Background of Bloody Disturbances

22

Moroccan Attacks on Jews Have a Histor

By LEON TAPIERO

newspaper "Maroc-Presse," fea-
tured a letter from Meyer Tole-
dano a young barrister of Casa-
The bloody disturbances whic h I blanca and the secretary general
took place in Morocco on th e of the Moroccan Central Corn-
second anniversary of the de - mittee of the World Jewish Con-
thronement of the Sultan Mo - gress. Toledano expressed the
harped Ben Youssef have one e opinion that the Jewish popula-
more given evidence of the pre - tion hoped that France would
cariousness of the situation of th e remain in Morocco, but, at the
Jewish population living i n same time, would acknowledge
Morocco.
the rights of the Moroccan peo-
No political stand might be ple, their normal national claims
claimed to explain that in some and their aspiration for the social
cities such as Mazagan, Safi and and political evolution to which
Ouezzane, the rioters aimed their they are entitled.
fury especially against the Jew-
This was a courageous position
ish population.
to take shortly after the attacks
In Mazagan, 1,700 Jews had on Jews in Casablanca and while
to seek their safety by flyin
two thousand Jews were still
away from the mellah and, for- camping out of their dwellings
tunately enough, they could es- of the mellah. It is no need say-
cape before the rioters began ing, of course, that there are very
their action, breaking the doors different streams in Moroccan
of Jewish houses, plundering Jewish opinion, and one will find
them and settirrg fire.
as different stands as exists
Strange as it may sound, in among the French population.
Mazagan, Jews and Moslems are
It is true that nationalist pro-
reported to have generally been paganda in Morocco has always
living in a rather friendly way. acknowledged the Moroccan
This makes all the more difficult Jews' rights to equality of citi-
a political explanation of these zenship. The exiled Sultan, on
events, unless the explanation be several occasions, had solemnly
sought in the very ancient axiom made the same declaration. The
that whenever a mob gets out problem is: are these declara-
of hand it acts according to the tions enough to face the future
most primitive and deep-rooted with confidence.
prejudices aiming its blows es-
Instigates Assurances
pecially against minorities. Other
When the nationalists began
reasons might be sought in the fighting for the return of their
fact that Jews are the only non- Sultan, the Jews were urged to
Moslem people living in great join in their demonstrations, as
numbers in the very core of the any other Moroccan subject.
Moslem districts (medinas). It is Placed between the hammer and
also believed that the Arab the anvil, the Jews did not gen-
League propaganda among Mo-
erally take any official position.
roccans may have fanned the
They did not take any hostile
flames of hatred.
position to the nationalist claims
Discouraging Events
either. As for the strikes which
Whatever the explanation, the
frequently affected IVIorocc an
events in Mazagan, Safi, Ouez-
business, there was not, in the
zane are all the more- discourag-
first year, a very strong pressure
ing to record when one thinks
put on Jews, especially the little
that three days before, a group
of Jewish personalities had met shop-keepers, to join in the
strikes. But, in the course of this
in Casablanca with a number of
prominent Moroccan nationalists year, some Jewish shopkeepers
and — on the basis of the com- were shot, as Moslem ones would
munique of the political directors be, for, having opened their shops
of the World Jewish Congress in or sold boycotted goods, and ever
London concerning Nationalist since, the Jews joined in the
leaders' statements on the Jew- strikes, for the same reason as
ish problem in Morocco — had most Moslem shopkeepers: fear.
When a riot occurred last year
agreed to the publication of a
common declaration meant to in Petitijean where several Jews
prevent trouble between Jews were killed and their bodies
and Moslems on August 20. This burned in the middle of the
declaration, which was to be street, the Istiqlal Party sent let-
broadcast, was actually delayed ters to the Jewish community
on account of a last-minute pro- and distributed pamphlets assur-
posed change in the wording ing them that it had no responsi-
which made it necessary to seek bility iri those murders.
In the course of recent years,
again the signature of every
a group of young independent
member of the group.
* However, the spirit of the Jews who looked forward to con-
declaration is the important tacts with the nationalists, had
thing to consider. It recalled that- the occasion to meet them under
both Moslems and Jews were a the auspices of a French and
part of the Moroccan national Moroccan organization "Les Ami-
community without any discrimi- ties Marocaines."
Now, events are moving faster.
nation; both Jews and Moslems
were exhorted to keep and rein- The French government invited
force the union that . centuries of to Aix-les-Bains Jacques Dahan,
a common history had forged. secretary general of the Jewish
Had this declaration been broad- Board of Deputies, and Dr. Leon
cast, one may assume that it Benzaquen, prominent member of
would have had no effect what- the Casablanca Jewish Communi-
soever in preventing the anti- ty. Before they left, the deputa-
Jewish attacks of Aug. 20, since tion declared: "The time for ac-
these cannot be grounded in po- tion cannot be postponed any
longer. The dilemma is clear:
litical reasons.
either to go deeper in the direc-
Rumors Cause Attack
In Casablanca, a month earlier,
hundreds of Jews had also been Progress of Israel in Peril;
attacked in the mellahs, and 10 Needs Steady Aid from UJA
Jewish shops and four Jewish
houses plundered and burned. It
C H I CAGO, (JTA) — "Israel's
is said that these attacks origi- tremendous progress of recent
nated in rumors that some Jew- years can be wiped out if the
ish youngsters had joined in the new state does not receive suffi-
European anti-Moslem violence cient funds to receive and ab-
of July 15 consecutive., to the sorb the thousands of impover-
Mers-Sultan bombing of July 14. ished newcomers arriving
The Moroccan Jewish Board of monthly from tension-gripped
Deputies immediately issued a Tunisia and Morocco," the con-
declaration stating that the Jew- cluding session of the two-day
ish community had taken no part 11 state Midwest labor confer-
whatsoever in the disturbances ence of the United Jewish Ap-
and condemned every act of vio: peal was told by Mrs. Ada Se-
lence.
reni, famed Israel heroine of the
It has been reported that, on "illegal" immigration movement.
their side, a number of Moslem
More than 600 delegates of
representatives intended to ex- the American Labor Zionist
press their regrets to the Jewish movement from 35 Midwest cities
community representatives in the responded to her plea with a
course of a planned joint meet- resolve "to increase by at least
ing with the military commander 25 percent the funds raised this
of Casablanca. But, actually, the year by the American Labor
Moslem and the Jewish repre- Zionist movement for the Unit-
sentatives had separate audi- ed Jewish Appeal." Chicago La-
ences with the military comman- bor Zionist Branches launched
der.
the opening of their UJA cam-
A Courageous Position
paign today with gifts exceeding
A few days later, a Casablanca $50,000.

(Copyright, 1955, Jewish Telegraphi C
Agency, Inc.)

tion of hatred and fear; or to
find a sensible - solution to the
Moroccan problem." On its side,
the World Jewish Congress
deeming it essential that its
opinion on the Moroccan solu-
tions be heard at Aix-les-Bains,
has delegated Meyer Toledano
to go there.
Whatever th_e results of the
Aix-les-Bains conference, what-
ever the future status of the
Jews in a new Morocco, the prob-
lem remains of the precarious-
ness of the Jewish position and
the problem of Jews leaving the
country as they please. Anti-
Semitism is not of course, a spe-
cific Moslem feeling. The fact
that there are still among the
European population those who
shout at a Resident General and
Ambassadeur of France "Go
away, you dirty Jew" (even
though ex-Resident Grandval
does not belong to the Jewish
community), gives evidence of it.
In any democratic country, every
citizen has a right to leave the
country and settle wherever he is
able to. Would that be the case
tomorrow, for Jewish Moroccan
citizens, who wish to avoid ex-
posure to possible mob fury, even
if the general situation of these
Jewish citizens is satisfactory?
That is the questidn.

—

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, September 16, 1955

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Agency to Move North African
Villagers to•lsrael En Masse

JERUSALEM, (JTA)—The im-
minent liquidation of 33 North
African villages in the Atlas
Mountains through immigration
to Israel, was announced here by
the Jewish Agency. All inhabi-
tants, except the hard-core cases,
which will be cared for by the
Joint Distribution _ Committee,
will be removed to the Jewish
state.
Jewish immigrants from North
Africa who arrived here only
two weeks ago have already been
established at Pkiin, in the Up-
per Galilee. The new settlement
was inaugurated in ceremonies
in which President Ben Zvi par-
ticipated.

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BlueBox

A cordial welcome to the Volunteer Solicitor and a Full Box

will guarantee Israel's continued land-redemption efforts.

If your box is not cleared on or before Sunday, Oct. 16, please
call the JNF office, and arrangements will be made for its
clearance.

If Your Home Is Without a Blue and White Box, Ask for One
by Calling the Jewish National Fund Office, TO 8-7384

The Jewish National Fund Council of Detroit Heartily
Greets the Entire Community With Best Wishes for

DAVID SILVER, President
MRS. SIDNEY RAVIN, President
Jewish National Fund Council
Ladies' Auxiliary of the JNF
PERCY KAPLAN, Executive Director WILLIAM HORDES, Board Chairman

