Discuter:Histoire des Juifs au Maroc

Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre.

Pour info, beaucoup de Marocains non juifs sont persuadés, à tort évidemment, que Shimon Peres est d'origine marocaine. Bon, j'ai gagné pas mal de paris contre eux grâce à cette rumeur infondée (et donc englouti quelques litres de thé à la menthe ;-) mais c'est peut-être mieux de le préciser pour mettre fin à ladite rumeur, au moins parmi les gens qui consultent wikipedia. Par contre, mea culpa, Ovadia Yossef est né à Bagdad, merci d'avoir corrigé ! --Pylambert 29 novembre 2005 à 00:51 (CET)

[modifier] A TRADUIRE

Les 2 textes qui suivent viennent de Wikipedia anglais et sont à traduire.

Il s'agira également de parler de la francisation progressive des Juifs au Maroc à partir de l'établissement du pays en protectorat; il faudra mentionner que dans les grandes villes, les Juifs se sont progressivement identifiés à la culture française devenant petit à petit des Juifs français. Les Français nous ont permis d'entrer de plein-pied dans le 20e siècle et si Albert Memmi s'est senti colonisé par la France (voir Le Portrait du Colonisé), ce n'était pas le cas pour des milliers de Juifs Marocains pour qui la présence française a été une bénédiction et une sorte d'âge d'or de leur présence au Maroc.

Pour ce qui est de notre émigration massive à partir de 1948, la date le dit bien. 1948 a été la création de l'état d'Israel. Les dirigeants arabes avaient beau multiplier les accolades et nous montrer à quel point ils nous aimaient, mais il était clair pour toute personne dotée de la moindre intelligence que, vu le soutien massif des Arabes à la cause palestinienne et vu notre soutien (et notre vif attachement) à Israel, nous étions en terre ennemie et de cela, les attentats de Casablanca d'il y a quelques années en ont fait une brillante démonstration.

C'est la raison pour laquelle tous les pays arabes ont vu émigrer leur population juive à partir de 1948.

Le départ de la France en 1956 et donc l'indépendance n'arrangeait pas les choses pour nous puisque nous allions redevenir ce que nous avions été depuis des siècles: des Juifs arabes. En plus, nous étions conscients que le roi du Maroc nous protégeait d'une certaine façon; or s'il y avait un renversement de la monarchie, qu'arriverait-il de nous? Que deviendrions-nous? Enfin et n'importe quel occidental saura maintenant de quoi je parle, les Arabes ont toujours eu beaucoup de difficultés à contenir leurs fanatiques. Chaque guerre d'Israel et chaque victoire de Tsahal était pour nous une source d'angoisses et de peurs d'exactions. Nous étions dans une situation dangereuse au Maroc, nous avions le sentiment d'être assis sur un volcan ou une poudriêre; il nous manquait un élément fondamental qui fait que nous ne pouvions rester au Maroc et y prospérer: il nous manquait la tranquillité d'esprit sans laquelle nous ne pouvions vive une vie normale et nous devions partir. C'est ce que nous avons fait et nous ne le regrettons pas. Le divorce était nécessaire.

Celà dit, nous n'avons pas de ressentiment envers les Musulmans du Maroc; beaucoup d'entre eux ont été nos frères et nos soeurs. Mais c'est leur pays; ils l'ont repris et c'est normal. Et pour toutes les raisons expliquées plus haut, ce n'était pas notre pays. Ce n'était plus notre pays. L'a-t-il déjà été? Sûrement; durant certaines périodes de l'histoire.

On parle de Juifs errants qui rebâtissent sans cesse leur vie ailleurs; eh bien nous l'avons été une fois de plus, fidèles à nous-mêmes, quoi.... Une fois de plus.

-- Robert Abitbol

[modifier] La co-existence des Juifs et des Musulmans au Maroc

J'ai toujours pensé que cette histoire voulant que Mohammed V a protégé ses sujets juifs devant les Nazis était une légende. Une légende urbaine comme on dit de nos jours. Comment est-ce que le chef d'un si petit état pouvait-il tenir tête au géant allemand? Quelle blague! Jamais! Si Mohamed V ne s'était pas tenu à carreaux, son pays aurait été envahi en deux temps trois mouvements par l'Allemangne. Toujours est-il que les Nazis n'ont heureusement pas déporté les Juifs Marocains (pour des raisons que l'on ignore) mais par contre ils ont massacré 6 millions de Juifs européens dans la pire tragédie de l'histoire de l'humanité.

It is true however that the current Moroccan monarchy has not only always been protective of Jews but has also been a guarantor of the rule of law in Morocco; furthermore it has assured a stability and a continuity in this country ever since the independence. Any democratic person will say: but how can you have a true democracy when there are no elections?. You can't win everything in life, there is a trade off. You don't have a complete democracy in Morocco, true, but Morocco is much better off with a king. If you look at the history of this country since 1956, you'll see that Mohammed V was very much liked by his subjects; his son Hassan II was an excellent politician and a great human being and so is Hassan's son Mohammed VI. We're not talking here about absolute monarchs who rule with an iron hamd, we're not talking about African leaders who spend their time printing money. We're talking about monarchs who are well educated, well trained and happen to be excellent leaders and ultimately excellent managers. They have even been very apt in balancing Islam with modernity, secularism with new ways.

The Jordan Royal family is also an example of a good will monarchy who rules a country intelligently, diligently.

Look it it this way: a monarchy, like a communist country can be a curse or a blessing for a lot of power is concentrated in one single person's hands. If the person happens to be a good leader and manager, it is a blessing (witness Castro in Cuba). If the person happens to be a bad leader, an abusive leader, you have chaos, injustice.

Morocco has been blessed with having three kings who knew/know the art of ruling and insured a stability in this contry; as long as the Monarchy will remain, and as long as there are excellent monarchs, Morocco will prosper.

Now only a fool could think that there was always a good relationship between Jews and Arabs in Morocco; one could safely say that there were good times and there were bad times, terrible times too. Look at it this way: since Arabs are not and have not always been the most civilized and the most democratic people on this face of earth, you can imagine easily that the Jews suffered a great deal in certain times. I read of the mellah doors being closed in a rush everytime the Arab mass was heading towards the Jewish quarter to take on Jews.

One thing in certain: Moroccan Jews had one thing in mind early: let's get the hell out of here. And this they did en masse starting in 1948, at the creation of the State of Israel. (ad*****)

I left Morocco in 1964. We did not have to leave hastily; there was no threat. But we did leave nevertheless thinking that eventually the King who protected us would be ousted and our situation would be very precarious when that happens. Let's face it: there was no future for us in Morocco; there is no future for a Jew in an Arab state since 1948.

Many decades later, the Monarchy is still there, very well present, in firm control. Luckily.

Should we have stayed? No. We shouldn't have. A Jew is never safe in a sea of Arabs. Besides, the rule of Law does not prevail in Morocco. If you're a Jew, the Tribunals are not in your favour. The laws are different for you. You're a second-class citizen.

And look at it this way: an Arab kid watches on Al-Jezira a clip about Israel bombing a neighbouring territory and right away he becomes hateful and he wants to kill a Jew. It has never dawned on him that the guy he wants to kill has nothing to do with the bombings. But the guy he wants to kill is a Jew and this is sufficient for him. How can we live in such conditions at the mercy of any fanatic?

Moroccan Jews have all left Morocco for all practical purposes and this was the right thing to do. Period

--- Robert Abitbol

[modifier] Moroccan Jews and France

(March 29th 2008) The article on Moroccan Jews says absolutely nothing about the links that have been established between Moroccan Jews and French colonialists between 1912 and 1956. It's a pity though for this is an important fact: Moroccan Jews stopped being Arab Jews and they became sort of French Jews. Their identity has changed!

Anyone interested in drawing on my text below and adding it to the article is more than welcome to do so.

Perhaps one day a movie will be shot, a book will be written or a study will be made on how Jews in Morocco became French in spirit. When France got involved in Morocco in 1912, it was the start of the most wonderful times for us Jews, our golden age. We perhaps did not become French citizens like our fellow Algerians did but we slowly became French Jews: we adopted the French ways, we dressed like them, thought like them, sent our kids to their schools etc. My generation was so close to France that there was not much difference between a Frenchman and a Moroccan Jew.

For some, France colonized Arabs and Jews alike and Jews in Morocco were merely colonized people (see Tunisian writer Albert Memmi's book: Portrait du Colonisé).

Others (like me) think that France gave us an identity, opened the doors of France for us, gave us a link with the modern world. We became French Jews after being Arab Jews for so long. We opened up to modernity.

Strangely, as far as I know, Arabs did not take exception at our francisation.

In any case, France entered Morocco in 1912 and by 1950, Jews at least those in the big cities had become French in spirit, in appearance, culturally. It's a good thing. France reciprocated by allowing us to live in France after Morocco's independence and by accepting us fully.

When Morocco became independent in 1956, Morocco started the process of Arabisation. It is now an Arab state with some links to France.

Nevertheless when I left in 1964, there was still a big French imprint on Casablanca: there were French schools, cathederals, churches, a vibrant social life, French districts (that resembled Paris) etc. I lived in a French district and I was immersed in French life. I loved everything French (and I still do! :-).

Since Casablanca got very Arabic and the French influence faded, my French Casablanca is now gone. When I'm nostalgic and I want to relive the past, I turn to good old France. I pretty much understand the French Singer Enrico Macias when he calls Algeria the France of his youth.

But I can understand the situation: Morocco was an Arab country and it had to re-become Arab. This is an irrefutable premise.

But considering that I liked the French aspect of Morocco, Morocco is not my country anymore. France is.

-- Robert Abitbol