- Judah ha-Levi (Zionides)
- (before 1075-1141)Spanish Hebrew poet and philosopher. Born in Toledo, he lived in various towns in Christian and Muslim Spain, where he was active as physician. Eventually he left Spain for Palestine. He wrote about 800 poems, including eulogies and laments, covering such topics as love, Jewish festivals, personal religious experience, and longing for Zion. His philosophical work The Kuzari describes a dispu-tation conducted before the King of the Khazars by a rabbi, a Christian, a Muslim and an Aristotelian philosopher.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.