Élie Halévy (Chalfan)

Élie Halévy ( Halfan / Khalfan ), or Élie Halfon - Halévy (* 1760 Würzburg, † November 5, 1826 in Paris) was a French- Jewish poet and author. He is the father of Fromental Halévy and Léon.

Life

Halévy was born in Fürth ( Bayern). Early on, he went to Paris, where he became cantor and ambassador of the Jewish Consistoire of Paris. Through his knowledge of the Talmud and his poetic talent, he earned the respect of many French students, especially from the famous orientalist Silvestre de Sacy. His first poem was the anthem Ha - Shalom, written on the occasion of the Peace of Amiens; it was in the synagogue of Paris, both in Hebrew and in French, on the seventeenth Brumaire ( corresponding to the 8 November ) 1801 sung. The poem was highly praised by evangelical pastor Marron. In 1808 Halévy wrote a prayer which was recited on the anniversary of the Battle of Wagram; 1817, with the help of some of his co-religionists, he founded the weekly newspaper L' Israélite Français, which, however, was discontinued after two years. To this periodical he contributed a remarkable dialog titled Socrate et Spinosa at. His Limmude Dat u - Musar (Metz, 1820) is a religious textbook, compiled from texts of the Bible, with commentaries and a French translation, as well as the decisions of the Sanhedrin, which was used by Napoleon. Halévy left behind two unpublished works: a Hebrew- French dictionary and an essay on Aesop's Fables. He wrote to the fables Salomon and believed that the name " Aesop " is a form of " Asaph " is.

His son is the French composer Jacques Fromental Halévy and music teacher.

Publications

• Instruction religieuse et morale à l' usage de la jeunesse israélite, 1820.