Théo Klein
Théo Klein | |
|---|---|
| President of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme | |
| In office 2001–2011 | |
| President of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France | |
| In office 1983–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Paul Elkann |
| Succeeded by | Jean Kahn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Théodore Klein 25 June 1920 10th arrondissement of Paris, France |
| Died | 28 January 2020 (aged 99) Saint-Cloud, France |
| Spouse | Liliane Lieber |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Sciences Po |
Théo Klein (25 June 1920 – 28 January 2020) was a
Biography
Klein was born in Paris, and was the great-grandson of the former chief rabbi of Colmar, Salomon Klein.[2] He was born into an Alsatian Jewish family.[3] He was educated at the École Maïmonide in Montreal.[4] Klein earned a degree in law from Sciences Po.
Klein joined the
Théo Klein became a lawyer with the Court of Appeal of Paris in 1945 and was admitted to the Israel Bar Association in 1970 as a member of the International Court of Arbitration. In 1978, he founded the law firm Klein & Associates, now called KGA Avocats.[6]
Klein helped reconstruct
In the 1980s, along with Jacques Chirac, Jack Lang, and Claude-Gérard Marcus, Klein was a key figure in the opening of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme. He was vice-president of the museum from 1988 to 2001, and then served as president until 2011.[9] He was a large donor to the museum, donating works from the likes of Boris Schatz and Jules Grandjouan.
Klein served as a member of the International Committee of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. He helped to dissolve the dispute over the Auschwitz cross. After his retired, Klein gave seminars and wrote about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Théo Klein died on 28 January 2020 in Saint-Cloud at the age of 99.[10]
Honors
- Officer of the Legion of Honour
Publications
- Deux vérités en face (1988)
- L'Affaire du Carmel d'Auschwitz (1991)
- Le Manifeste d’un juif libre (2002)
- Une manière d’être juif (2007)
- Sortir du ghetto (2007)
- Israël survivra-t-il (2008)
- Le Conflit israélo-arabe. Quelles sources ? Quelles solutions ? (2010)
References
- ^ "Non orthodoxe". Libération (in French). 5 February 2002.
- ^ "Décès de Théo Klein, ancien président du Crif et figure du judaïsme libéral". i24 News (in French). 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Me Théodore (Théo) KLEIN". A.S.I.J.A. (in French).
- ^ "Le Collège Maïmonde: Incarnation d'un Communitairisme Républicain" (PDF). Revue des Deux Mondes (in French). December 2017.
- ^ "Théo Klein, juif, français, israélien". Le Monde (in French). 28 September 2007.
- ^ "Théo Klein, juif, français, israélien". KGA Avocats (in French).
- ^ "Théo Klein rompt avec le Crif". Le Point (in French). 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Le Crif, 75 ans d'histoire engagée". France Inter (in French). 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Hommage à Théo Klein" (PDF). Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme (in French). 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Mort de Théo Klein, grande figure du judaïsme et défenseur de la laïcité". Libération (in French). 29 January 2020.
