André Chouraqui Square has just been officially established in Jerusalem, in homage to the great humanist and world-renowned author, in particular for his translations of the Hebrew Bible, the Gospels and the Koran. Andre Chouraqui was for years vice mayor of Jerusalem where he worked assiduously for the rapprochement between religions. Hero of the resistance during the Second World War, he knew the greatest intellects and leaders of his generation. His brilliance as well as his depth of thought are remarkable in early works such as his translation of “Duties of the Heart” by Ibn Pequda, which he composed in the middle of the maquis. One of his companions at this time was Albert Camus. Andre Chouraqui was a Jew from Algeria proud of his Berber and Sefarad origins who militated for the independence of his native country, and for a decolonized and uninhibited Africa. He knew the fathers of Pan-Africanism, including Haile Selassie. In the context of Hebrew culture Andre Chouraqui bequeathed a very important intellectual heritage. His works on the legal organization of Moroccan Judaism remain essential.An Andre Chouraqui Peace Prize is awarded by Federation of Black Jews in partnership with the Chouraqui family, to perpetuate the exemplary journey of this great man of Peace.
The “Andre Chouraqui Square” in Jerusalem
