Bar Mitsva

Elie Botbol

Born in Meknes, Elie Botbol moved to Paris where he worked as a psychiatrist. Erudite man, he teaches at the synagogue of Boulogne Billancourt of which he is the vice-president. He also officiates at the community center of Paris. His passion for music led him to found in 1979 the famous children's choir "Les Chévatim", which he directed for nearly 40 years and for which he composed songs that had become some of their true successes, particularly in the communities Jews all over the world. The title Bar Mitzva in Joy appears in the soundtrack of Gad Elmaleh's movie Coco (2008). The title Gam Gam, sold in millions of copies and ranked number 1 in Italy, is sung in the B.O. of the film Years of childhood on the Shoah by Roberto Faenza (1994). In 2017, Élie Botbol and his wife Claude chose to live in Israel alongside their children. Elie Botbol died on November 4, 2018 in Jerusalem.

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