David Cazès

David Cazès was a Moroccan Jewish educator and writer.

Early life

Sent to Paris in his early youth, Cazès was educated by the Alliance Israélite Universelle, and at the age of 18 was commissioned to establish and direct several primary schools in the East; namely, at Volos in Thessaly, at Smyrna, and at Tunis. In each of these places he took part also in the organization of the Jewish communities. At Tunis, especially the official organization of Judaism by the government of the French protectorate, was his work. There he was founder and principal of several elementary schools.
In 1893 he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, serving as a member of the administrative committee of the colonization fund founded by Baron Maurice de Hirsch under the name of the Jewish Colonization Association.

Career

In 1878, Cazès was appointed an officer of the Order of Nichan Iftikhar of Tunis. The French government in 1886 awarded him academic laurels, and in 1889 the rosette of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
He was the author of many works regarding the Jewish diaspora in Northern Africa, including:
The latter book was one which gave an exact picture of the literary life of the Jews of Tunis. He also contributed a large number of articles to the Revue des Etudes Juives and other Jewish periodicals.