VAJDA, GEORGE

(1908-1981)

French Arabist and Hebraist. He was born in Budapest. In 1928 he settled in Paris, where he became professor of Bible and theology at the Seminaire Israelite. He also lectured at the Ecole Pratique de Hautes Etudes, and was active in the oriental department of the Institut de Recherches et d'Histoire des Textes. From 1950 he edited the scholarly journalRevue des Etudes Juives. In 1970 he became a professor at the University of Paris. His writings include studies of Arabic and Jewish philosophy, the kabbalah and Arab manuscripts.