah ibn Mudhar & Dhu Nuwas, kings of Himyarite
• Wahb bin Munabbih (?-732), converted to Islam (born Persian Jew)
• Shalom Shabazi, poet

See also

• Jewish exodus from Arab lands
• Jewish refugees
• List of Jews
  • List of Asian Jews
  • List of South-East European Jews
• List of Egyptians
• List of Lebanese people
• List of Syrians
• List of Iraqis
• History of the Jews in Tunisia
• History of the Jews in Morocco
• History of the Jews in Algeria
• History of the Jews in Yemen

Footnotes