Azoulay, sometimes spelled
Azoulai,
Azulai or
Azulay (),
[minus the Aleph before the Yud, which is how Chaim Yosef David Azulai spelled it] etc. is a
Sephardi Jews surname, common among Jews of
Moroccan Jews descent. It is assumed that the family name Azulai is an acronym of the biblical restriction on whom a Kohen may marry: אשה זנה וחללה לא יקחו (Leviticus, 21:7) and, thus, indicating priestly descent. The Hebrew phrase
ishah zonah ve'challelah lo yikachu means "a prostitute or divorced Israelite shall they the not take".. Prostitute, while a literal translation, may refer to general immoral behavior such as adultery.
According to Mohamed Chafik, "Azoulay" (, ) is a common Moroccan Jewish family name, and has the straightforward meaning "hairy", "whose body is full of hair" in Berber languages.
People
Azoulay family of Fes
Azoulay, is the name of a notable Jewish family descended from Spanish exiles who, after the
Alhambra Decree and following decades, settled in the city of Fez, Morocco. The family includes:
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Abraham Azulai ( 1570 – 1643) – Kabbalistic author and commentator best known for his Chessed le-Avraham
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Chaim Yosef David Azulai (1724–1807) – a rabbinical scholar and a noted bibliophile, who pioneered the history of Jewish religious writings.
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Raphael Isaiah Azulai (died 1830) – rabbi and writer.
Others
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André Azoulay – Senior adviser to King Mohammed VI of Morocco
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Ariella Azoulay – Israeli scholar and documentarian, see Herzliya Biennial
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Aryeh Azulai – Israeli politician
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Audrey Azoulay – French Minister of Culture
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Blanche Azoulay – Algerian lawyer
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Daniel Azulay – Brazilian visual artist, comic book artist, and educator
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Hanna Azoulay Hasfari – Israeli actress and filmmaker
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Jean-Luc Azoulay – French filmmaker, see AB Disques
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Jom Tob Azulay – Brazilian film producer and director
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Shay K. Azoulay – Israeli writer
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Simon Azoulay Pedersen – Danish football player
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Yinon Azulai – Israeli politician
See also
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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
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The Policeman, Hashoter Azoulay was the original title of the Israeli film The Policeman
