In the presence of a large gathering which included the French commander, the French consul and the Moslem pasha, a plaque was placed on the residence of the Jew, Ben Simon, at Fez, Morocco, where the young lieutenant Charles de Foucauld lived from July to August, 1883.
The memorial recalls the unusual exploit by de Foucauld who for many months wandered through the cities and the land of the Berbers in the guise of a Jew. He was a devout Christian.
Fifty years ago Morocco was almost unknown and all but inaccessible to Europeans. It was inhabited by three races, the original Berbers, by Arabs who had immigrated in the seventh century and by a group of Jews who had escaped from Spanish territory and spoke a language that was a mixture of Berber, Arabic and Hebrew. They were the most progressive of the three races, having control of commerce and foreign trade of the large cities. Christians risked their lives when they ventured into the country.
Charles Eugene de Foucauld, born in 1850 at Strasbourg, was a French soldier with a strong religious feeling and a desire for adventure. He asked his superiors for a commission in Morocco, a hazardous assignment, and proceeded to Tangiers on June 20 1883. His object was to collect information about the land which was at the time but little known.
De Foucauld found it necessary to wear the disguise of an Arab or a Jew if he were to escape with his life. He knew neither Yiddish, Hebrew or Arabic.
His adventures, since published in many languages, were described in a diary which he kept.
RELATES ADVENTURES
“On the march no one paid attention or deigned to speak to the poor Jew who was just then consulting compass, watch, or barometer.
“In every place I obtained from my cousins, as the Jews in Morocco call each other among themselves, sincere and full particulars of the region in which I found myself. . . . I excited little suspicion. y bad accent might cause some, but one knows that there are jews in all countries.”
Accompanied by Rabbi Mardochee of Fez, the two men traveled from place to place talking with natives, observing the colorful villages and customs and traditions. “I am to get out of my European clothes and put on a Jewish costume,” wrote de Foucauld, “a long shirt with flowing sleeves, linen trousers reaching to the knees, a Turkish waistcoat of dark cloth, white robe with short sleeves and hood (jelabia), white stockings, red cap and black silk turban.”
He called himself Rabbi Joseph Aliman, and when asked, said, “I was born in Muscovy, whence recent persecutions have driven me. . . now travelling at random. poor but trusting in God.”
On one occasion he had to wait in hiding, listening for a day and a half to those who talked about him plotting his death.
Enduring the worst sort of humiliation, muffled in his Jewish costume, de Foucauld lived amidst filth, ate in a haphazard fashion, passed nights under the stars, made long journeys on foot, suffered insults and endured the contempt of the people.
De Foucauld became a hermit in the Sahara many years later, and he is looked upon today as a saint by many who revere his memory.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
