Habib Levy (1896–1984) is the author of ''Comprehensive History of the Jews of Iran: The Outset of the Diaspora''.

Early life

Habib Levy was born to a middle-class

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, Iran. He began his studies as a youth in

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, France, and was greatly influenced by the social and cultural movements in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. After returning to his native Iran, Levy pursued various memberships and leadership positions in a few local

organizations. In 1920, he was chosen as a board member of the central branch of the Iranian

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Movement as Inspector General. In 1926, he was appointed to the post of vice president. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Levy played a significant role in the transfer of thousands of Jewish children from Poland who had escaped their war-torn birthplace to emigrate to Israel, while temporarily taking refuge among members of the Jewish community of Tehran.

Research

Over the following forty years, Dr. Levy performed extensive research on the history of the Jews of Iran. No such detailed work had ever been done prior to this endeavor. He traveled to many countries and researched various sources in order to obtain the objective documentation necessary to author his book which was first published in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

in 1960. Levy was still in the active pursuit of his extensive research on the history of

Iranian Jews Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the History of ancient Israel and Judah, biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (his ...

prior to his death at the age of 88 in

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, California. He is buried in Israel by his family, as he had wished. In 1998, the

University of California Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Cal ...

created the "Habib Levy Distinguished Visiting Professorship In Judeo-Persian Studies".

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

's Center for Iranian Studies has dedicated "The Dr. Habib Levy Program" to the advancement of academic study of the Jews of Iran in his honor. In 1999, the original three-volume book written by Levy in Persian was abridged by Hooshang Ebrami, translated into English by George Maschke and published in one volume by Mazda Publishers in

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

, California.

Monographs

* Comprehensive History of the Jews of Iran (1999). The Quest of the Diaspora. Abridged and edited from Persian by Hooshang Ebrami. Translated by George W. Maschke. Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA. . * Worldviews and Ideas (2022). Collections of Sociocultural Essays. Edited by Nahid Pirnazar Oberman. Translated and Reviewed by Farshid Delshad. Published by Habib Levy Cultural Foundation, Chino Hills, CA. .

External links

The Dr. Habib Levy Program at the Center for Iranian Studies of Tel-Aviv University
Jewish historians Iranian Jews 1896 births 1984 deaths Iranian emigrants to the United States Burials at Har HaMenuchot {{Judaism-bio-stub