Azoulay

Azoulay (Hebrew: אזולאי‎), sometimes spelled Azoulai, Azulay, Azulai, Zouela, etc. is a Sephardic Jewish Surname, common among Jews of Moroccan and Algerian extraction.

The source of the name is debated. The name has a Berber form, and has been explained as referring to the Tazoulait region near Errachidia, thus meaning 'from Tazoulait'. It has also been linked to the Berber word 'izli', meaning 'good'. Some have linked it to the Spanish phrase 'ojos azules' (blue eyes). Some linguists argue that it is an acronym of a passage from the bible "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane" (Leviticus 21:7), indicating that the Azoulay name-bearers are members of the Cohen tribe.

People

Azoulay Family of Fes

Azoulay is the name of a notable Jewish family descended from Spanish exiles who, after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and following decades, settled in the city of Fes, Morocco. The family includes:

• Abraham Azulai (c. 1570 – 1643) - Kabbalistic author and commentator.
• Chaim Joseph David Azulai (1724–1807) - a rabbinical scholar and a noted bibliophile, who pioneered the history of Jewish religious writings.
• Raphael Isaiah Azulai - (died 1830) - Rabbi and writer.

Others

• André Azoulay- Senior adviser to King Mohammed VI of Morocco
• S. K. Azoulay - Israeli writer
• Jean-Luc Azoulay - French filmmaker, see AB Disques
• Ariella Azoulay - Israeli scholar and documentarian, see Herzliya Biennial
• Jom Tob Azulay - Brazilian film producer and director.
• Simon Azoulay Pedersen - Danish football player.

See also

• Azoulay v. The Queen, landmark 1952 Supreme Court case in Canada, wherein Dr. Leon Azoulay was accused of murder after the death of a patient receiving an abortion
• The Policeman, Hashoter Azoulay was the original title of the Israeli film The Policeman