Azoulay

Azoulay (Hebrew: אזולאי‎‎), sometimes spelled Azoulai, Azulay, Azulai (Hebrew: אזולי‎‎^[1]), etc. is a Sephardic Jewish surname, common among Jews of French, North African, Israeli, and Canadian background, descended from Spanish exiles.

The source of the name is debated. Some have linked it to the Spanish phrase 'ojos azules' (blue eyes). Some linguists argue that it is an acronym of a passage from the bible "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane" (Leviticus 21:7), indicating that the Azoulay name-bearers are members of the Kohen sub-tribe.^[2]

People

Azoulay Family of Fes

Azoulay, when spelled Azulai, is the name of a notable Jewish family descended from Spanish exiles who, after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and following decades, settled in the city of Fes, Morocco. The family includes:

• Abraham Azulai (c. 1570 – 1643) – Kabbalistic author and commentator.
• Chaim Joseph David Azulai (1724–1807) – a rabbinical scholar and a noted bibliophile, who pioneered the history of Jewish religious writings.^[3]
• Raphael Isaiah Azulai (died 1830) – rabbi and writer.

Others

Note that all of these individuals spell it differently than did those from the above rabbinical family.

• André Azoulay – Senior adviser to King Mohammed VI of Morocco
• Audrey Azoulay – French Minister of Culture
• S. K. Azoulay – Israeli writer
• Jean-Luc Azoulay – French filmmaker, see AB Disques
• Ariella Azoulay – Israeli scholar and documentarian, see Herzliya Biennial
• Jom Tob Azulay – Brazilian film producer and director.
• Simon Azoulay Pedersen – Danish football player.

See also

• Azoulay v. The Queen, landmark 1952 Canadian Supreme Court case, wherein Dr. Leon Azoulay was accused of murder after the death of a patient receiving an abortion
• The Policeman, Hashoter Azoulay was the original title of the Israeli film The Policeman

References