Oxford Chabad Society has arranged a viewing in Oxford of a rare early printed Hebraic work written by the Jewish ancestor of the new British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Elia Levita was a Jewish 15th century grammarian, who was born in 1467 in Neustadt, Germany, and a good part of his livelihood came from translating and copying Hebrew manuscripts. In 1509 he moved to Rome where for thirteen years he enjoyed the patronage of Cardinal Egidio de Viterbo who supported him while he immersed himself in Hebrew learning.
In 1527, Levita landed a comfortable job in Venice at the printing house of Daniel Bomberg, printer of the celebrated Bomberg Talmud, as a corrector.
In 1540, at the invitation of the printer Paul Fagius, Levita moved to Rome to assist in the production of Hebrew books.
Emile Levita, son of Elia Levita, moved to Britain from Germany in the 1850’s and eventually made his mark in the world of finance by becoming director of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, with offices in Threadneedle Street.
Emile became a loyal English gentleman with a passion for hunting and shooting and his son, Arthur, married Steffie Cooper, a relative of George III, giving Mr. Cameron a royal affiliation, as fifth cousin of the Queen.
The works of Elia Levita include Sefer Habachur on Hebrew grammar, Sefer Meturgeman, a guide to the Aramaic words in the Targum, and Tishbi, a dictionary of words in the Talmud and Midrash.
The work Tishbi will be on display for a special viewing by request of Oxford Rabbi Eli Brackman and the Oxford University Chabad Society, together with some other rare works of Hebraica on Thurs, 10 June at Merton College. For more info or to reserve a place for the viewing, email: [email protected].