Chelouche

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CHELOUCHE

CHELOUCHE , Sephardi family in Ereẓ Israel. avraham chelouche (1812–1858), the first member of the family to settle in the country, was born in Oran, Algeria. He arrived in Haifa with a group of family and friends in 1840, after a stormy voyage in which one of their boats was damaged and 18 people died, among them two of Chelouche's sons. Chelouche eventually settled in Jaffa, being one of the first Sephardim to live there. He was active in the town's communal affairs. His nephew, yosef eliyahu (1870–1934), born in Jaffa, was instrumental in introducing several industries to Ereẓ Israel. He was a founder of Tel Aviv and one of its early builders. He served on the Tel Aviv Committee from its founding in 1909 until 1926, and later served on the town council. A leader of the Sephardi community, he was active in helping the refugees from Jaffa-Tel Aviv during World War i. His memoirs, Parashat Ḥayyai ("The Story of My Life"), were published in 1931. His sons moshe and Ẓaddok were also active in communal and financial affairs.

bibliography:

Tidhar, 1 (1947), 386–7, 520; A. Elmaleh and I.A. Abbady (eds.), Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche (Heb., 1935); A. Druyanow (ed.), Sefer Tel Aviv (1936).

[Benjamin Jaffe]