Literatureדוד בוזגלו

David Buzaglo

David Buzaglo was a Moroccan-Israeli paytan, poet and teacher who helped revive the Moroccan baqqashot tradition in Israel.

1903 to 1975Reviving the Moroccan baqqashot traditionWriting over 100 piyyutimTeaching Hebrew in Casablanca

Occupation: poet

David Buzaglo was born in 1903 in Morocco

David Buzaglo was born in 1903 in Zawia, Morocco, near Marrakesh, to Shalom and Rachel Buzaglo. He lost both parents as a child. He studied Talmud in Marrakesh and learned piyyut from Rabbi Haim Attar.

At 16 he moved to Casablanca, where he continued his Torah studies and learned Arab and Andalusian music. From 1923 he taught Hebrew and grammar there. He served as secretary of the Magen David society, which spread Hebrew, and edited and proofread Hebrew books.

He worked as a cantor and paytan, founded boys' choirs and set piyyutim to popular tunes. He performed for both Jewish and Arab audiences. After his younger son died and he lost his sight, he stopped performing with orchestras and refused to record his voice or publish his poems.

He immigrated to Israel in 1965. He traveled among Moroccan communities in development towns and neighborhoods, teaching and singing, and helped revive the baqqashot. He called for peace and was affected by the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He died in 1975.