Weill, Michel Aaron

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WEILL, MICHEL AARON

WEILL, MICHEL AARON (1814–1889), French rabbi. Weill, who was born at Strasbourg, studied at the Ecole Rabbinique at Metz and at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1845 he was appointed teacher and subsequently chief rabbi at Algiers, the first Frenchman to hold this office (1846–64). In 1876, after a period of temporary retirement, Weill became rabbi of Toul. He resigned in 1885 and settled in Paris to devote himself to writing.

His chief works are Le Judaisme, ses dogmes et sa mission (4 vols., 1866–69) and La morale du Judaïsme (2 vols., 1875–77). His son georges weill (1865–1942) was a historian, author of L'éveil des nationalités et le mouvement libéral 18151848 (1930, 1962).