Abulafia (disambiguation)
Encyclopedia
Abulafia is a Sephardi Jewish surname
whose etymological origin
is in the Arabic language
. The family name, like many other Arabic-origin Sephardic Jewish surnames, originated in Spain
(Sefarad
) among Spanish Jews (Sephardim) at a time during Spain's Islamic history, when it was ruled as Al-Andalus
by Arabic-speaking Moors
.
To this day, the romanized
version of the surname is most commonly Abulafia.. Other variations also exist, mostly in English transliterations, including, Aboulafia, Abolafia, Abouelafia, Aboulafiya, Abulafiya, Aboulafiyya.
الـ (al or el, or simply l if the preceding word ends with a vowel, to which it attaches itself; meaning "the") and عافية (Afiyya or Afia; literally "Health/Wellbeing" but also carrying the meaning "Power"). Together they form "Abou l-Afiyya" or "Abu l-Afia" (in Medieval Spanish rendered as a single word "Abulafia"), meaning "Father [of] the Health/Wellbeing" or "Owner [of] the Power".http://baheyeldin.com/linguistics/misused-terms-abu-and-abdul.html
Moorish rule in the Iberian peninsula
(Spain and Portugal), lasting some 800 years, is regarded as a tolerant period in its acceptance and co-existence between Christians, Muslims and Jews. The Jews of Spain were proficient in Spanish
, Arabic and Hebrew. Thus, it was commonplace among Spanish Jews to use the Arabic language for secular names (including surnames) for use outside of the synagogue.
After the Catholic Monarchs
' successful Reconquista
of Spain from the Moors in 1492 (ironically, with financial assistance of Spain's Jews) the Catholic Monarchs then issued the Alhambra Decree
stipulating the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (unless they convert to Catholicism
, or if failing to convert or leave, then to face execution for defying the royal decree). Royal debts to Spain's Jews were reneged. The Moors were expelled to the Maghreb
.
With the decree, the Abulafia's, and all other non-converted Sephardim left Spain, and settled mostly in the Ottoman Empire
(a Turkic
Muslim Sultanate), where the Turkish Muslim Ottoman Sultan
offered the Abulafia's and other Sephardic Jews refuge. The surname thus disappeared in Spain itself, as those Sephardim who converted to Catholicsm (known variously as New Christians, marranos or anusim
) to remain in the country adopted Spanish Christian surnames which were common among Spanish Old Christians to pass undetected. The surname survied only with the descendants of thosewho chose expulsion.
The Abulafia's, as with most other Sephardi expellees, settled mostly in the European portions of the Empire, largely in what is today Thessaloniki
, in modern Greece
, and Istanbul
in modern northwestern Turkey
. This area is where the surname was most concentrated until later immigration to other parts of the Ottoman Empire, such as modern Tunisia
and Rhodes
. The Ottoman Empire collapsed following World War I
with Turkey becoming its successor state, and after World War II
and the establishment of the State of Israel, almost all the established Sephardic communities of the former Ottoman Empire moved to Israel, France and the United States. Today, Abulafia is a well known Sephardic surname in Israel, and it is also present in France
, the United States
, Australia
and Latin America
.
It should be noted that following the expulsion from Spain, some Sephardic Jews, including some Abulafia, were also granted leave to settle in the Land of Israel
(Palestine) to pursue their livelihoods or for religious purposes as Jews. Palestine was also under Ottoman rule at that time. Some of the Abulafia's who settled in the Land of Israel would later convert, adopt Arabic as their primary language and assume Arab ethnic identities, today identifying as Palestinians and Arab Israelis.
The surname may refer to:
Modern
Jewish surname
Jews have historically used Hebrew patronymic names. In the Jewish patronymic system the first name is followed by either ben- or bat- , and then the father's name....
whose etymological origin
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is in the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. The family name, like many other Arabic-origin Sephardic Jewish surnames, originated in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(Sefarad
Sefarad
Sefarad was a Sephardic music band from Turkey. The band's name is an ancient Jewish name for Spain, the homeland of Sephardi Jews and the Ladino language that derived from Old Spanish, and which is in danger of language extinction among the Turkish Jewish community...
) among Spanish Jews (Sephardim) at a time during Spain's Islamic history, when it was ruled as Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
by Arabic-speaking Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
.
To this day, the romanized
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
version of the surname is most commonly Abulafia.. Other variations also exist, mostly in English transliterations, including, Aboulafia, Abolafia, Abouelafia, Aboulafiya, Abulafiya, Aboulafiyya.
History
Etymologically, the surname is derived from the Arabic words أبو (Abu or Abou; literally "Father" but also carrying the meaning "Owner")' plus the definite articleDefinite Article
Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
الـ (al or el, or simply l if the preceding word ends with a vowel, to which it attaches itself; meaning "the") and عافية (Afiyya or Afia; literally "Health/Wellbeing" but also carrying the meaning "Power"). Together they form "Abou l-Afiyya" or "Abu l-Afia" (in Medieval Spanish rendered as a single word "Abulafia"), meaning "Father [of] the Health/Wellbeing" or "Owner [of] the Power".http://baheyeldin.com/linguistics/misused-terms-abu-and-abdul.html
Moorish rule in the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
(Spain and Portugal), lasting some 800 years, is regarded as a tolerant period in its acceptance and co-existence between Christians, Muslims and Jews. The Jews of Spain were proficient in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Arabic and Hebrew. Thus, it was commonplace among Spanish Jews to use the Arabic language for secular names (including surnames) for use outside of the synagogue.
After the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
' successful Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
of Spain from the Moors in 1492 (ironically, with financial assistance of Spain's Jews) the Catholic Monarchs then issued the Alhambra Decree
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
stipulating the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (unless they convert to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, or if failing to convert or leave, then to face execution for defying the royal decree). Royal debts to Spain's Jews were reneged. The Moors were expelled to the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
.
With the decree, the Abulafia's, and all other non-converted Sephardim left Spain, and settled mostly in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(a Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
Muslim Sultanate), where the Turkish Muslim Ottoman Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
offered the Abulafia's and other Sephardic Jews refuge. The surname thus disappeared in Spain itself, as those Sephardim who converted to Catholicsm (known variously as New Christians, marranos or anusim
Anusim
Anusim is a legal category of Jews in halakha who were forced or coerced to abandon Judaism against their will, typically while forcibly converted to another religion...
) to remain in the country adopted Spanish Christian surnames which were common among Spanish Old Christians to pass undetected. The surname survied only with the descendants of thosewho chose expulsion.
The Abulafia's, as with most other Sephardi expellees, settled mostly in the European portions of the Empire, largely in what is today Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, in modern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in modern northwestern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. This area is where the surname was most concentrated until later immigration to other parts of the Ottoman Empire, such as modern Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
. The Ottoman Empire collapsed following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with Turkey becoming its successor state, and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the establishment of the State of Israel, almost all the established Sephardic communities of the former Ottoman Empire moved to Israel, France and the United States. Today, Abulafia is a well known Sephardic surname in Israel, and it is also present in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
It should be noted that following the expulsion from Spain, some Sephardic Jews, including some Abulafia, were also granted leave to settle in the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
(Palestine) to pursue their livelihoods or for religious purposes as Jews. Palestine was also under Ottoman rule at that time. Some of the Abulafia's who settled in the Land of Israel would later convert, adopt Arabic as their primary language and assume Arab ethnic identities, today identifying as Palestinians and Arab Israelis.
The surname may refer to:
Abulafia
Historic- Todros ben Yosef AbulafiaTodros ben Joseph AbulafiaTodros ben Joseph Abulafia was a nephew of Meir Abulafia and Chief Rabbi of Castile. He is the author of Otzar HaKavod, a mystical commentary on the Aggadah.- References :*...
(1225 - ca. 1285) prominent Sephardic Jew - Abraham ben Shmuel AbulafiaAbraham AbulafiaAbraham ben Samuel Abulafia , the founder of the school of "Prophetic Kabbalah", was born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1240, and died sometime after 1291, in Comino, Maltese archipelago.-Early life and travels:...
(born 1240, Zaragoza, Spain - died c. 1291, Comino), kabbalist - Meir ben Todros HaLevi AbulafiaMeir AbulafiaMeir ben Todros HaLevi Abulafia , also known as the Ramah , was a major Sephardic Talmudist and Halachic authority in medieval Spain...
(Ramah), a major 13th-century Sephardic rabbi - Hayyim ben Yaaqov AbulafiaHayyim ben Jacob AbulafiaHayyim ben Jacob Abulafia , was a rabbinical authority. He was the grandfather of Hayyim ben David Abulafia and grandson of Isaac Nissim aben Gamil. Abulafia was a rabbi in Smyrna, where he instituted many wholesome regulations...
(1660 - 1744)
Modern
- David Samuel Harvard AbulafiaDavid AbulafiaDavid Samuel Harvard Abulafia is an influential English historian with a particular interest in Italy, Spain and the rest of the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He has been Professor of Mediterranean History at the University of Cambridge since 2000 and a Fellow of Gonville...
(born 1949) - Yossi AbulafiaYossi AbulafiaYossi Abulafia is a writer and illustrator of children's books, as well as a graphic artist, cartoonist, director and screenwriter of animation films.- Biography :...
, author
Abolafia
- Louis AbolafiaLouis AbolafiaLouis Abolafia was an artist who ran for President of the United States under the Nudist Party on the Hippie 'Love Ticket' various times in the 1960s and onward...
(1941, Manhattan - 1995), an artist and former candidate for the United States PresidencyPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
during the 1960's.
Abulafia/Abuelafia/Abouelafia
- Abuelafia Bakery, established in 1879, is a prominent Arab Israeli bakery and tourist destination in JaffaJaffaJaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, owned by the Palestinian (Arab Israeli) Aboulafia family (written both as Abuelafia and Abouelafia on the storefront signage), descended from converted Sephardic Jews of the 15th century. http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=152408