Levi Billig
Levi (Louis) Bellig | |
---|---|
לוי ביליג | |
Born | 1897 London, England |
Died | 22 August 1936 (aged 39) |
Resting place | Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery |
Known for | pioneering Arabic studies in Hebrew |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Oriental studies, Arabic literature |
Levi (Lewis) Billig (
Billig was murdered in 1936 by an Arab assassin in his home in the early months of the
Early life
Billig was born in London, England, in 1897.
Academic career
In 1926,
Billig's research interests included early Shi'ite literature. He began work on an edition of
In the late 1920s, Billig was involved in advancing efforts to teach Arabic in Jewish schools in the Yishuv. He participated in the inaugural meeting in 1927 of Arthur Biram and David Yellin's "committee for Arabic studies in high schools". At the meeting, the committee agreed to compose an Arabic Reader textbook, edited by Billig and David Yellin's son Avinoam Yellin, an Arabic scholar and orientalist. Despite the outbreak of the 1929 Palestine riots, progress on the textbook continued, and Billig and Yellin published their textbook Mukhtarat al-Qira'a (lit. 'Collections of Readings') in 1931, the first ever educational material designed for Hebrew-speaking students.[3]
In the introduction, the editors expressed hope that the book would facilitate Arabic studies. Billig and Yellin included classic Arabic compositions, from the Pre-Islamic era through the modern period, that the editors hoped Jewish students would learn. The textbook was also published in Hebrew and English.[3]
Death
On 22 August 1936, Billig was killed while sitting at his desk in the study of his home in the Jerusalem suburbs by an Arab who shot at Billig through the shutters. At the time of his death, he was working on Basa'ir ad-Darajat, and his corpse was found surrounded by Arabic manuscripts.
Billig's death was linked with that of Avinoam Yellin, a frequent Billig collaborator and the son of David Yellin, who was killed in October 1937 during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. Both men had dedicated their lives to the study of and friendship with Arabs.[5][7] Their deaths marked the symbolic death of the Arabic Reader and signaled a change in Arabic studies for Jewish schools in Palestine, from a grammarian approach to one more practical.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "3 Jews, Including Hebrew U. Teacher, Slain by Arabs". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1936-08-23. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d Milson, Menahem (1996-03-22). "The beginnings of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem". Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought. 45 (2).
- ^ S2CID 146484354. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- Palestine Royal Commission. July 1937. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
Of many tragic cases we may mention that of Mr. Lewis Billig, Lecturer in Arabic Literature in the Hebrew UniverFiity, who had devoted his life to Arabic studies and was murdered in his house in the suburbs of Jerusalem.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-317-44269-1. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- JSTOR 608364. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Indignation Mounts in Palestine over Yellin's Death; Shertok Counsels Restraint". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1937-10-25. Retrieved 5 January 2024.