List of Jews from the Arab world

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.

Al-Andalus

• Dunash ben Labrat, commentator, poet, and grammarian
• Mūsā ibn Maymūn, medieval philosopher and Torah scholar
• Abu Harun Musa bin Ya'acub ibn Ezra, philosopher and linguist
• Hasdai ibn Shaprut, scholar, physician, and diplomat

Algeria

• Isaac Alfasi, Talmudist and posek; best known for his work of halakha
• 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
• Roger Hanin, film actor and director
• Bernard-Henri Lévy, French philosopher
• Enrico Macias (Gaston Ghrenassia), French singer
• Line Monty (Eliane Sarfati), Algerian singer
• Reinette l'Oranaise, famous Algerian singer from Oran. Known as one of Oran's respected artists. Best known for Nhabek Nhabek and Mazal Haï Mazal

Bahrain

• Menasheh Idafar, of Iraqi descent, former Bahraini/British racing driver with dual citizenship
• Nancy Khedouri, of Iraqi descent, current member of parliament, of Iraqi origin
• Ebrahim Daoud Nonoo, of Iraqi descent, former member of parliament
• Houda Ezra Nonoo, of Iraqi descent, former member of parliament and former Ambassador of Bahrain to the US
• Misha Nonoo, of British-Iraqi descent, US-based British-Bahraini fashion designer

Egypt

• André Aciman, writer and academic
• Guy Béart, French singer
• Eli Cohen, celebrated Israeli spy
• Sir Ronald Cohen, Egyptian-born businessman
• Jacques Hassoun, psychoanalyst, writer
• Aura Herzog, widow of Chaim Herzog, sixth President of the State of Israel
• Eric Hobsbawm, historian (Jewish-Polish and -German parents living in Cairo)
• Isaac Israeli ben Solomon, physician and philosopher living in the Arab world
• Edmond Jabès, poet
• Paula Jacques, writer, journalist, radio show producer
• Jacqueline Kahanoff, writer
• Ranan Lurie, political cartoonist
• Moshe Marzouk, doctor
• Togo Mizrahi, film director, actor, writer, and producer
• Roland Moreno, engineer, inventor of the Smart Card
• Layla Murad, singer
• Haim Saban, TV producer
• Saadia ben Yosef, rabbi
• Sylvain Sylvain (Sylvain Mizrahi), guitarist for New York Dolls
• Bat Ye'or, historian
• Avraham Yosef, rabbi
• Yaakov Yosef, rabbi
• Ahmed Zayat, entrepreneur and owner of Zayat Stables LLC

Iraq

• Many Tannaim and Amoraim, including:
  • Abba Arika, "Rabh", amora
  • Shmuel Yarchina'ah, "Mar Samuel", or Samuel of Nehardea, amora
  • Rav Huna
  • Rav Chisda
  • Abaye, amora
  • Rav Papa, amora
  • Rav Ashi (Abana), rav, amora
• Anan ben David, founder of Qara'ism
• Alan Yentob, television executive, broadcaster
• Avi Shlaim, Oxford Professor
• Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, politician
• Dodai ben Nahman, scholar
• Shlomo Hillel, diplomat and politician
• Ya'qub Bilbul, poet
• Sir Sassoon Eskell, statesman and financier
• Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted, Lord Mayor of London, businessman
• Naeim Giladi, writer
• Sir Naim Dangoor, entrepreneur and philanthropist
• N.J. Dawood, translator of Koran
• Hakham Yosef Chayyim of Baghdad, "Ben Ish Chai"
• Yitzchak Kadouri, rabbi and kabbalist
• Yitzhak Yamin, painter and sculptor
• Hila Klein, member of American-Israeli husband and wife duo h3h3Productions, best known for their YouTube channel of the same name. Family is of mixed Libyan and Iraqi Jewish heritage
• Elie Kedourie, historian
• Jessica Meir, astronaut, physiologist
• Sami Michael^*, writer
• Shafiq Ades, wealthy businessman
• Samir Naqqash, novelist
• Selim Zilkha, entrepreneur
• Maurice and Charles Saatchi, advertising executives
• Yona Sabar, scholar, linguist and researcher
• David Sassoon, merchant, and Sassoon family
• Yaakov Chaim Sofer, rabbi
• Ovadia Yosef, rabbi

Kuwait

• Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity, singers of Iranian-Iraqi descent

Libya

• George Borba, footballer
• Hila Klein, member of American-Israeli husband and wife duo h3h3Productions, best known for their YouTube channel of the same name. Family is of mixed Libyan and Iraqi Jewish heritage
• Moses Hacmon, Israeli artist and architect. Family is of mixed Libyan Jewish, Turkish Jewish and Iraqi Jewish heritage

Lebanon

• David Nahmad, backgammon champion and art dealer
• Yfrah Neaman, violinist
• Gad Saad, evolutionary behavioral scientist
• Edmond Safra, billionaire banker
• Jacob Safra, founder of Jacob E. Safra Bank
• Joseph Safra, chairman of all Safra companies

Morocco

• Michel Abitbol, academic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Amram Aburbeh, Sephardi Dayan, Scholar Chief Rabbi of Petah Tikva born in Tetouan. Best known of his work Netivei-Am
• Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Robert Assaraf, 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, dayan, scholar, and rabbi
• Salomon Berdugo, poet and rabbi from Meknes
• Frida Boccara, singer from Casablanca
• Aryeh Deri, Israeli politician, a former leader of Shas Party
• Edmond Amran El Maleh, writer
• André Elbaz, painter and filmmaker from El Jadida
• Gad Elmaleh, humorist, actor
• Serge Haroche, Nobel-winning physicist
• David Hassine, liturgic poet and rabbi
• Dunash ben Labrat, grammarian, poet
• David Levy, Israeli politician
• Nahum Ma'arabi, Hebrew poet and translator of the 13th century
• Chalom Messas, Grand Rabbi of Morocco until 2003
• David Messas, Grand Rabbi of Paris since 1995
• Amir Peretz, Israeli politician, leader of the Labour Party
• David Rebibo, congregational rabbi and Jewish day school dean in Phoenix, Arizona
• Baba Sali, rabbi
• Abraham Serfaty, political activist
• Meir Sheetrit, Israeli politician of Kadima
• Avi Toledano, singer who competed at the Eurovision Song Contest
• Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli dissident (converted to Christianity)

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
• Émile Benveniste, linguist

Tunisia

• Dove Attia, French-Tunisian musical television producer
• Max Azria, French-Tunisian fashion designer, founder of BCBG
• Roger Bismuth, Tunisian senator
• Alain Boublil, French musical theatre lyricist and librettist
• Michel Boujenah, French Tunisian comedian and humorist
• Paul Boujenah, French-Tunisian film director
• Dany Brillant, French singer
• Claude Challe, French club impresario and DJ
• Pierre Darmon, French tennis player
• Jacques Haïk, French producer
• Gisèle Halimi, Tunisian lawyer and essayist
• Élie Kakou, French actor and humorist
• Pierre Lellouche, French politician
• Albert Memmi, French novelist and sociologist
• Habiba Msika, Tunisian singer, dancer and actress
• Victor Perez, Tunisian boxing world champion
• Silvan Shalom, Israeli politician and former Foreign Minister of Israel
• René Trabelsi, Tunisian Politician
• Nissim Zvili, Israeli politician and diplomat

Yemen

• Rabbi Nethanel ben Isaiah
• Rabbi Jacob ben Nathanael
• Shoshana Damari, was an Israeli singer.
• Ofra Haza, famous Israeli singer
• Rabbi Yosef Qafih rabbi and leader of Baladi Yemenite Jewish community
• Abdullah ibn Saba, converted to Islam (born Jewish)
• Rabiah ibn Mudhar and Dhu Nuwas, kings of Himyarite
• Wahb bin Munabbih (?–732), converted to Islam (born Persian Jew)
• Rabbi Shalom Shabazi, rabbi and poet
• Rabbi Shalom Sharabi
• Rabbi Yihya Yitzhak HaLevi
• Rabbi Shlomo Korah, chief rabbi of Bnei Brak.
• Rabbi Azarya Basis, chief rabbi of Rosh HaAyin.
• Rabbi Shimon Baadani, leading Sephardi rabbi and rosh kollel in Israel.
• Rabbi Avraham Al-Naddaf, one of the leaders of Yemenite Jews in Jerusalem and Israel.
• Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak

See also

• Arab Jews
• 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