Juifs et musulmans au Maroc (1856-1967) (21 min)

Pour un point de vue critique de la thèse de M. Kenbib et une démonstration de la peur, la mépris, l'humiliation et l'absence de perspective en terre d'Islam, voir le travail de G. Bensoussou et sa conférence sur Akadem.

" Kenbib est un historien marocain, professeur à l’université de Rabat, notable s’il en est dans son domaine. Les 700 pages et plus de cette thèse, je les ai lues ligne à ligne. Mais hélas, trois fois hélas. Ce "monument d'érudition" (sic) est un manquement à toute déontologie du métier d’historien, un travestissement des sources tel qu'à la fin les Juifs du Maroc figurent seuls responsables des malheurs qui les ont frappés. Kenbib, une « référence » ? Oui, quand elle est prônée par des ignares ébaubis par la masse des notes infrapaginales sur un sujet qu'ils ignorent superbement. C'est comme si pour inciter à connaître la Révolution française, je recommandais à un jeune étudiant d’aujourd’hui la lecture de Jacques Bainville et de Pierre Gaxotte. Mais ni celle de Georges Lefebvre, d’Albert Mathiez, d’Albert Soboul, de François Furet et de Mona Ozouf, ni celle de Michel Vovelle…... Non, celle d’abord des contempteurs les plus féroces de la rupture révolutionnaire. "-SOURCE : Ces lignes constituent une part de la critique adressée à l'article de Télérama sur "la formidable histoire des Juifs marocains" (voir : http : //dafina. Net/gazette/article/l’histoire-enchantée-des-juifs-du-maroc).

The professor does not go over the reasons that pushed the Jews from Morocco to leave the country startingin 1948. Case study : my own case. I was born in Tangier during WWII to a very well to do family, modern andprogressive. I attended Lycee Regnault and Saint-Aulaire obtaining the Baccalaureat. I then went to Italy andstudied Petroleum Engineering while being employed by Italy's national energy company. In 1961, back fromItaly I participated in the construction and commissioning of a modern oil refinery at Mohammedia, just northof Casablanca on the Atlantic coast. In 1963, the plant was inaugurated in the presence of King HassanII, ministers of the crown and Mss Segni and Fanfani, Italy's President and Prime Minister. Things went well in thefollowing years. I was promoted to a number of key management positions. I considered myself Moroccan andsaw in front of me a good future. Things started to turn negative when some of my Muslims colleagues with whom I have always had the warmest relations, were invited by the local Trade Union to visit the Middle East. When these men came back from these extended trips, they eliminated any contact with their Jewish colleagues, including myself, even avoiding shaking hands with me. When 1967 rolled around, I was removed from myposition inside the oil refinery offices and given a menial job in the offices outside the refinery. The reason forthis I was told was for my own safety. I was not even allowed to go back to my office and pick up my things. They were brought to me in a cardboard box. Being Jewish means that as we go through life, we are one stepahead of everyone else. Sensing that my future as. Moroccan Jew would eventually come to an end, I madeconcrete plans to emigrate to Canada. I new that Montreal would be ideal for me because it had a solid JewishCommunity and an industrial area with 8 major plants where I could find employment. I was very lucky becauseI was in my late 20's, fluent in French, Spanish (mother's tongue) and English. In addition I was well preparedtechnically and felt I would be a very good fit anywhere I decided to go. I left Morocco end of Nov. 1967, went to Paris and obtained my immigration visa in 2 weeks and arrived in Montreal early January 1968. Arriving In Montreal late on a Saturday night, the following Monday I was hired as. Process Engineer in an oil refinery own by a British Company. I have to say that all the other plants I had applied came up with offers. Now, after a forty year plus career in Canada I am a happy retiree in Western Canada. I took complementary courses tosolidify my education and worked uninterrupted for all my working career. I got married in Montreal with agreat Jewish lady whose parents had left Casablanca for Paris in the early 1960's and we have two great kids, a Medical Doctor and a Labour Lawyer. I consider my life post Morocco a complete success. I conclude by sayingnothing was done by Morocco to stem the exodus of Jews fro Morocco. On the contrary. Moroccans saw this asan opportunity to have extensive holdings of land, real estate, etc. Owned by Jews at bargain prices. Therebirth of Israel was the last straw. While a student in Tangier, still a teenager, the Jewish Community ofTangier organized the departure of tens of thousands of Jews, proving them with lodging before their documentation and transportation from the port of Tangier. We rented a dozen of local hotels to house themwhile this was taking place. I visited these people, bringing them care packages, etc. I noticed that no one at any time complained at all even if the had left their homes and were going on to an uncertain future. Yes, we didnot have a Holocaust of the Jews of Morocco. This has been extensively brought up over the years. Let me just say that by mid- WWII, a German Office was established in Tangier and we, the Jews of Tangier were listedby the Germans for future elimination. This did not happen for the simple reason that when the US Army landedin Casablanca, the Germans left Tangier. Otherwise myself and my family would be ashes somewhere. Moroccotoday for me represent a very nebulous past and I thank God I had the fortitude to move on.

En tant que marocain (d'origine musulmane) ayant grandi au Maroc et vivant en France, je comprend les juifs qui sont parti pour une vie meilleure en Europe, Amérique voire Israël mais je ne pense pas objectivement que le Maroc musulman ait été contre les juifs. La société marocaine n'était seulement pas prête pour la modernité à la fin du XIXe, et la majorité vivait sans remettre en cause un ordre établi (mais sans mauvaises intentions)Ce qui m'attriste, c'est que, peu de Juifs se sont battus pour faire changer les mentalités au Maroc et ont préféré pour la plupart partir. (ce que je comprend vu les bâtons dans les roues que toute personne un peu trop volontaire et indépendante dans ce pays a, quelque soit sa religion... Mais bon... ça reste triste). J'ai vu des grandes figures marocaines juives qui se sont battu pour faire bouger le Maroc comme Abraham Sarfaty, mais c'est une goutte d'eau dans l'océan. La société marocaine musulmane commence seulement à sortir de son sommeil (ou en tout cas une bonne partie). J’espère encore des jours meilleurs au Maroc et qu'un jour tous les marocains éclairés (juifs et musulmans) vivant hors du Maroc s'uniront et reviendront reprendre les reines d'un Maroc trop souvent géré par des incompétents incultes.