It is not likely that Yair's father was named Rafael, although the UK consul wrote his name as "Yaeer son of Rafael Levi" in the travel document of 1854. The oral tradition transmitted among many families of Yair's first three children is that Rafael was a second name that Yair took. In Arabic-speaking countries in the 1800s, second names generally began to indicate the father's name, however the naming conventions were in flux at that time, and not followed among Persians to my knowledge. The English consul may have miscomprehended "Yair Rafael Levi" to mean that his father's name was Rafael. In oral tradition, Yair's father was named Mordecai and owned a lapsed estate. The presence of such an estate was found under the name Mordecai Levi. It is theoretically possible that there was a "Rafael" who was a different person, but the only explanation would be that this Rafael perished when Yair was at a very young age and Mordecai was an uncle who adopted him. While this is possible, it is absent from the oral history.
It is unclear why the curator indicates "do NOT confuse with Yaiir son of Mordecai Levy": they are the same person.
Follow Us
Like Us
