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Paul Michel Gabriel, Baron Lévy (27 November 1910 – 16 August 2002) was a Belgian journalist and professor. He was born in Brussels and was a Holocaust survivor. He worked for many years as Director of Information at the Council of Europe, helping to create the Flag of Europe in the 1950s in collaboration with Arsène Heitz.

Early career

Before the war, Lévy directed the information services of the Belgian national broadcaster, the Institut National de Radiodiffusion (INR). Under the occupation, he refused to collaborate with the German-backed radio and was sacked and arrested. He was sent to Fort Breendonk, a German prison camp near Mechelen. Released in 1941, he was placed under surveillance by the German authorities in Brussels, but succeeded in escaping to Britain via the Zéro network in July 1942 where he joined Antoine Delfosse, minister and commander of the Armée de la Libération (AL) the principal resistance group. He served alongside Delfosse in the Ministry of Justice of the Belgian government in London. He also spoke on Radio Belgique, the French and Dutch language radio station of the BBC broadcast to occupied Belgium. His principal work, however, was in the Commission belge pour l'étude des problèmes d'après-guerre ("Belgian Commission of study of post-war problems"), in which he founded Mission Samoyède which planned to set up radio broadcasting in Belgium soon after the liberation. Following the invasion of Europe by the Allies, he returned to the continent working as an interpreter and press officer alongside General Henning Linden. His coverage included the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.^[1]

After the Liberation, and despite having Socialist leanings, he worked for the new Belgian Democratic Union (UDB-BDU) party. In 1946, he was elected deputy for the Nivelles region as the only successful candidate of the UDB-BDU. He resigned to return to radio work.

He is said to have invented the neologism Irénologie which is the French term for the study of Peace.

Later life

Council of Europe

Lévy had converted to Catholicism in July 1940. In 1950, he joined the staff of Winston Churchill's newly established Council of Europe and became the first Chief of its Department of Culture.^[2]

Flag

Lévy had to sort through the proposals flooding into his department and drew up the exact design of the finalist Arsène Heitz's proposal for a circle of stars.^[3]

According to an anecdote published in 1998 in Die Welt, Lévy passed a statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo of stars and was struck by the way the stars, reflecting the sun, glowed against the blue of the sky. Lévy later visited Léon Marchal, the then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and suggested that he should propose twelve golden stars on a blue ground as the motif for the flag of Europe.^[4]

On the other hand, a 2004 article in The Economist attributed a statement to Heitz, in which he claims to have been inspired by Revelations 12:1.^[5] Lévy has stated that he was only informed of the connection to the Book of Revelation after it was chosen.^[3]

Honours

Created Baron by RD of king Albert II; 2000.
Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold.
Grand Officer in the Order of the Crown.
Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold II.
Commander in the Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr

References

^ Sam Dann (1998). Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs. Texas Tech University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-89672-391-7.
^ The Flag and State Encyclopaedia
^ ^a ^b "Account by Paul M. G. Lévy on the creation of the European flag". European NAvigator. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
^ According to an Der Sternenkranz ist die Folge eines Gelübdes, Die Welt, 26 August 1998.
^ "The European Commission and religious values". The Economist. 28 October 2004. Retrieved 4 August 2007.

[1] Sam Dann (1998). Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs. Texas Tech University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-89672-391-7.

[FLde-2] The Flag and State Encyclopaedia

[Levy-3] "Account by Paul M. G. Lévy on the creation of the European flag". European NAvigator. Retrieved 15 July 2008.

[4] According to an Der Sternenkranz ist die Folge eines Gelübdes, Die Welt, 26 August 1998.

[Economist_religious-5] "The European Commission and religious values". The Economist. 28 October 2004. Retrieved 4 August 2007.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Belgian journalist}}
-{{other uses2|Paul Lévy}}
+{{Other uses|Paul Lévy (disambiguation)}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
 [[File:Kz dachau liberation person.jpg|thumb|Paul Lévy (center-left, wearing helmet) in negotiations with American and German troops after the liberation of [[Dachau concentration camp|Dachau]].]]
-'''Paul Michel Gabriel Lévy''' (27 November 1910 &ndash; 16 August 2002) was a Belgian professor and journalist. He was born in [[Brussels]] and is a [[Holocaust survivor]]. He worked for many years as Director of Information at the [[Council of Europe]], helping create the [[Flag of Europe]] in the 1950s in collaboration with [[Arsène Heitz]].
+'''Paul Michel Gabriel, Baron Lévy''' (27 November 1910 &ndash; 16 August 2002) was a Belgian journalist and professor. He was born in [[Brussels]] and was a [[Holocaust survivor]]. He worked for many years as Director of Information at the [[Council of Europe]], helping to create the [[Flag of Europe]] in the 1950s in collaboration with [[Arsène Heitz]].
 ==Early career==
-Before the war, Lévy directed the information services of the Belgian national broadcaster, the ''[[Institut National de Radiodiffusion]]'' (INR). Under the occupation, he refused to collaborate with the German-backed radio and was sacked and arrested. He was sent to [[Fort Breendonk]], a German prison camp near [[Mechelen]]. Released in 1941, he was placed under surveillance by the German authorities in Brussels, but succeeded in escaping to Britain via the ''Zéro'' network in July 1942 where he joined Antoine Delfosse, minister and commander of the ''[[Armée Secrète]]'' de [[Armée Secrète|BELGIQUE]] (AS) the principal resistance group. He served alongside Delfosse in the Ministry of Justice of the [[Belgian government in exile|Belgian government in London]]. He also spoke on ''[[Radio Belgique]]'', the French and Dutch language radio station of the [[BBC]] broadcast to occupied Belgium. His principal work, however, was in the ''Commission belge pour l'étude des problèmes d'après-guerre'' ("Belgian Commission of study of post-war problems"), in which he founded ''Mission Samoyède'' which planned to set up radio broadcasting in Belgium soon after the liberation. Following the [[invasion of Europe]] by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], he returned to the continent working as an interpreter and press officer alongside [[Henning Linden|General Henning Linden]]. His coverage included the liberation of [[Dachau concentration camp]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=BDiIVWgm3bUC "Dachau 29 April 1945: the Rainbow liberation memoirs"], Sam Dann. [[Texas Tech University Press]], 1998. ISBN 0-89672-391-7, ISBN 978-0-89672-391-7. p. 56</ref>
+Before the war, Lévy directed the information services of the Belgian national broadcaster, the ''[[Institut National de Radiodiffusion]]'' (INR). Under the occupation, he refused to collaborate with the German-backed radio and was sacked and arrested. He was sent to [[Fort Breendonk]], a German prison camp near [[Mechelen]]. Released in 1941, he was placed under surveillance by the German authorities in Brussels, but succeeded in escaping to Britain via the ''Zéro'' network in July 1942 where he joined Antoine Delfosse, minister and commander of the ''[[Armée de la Libération]]'' (AL) the principal resistance group. He served alongside Delfosse in the Ministry of Justice of the [[Belgian government in exile|Belgian government in London]]. He also spoke on ''[[Radio Belgique]]'', the French and Dutch language radio station of the [[BBC]] broadcast to occupied Belgium. His principal work, however, was in the ''Commission belge pour l'étude des problèmes d'après-guerre'' ("Belgian Commission of study of post-war problems"), in which he founded ''Mission Samoyède'' which planned to set up radio broadcasting in Belgium soon after the liberation. Following the [[invasion of Europe]] by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], he returned to the continent working as an interpreter and press officer alongside [[Henning Linden|General Henning Linden]]. His coverage included the liberation of [[Dachau concentration camp]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Sam Dann|title=Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BDiIVWgm3bUC|year=1998|publisher=Texas Tech University Press|isbn=978-0-89672-391-7|page=56}}</ref>
 After the Liberation, and despite having Socialist leanings, he worked for the new [[Belgian Democratic Union]] (UDB-BDU) party. In 1946, he was elected deputy for the [[Nivelles]] region as the only successful candidate of the UDB-BDU. He resigned to return to radio work.
@@ Line 17: / Line 18: @@
 ====Flag====
-[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|thumb|[[Flag of the European Union]] as drawn up by Lévy]]
+[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|thumb|[[Flag of Europe]] as drawn up by Lévy in 1955 (since 1993 the flag used by the [[European Union]])]]
-Lévy had to sort through the proposals flooding into his department and drew up the exact design of the finalist [[Arsène Heitz]]'s proposal for a [[Flag of the European Union|circle of stars]].<ref name="Levy">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=Account by Paul M. G. Lévy on the creation of the European flag|publisher=[[European NAvigator]]|date=|url=http://www.ena.lu?lang=1&doc=20734|accessdate=2008-07-15}}</ref>
+Lévy had to sort through the proposals flooding into his department and drew up the exact design of the finalist [[Arsène Heitz]]'s proposal for a [[Flag of the European Union|circle of stars]].<ref name="Levy">{{cite web|title=Account by Paul M. G. Lévy on the creation of the European flag|publisher=[[European NAvigator]]|url=http://www.ena.lu?lang=1&doc=20734|accessdate=2008-07-15}}</ref>
+According to an anecdote published in 1998 in ''[[Die Welt]]'',
+Lévy passed a statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo of stars and was struck by the way the stars, reflecting the sun, glowed against the blue of the sky. Lévy later visited [[Léon Marchal]], the then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and suggested that he should propose twelve golden stars on a blue ground as the motif for the flag of Europe.<ref>According to an [https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article625491/Der-Sternenkranz-ist-die-Folge-eines-Geluebdes.html Der Sternenkranz ist die Folge eines Gelübdes], ''[[Die Welt]]'', 26 August 1998.</ref>
+On the other hand, a 2004 article in ''[[The Economist]]'' attributed a statement to Heitz, in which he claims to have been inspired by Revelations 12:1.<ref name="Economist religious">{{cite news|title=The European Commission and religious values|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=2004-10-28|url=http://www.economist.com/printedition/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=3332056|accessdate=2007-08-04}}</ref>
-Some see Lévy's conversion to Christianity as an origin of the claimed religious symbolism on the flag. The flag's circle of stars resembles the twelve-star halo of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Virgin Mary]] seen in [[Roman Catholic]] art and the flag's designer (Arsène Heitz) has acknowledged that he was inspired by that symbolism.<ref name="Economist religious">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=The European Commission and religious values|publisher=[[The Economist]]|date=2004-10-28|url=http://www.economist.com/printedition/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=3332056|accessdate=2007-08-04}}</ref> Lévy originally backed the flag of the Pan Europe Movement. However, the cross element in its design was rejected by the Socialists and Turks as too Christian. It is claimed{{bywhom|date=March 2014}} that one day, Lévy passed a statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo of stars and was struck by the way the stars, reflecting the sun, glowed against the blue of the sky. Lévy later visited [[Léon Marchal]], the then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and suggested that he should propose twelve golden stars on a blue ground as the motif for the flag of Europe.<ref name="FLde"/> Lévy, however has stated that he was only informed of the connection to the Book of Revelation after it was chosen.<ref name="Levy"/> Official authorities of the European Union disregard the biblical interpretation as myth.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}}
+Lévy has stated that he was only informed of the connection to the Book of Revelation after it was chosen.<ref name="Levy"/>
+== Honours==
-It wasn't until 1985 that this particular flag was chosen to represent the [[European Economic Community]], eventually the [[European Union]].
+* Created Baron by RD of king Albert II; 2000.
+* Grand Officer in the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]].
+* Grand Officer in the [[Order of the Crown (Belgium)|Order of the Crown]].
+* Grand Officer in the [[Order of Leopold II]].
+* Commander in the [[Order of St. Sylvester|Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr]]
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2011}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Levy, Paul Michel Gabriel
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = journalist, professor
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = 27 November 1910
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = Belgium
-| DATE OF DEATH     = 16 August 2002
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Paul Michel Gabriel}}
 [[Category:1910 births]]
 [[Category:2002 deaths]]
-[[Category:Nazi concentration camp survivors]]
+[[Category:Breendonk prison camp survivors]]
-[[Category:Belgian journalists]]
+[[Category:Belgian Jews]]
-[[Category:Belgian people of Jewish descent]]
+[[Category:Belgian radio journalists]]
+[[Category:Belgian Roman Catholics]]
 [[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism]]
-[[Category:Council of Europe]]
+[[Category:Council of Europe people]]
 [[Category:History of the European Union]]
 [[Category:Belgian people in the United Kingdom during World War II]]
 [[Category:Belgian resistance members]]
-[[Category:Holocaust survivors]]
+[[Category:Jewish resistance members during the Holocaust]]
-[[Category:Barons of Belgium]]
+[[Category:Belgian barons]]
+[[Category:Flag designers]]

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