J. D. B. News Letter

The development of Jewish life in Morocco may be marked as a new epoch in the history of the Jews in Africa. The transformation Jewish life has undergone in recent times is so profound and of such magnitude that it can only be understood when compared with the great changes Jewish life experienced in the course of its history in recent years in Europe. This development is due mainly to two outstanding facts: the magnificent work done by philanthropic institutions which helped largely to reduce the misery and poverty of the Jewish population in Morocco; secondly, to the educational possibilities offered to the youth of which they avail themselves so eagerly.

The stagnancy, previously a most conspicuous feature of Jewish life in Morocco, has disappeared and a vitality attended with the greatest hopes for the future life of the population has taken its place. One has only to observe the masses of people on a day when the schools are reopened to see how the attitude towards the new life manifests itself. You can see people crying, shouting, imploring with tears in their eyes, for the admission of their children to the schools. People deprived almost of everything, widows without any support, sell the last bit of their poor possessions in order to supply the school equipment for their children.

But in spite of these efforts, the great number of demands for admission cannot always be complied with and many parents are forced, to their great disappointment, to go home with their children.

One often hears the poorest people say: “I am in the greatest need, my son is already grown up and he could be of some help to me, but I prefer his going to school that he may make me ‘flush'” (meaning that he will give them pride in having a learned son.)

Some people look at the awakening to a new enlightened life with apprehension. As if the disappearance of ignorance, superstitions and their result, oppression, could be of any harm to anybody or to anything! As if the emancipation from all kinds of oppression, the awakening from the long torpor in which they have been living for centuries, will not serve the interests of the country! Of course, it cannot be denied that the sudden transition from one civilization to another causes a collision between the forces. From the Jewish point of view it is certainly to be regretted that many deep-rooted customs and endeared conceptions are abandoned as a result of the new life.

However, these consequences attend all great social developments, eventually leading to a new and better life. Judging solely by its social merits and how it may benefit life, we are atending the great spectacle of a nation striving to (Continued on Page 4)

liberate itself from a state of slavery, struggling for the emancipation which will enable it to participate in and share the benefits of modern civilization.

The best illustration of the new Jewish life in Morocco is expressed in the philanthropic achievements which are of the greatest benefit to the whole population. In that respect the work that has been done deserves the highest praise without reservation. Casablanca is especially conspicuous among other towns for its many institutions. The “Ecole de I’Alliance,” a magnificent establishment conducted entirely on modern lines, is due exclusively to the generosity of the community; the “I’Aide Scolaire,” which provides seven hundred children with food and clothing from an annual budget of 150,000 francs; the “Soupe Populaire,” established by the community for the purpose of reducing and preventing mendicity, so common in Morocco, which institution requires an annual budget of 200,000 francs; the Association des Anciens Eleves, which is doing important work in organizing lectures and courses, enabling the youth to continue their education and also providing them with opportunities for training in different crafts.

The “Maternell,” an institution to assist mothers, is proving to be of the greatest benefit to both mothers and the new-born children. The “Ecole d’Apprentissage.” owing its foundation to the generous as well as courageous initiative of the Committee for Professional Training Among Moroccan Jews, justifies, to judge from the results that it has achieved during the one year of its functioning, every hope that is being placed in it. There are also a number of other beneficent institutions and many in process of being established.

France, having always been attentive to spiritual and moral forces, follows with great interest and appreciation the new development. The Moroccan Jew who loves peace and order, thus contributing to the prosperity of the country, may well be considered as the best intermediary between the natives and the European population. The authorities seem to realize this fact, as is proved by the policy they have adopted towards the Jewish population, a policy which is in the interests of justice as well as in the interests of the nation.