What is "gershon"

According to the Torah, Gershon ( Gêrəšōn) was the eldest of the sons of Levi, and the patriarchal founder of the Gershonites, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in biblical times. The Gershonites were charged with the care of the outer tabernacle including components such as the tent and its covering, screens, doors, and hangings. Biblical scholars regard the name as being essentially the same as " Gershom" , which appears to mean "a sojourner there" (גר שם), and it is Gershom rather than Gershon who is sometimes listed in the Book of Chronicles as a founder of one of the principal Levite factions. The Torah names Gershon's sons as Libni and Shimei.

Textual scholars attribute the genealogy to the Book of Generations, a document originating from a religiopolitical group similar to that behind the Priestly source, and at a similar date. According to some biblical scholars, the Torah's genealogy for Levi's descendants is actually an aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the Levites — the Gershonites, the Kohathites, the Merarites, and the Aaronids. In these scholars' view, Levite was originally just a job title, deriving from the Minaean word lawi'u, meaning "priest", rather than the name of a tribe.

Gershon can refer to any of the following:

• Gershon, son of Levi in the Torah

As a surname:

• Pini Gershon (born 1951), Israeli basketball coach
• Gina Gershon (born 1962), American actress
• Grant Gershon (born 1960), American pianist, conductor, chorus master
• Michael D. Gershon, American neurobiologist (The Second Brain)
• Nina Gershon (born 1940), American jurist
• Peter Gershon, British business executive and civil servant
• Yitzhak Gershon (born 1958), Israeli general

As a given name:

• Gershon Agron (1894–1959), mayor of Jerusalem (1955–59)
• Gershon Kingsley (born 1922), German-American composer
• Gershon Legman (1917–99), American folklorist
• Gershon Mendeloff (Ted "Kid" Lewis; 1893-1970), English world champion Hall of Fame welterweight boxer
• Gershon Sirota (1874–1943), Polish cantor

Other:

• Gersonides (1288–1344), French rabbi also known as Levi ben Gershon
• The Gershon Review (2004–2005) of public sector expenditure in the UK by Sir Peter Gershon