Elijah of Pesaro

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ELIJAH OF PESARO

ELIJAH OF PESARO (16th century), Italian scholar and traveler. After living for some time in Venice, Elijah set out for the Holy Land in 1563 but was obliged to stop his journey in Cyprus as there was an outbreak of cholera in Ereẓ Israel. From Famagusta he wrote a letter to his relatives in Italy describing the journey, giving advice to travelers, and including an account of Cyprus which remains a primary source for the social and economic history of the island. Elijah also wrote philosophical homilies and commentaries on the Song of Songs, Jonah, and Job (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale Ms. Heb. 276).

bibliography:

A. Yaari, Masot Ereẓ Yisrael (1946), 165–96.

[Ariel Toaff]