THE JEWISH GENIUS ACCORDING TO ÉLIANE AMADO LÉVY-VALENSI

This article clarifies Éliane Amado Lévy-Valensi’s viewpoint on the quintessence of Jewish tradition and creativity. The analysis remains close to Amado’s description of the Jewish genius in the third part of her book La racine et la source (1967). The article also clarifies Amado’s position in comparison with a few other towering Jewish thinkers of her time, whose philosophies come close to hers. Amado was particularly influenced by Henri Bergson, André Neher and Abraham Joshua Heschel. Yet, by bringing together philosophy, psychology and Jewish mysticism, she remains unique and unprecedented in the articulation of her view on the Jewish genius.