GHEZ

GHEZ, Tunisian family, whose most eminent members were DAVID (second half of 18th century), author of a number of works of which only one, Ner David, part 1 (Leghorn, 1868), has been published; the others include a commentary to the tractates Shabbat, Pesaḥim, and Sukkah, as well as novellae to various other tractates. MOSES (end of 18th century) wrote commentaries to the tractate Shevu'ot and elijah mizrachi 's supercommentary on Rashi to the Pentateuch under the titles Yeshu'at Ya'akov and Yedei Moshe. He also wrote Yismaḥ Moshe (Leghorn, 1863), a commentary to the Passover Haggadah, notes on the Pentateuch, and three poems. JOSEPH (b. 1800), son of David, was a kabbalist. He left numerous works in manuscript, including a commentary to Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, sermons, glosses on the Talmud, on the Zohar, etc. In Pi ha-Medabber (Leghorn, 1854), his kabbalistic commentary to the Passover Haggadah, he cites explanations by his cousin Ḥayyim Ghez. Another member of the family was MATHILDA GHEZ (1918–1990), a communal leader in Tunisia. In 1957 she moved to Israel and was elected to the Knesset (in 1965 representing Rafi, and in 1969, the Israel Labor Party). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: D. Cazès, Notes Bibliographiques sur la Littérature Juive-Tunisienne (1893), 194–205 (= Mizraḥ u-Ma'arav, 2 (1928), 353–6).