In the course of World War II, thousands of non-Jews risked their lives to save Jews from deportation to the death camps throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. In addition to books and films like Schindler’s List, these people have received recognition by the Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum, as “Righteous Among the Nations”. Yet little has been taught about the plight of Jews in Nazi-occupied North Africa and the local Muslims who risked their lives to save them.

One individual stands out for saving the Jews of an entire nation. Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco stood firm against the French Vichy authorities and protected Morocco’s Jewish population, ultimately saving them from deportation and slaughter in the Nazi death camps.

Morocco’s Quarter of a Million Jews

In 1940, Morocco was home to around 250,000 Jews, representing 10% of the country’s population, the largest Jewish community in the Arab world at the time.

Jews first arrived to Morocco in 70 CE in the aftermath of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem when 97,000 Jews from Judea were captured and sold as slaves all over the Mediterranean region. Another major wave of Jewish immigration to Morocco took place in the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 when hundreds of thousands of Sephardic Jews were forced out of the Iberian penninsula. Many of those Sephardic Jews settled in Moroccan cities such as Fez, Marrakesh, and Casablanca where they engaged in commerce, craftsmanship, and scholarly pursuits.

Despite the complex history of Jewish-Muslim relations which included periods of anti-Jewish violence, for most of Moroccan history there was a long-standing coexistence that had shaped the country’s society. But this peaceful existence was put to the test with the rise of Nazi influence in Morocco in the early 1940s when the country was a French protectorate under the Vichy regime.

The Vichy Regime and the Threat to Moroccan Jewry

Prior to World War II, French colonial forces controlled the Maghreb, the North African countries of what later became Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. On June 25, 1940 after a six-week invasion, France surrendered to Germany. While German troops occupied two thirds of continental France, southern France as well as the French colonies in North Africa came under the jurisdiction of the newly created Vichy regime, managed by the French but under German supervision. The pro-Nazi French government was eager to impress their German patrons and implemented their own set of antisemitic laws in continental France and in their North African colonies and protectorates as well. The Vichy government was quick to adopt the same discriminatory policies and racial laws that were sweeping across Europe, including antisemitic laws that targeted the Jewish population. Influenced by Nazi ideology, these laws sought to isolate, disenfranchise, and ultimately remove Jews from the societies in which they lived. The degree to which the “statut des juives” (law of the Jews) was applied differed in each of the colonies.

In Morocco, this meant that Jews were fired from government positions, expelled from public schools, and severely restricted from universities and professional careers. Many Jewish families were forced to live in the mellahs (the historic Jewish quarters of various Moroccan cities) and those who were already living inside were often restricted from leaving. Although the ghettoization in Morocco was not as strictly enforced as the ghettos in Europe, the mellahs became overcrowded, food was scarce, and outbreaks of typhus and cholera were common. 2100 Jews were also rounded up and deported to 30 forced labor camps throughout Morocco where many died from hunger, exhaustion, disease, and violent beatings by their guards.

But the worst was yet to come. Vichy authorities began to prepare for the deportation of Morocco’s entire Jewish population to the Nazi death camps in Europe, where most would have certainly met their end.

King Mohammed V: The Protector of His People

King Mohammed V was part of the Alawi dynasty who had ruled Morocco since the 17th century. After the French conquered Morocco in 1912, they made it a protectorate under the Treaty of Fez, which stipulated that Paris would institute the country’s laws, control the economy, and military, but the Moroccan monarch retained limited power over internal affairs and religious matters. Although the power of the Moroccan kings were restricted under French colonial rule, they had popular support among the general public, most likely because of their claimed descent from Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

Mohammed V became Sultan of Morocco at the age of 17 after his father passed away in November 1927. His reign had been marked by a growing nationalist movement against French colonial rule, and by the eve of World War II he had gained a reputation as a champion of Moroccan sovereignty.

As the Vichy regime enacted its anti-Jewish policies, the king was put into a difficult position. Legally he was required to follow French policy and sign legislative decrees. Under normal circumstances, the French would not mix into Moroccan internal affairs as it pertained to various social groups (Arabs, Berbers, Jews, etc.), but the Vichy regime under Nazi influence sought to enforce the same brutal policies in Morocco as had been enacted in Europe. Mohammed V argued that any anti-Jewish decree was stepping into his realm of authority in violation of the Treaty of Fez.

The king, a man of strong moral principles and a deep sense of social justice, rejected these policies outright. He was famously quoted as telling Vichy authorities, “I absolutely do not approve of the new antisemitic laws and I refuse to associate myself with a measure that I disagree with. I reiterate as I did in the past that the Jews are under my protection and I reject any distinction that should be made amongst my people.”

He saw the persecution of Jews as not only unjust but also un-Islamic. Under Islam, Jews had the status of “dhimmi”, a tolerated religious minority permitted to practice their religion (under certain restrictions). By paying the “jizya”, a special poll tax for religious minorities, Jews were supposed to receive protection by the Islamic governments that they lived under. The threat against the Jewish community of Morocco compelled Mohammed V to fulfill his Islamic role as protector of the Jews. Although his power was legally limited, his influence in Moroccan society was significant, which made him a thorn in the side of his French patrons.

Defying the Vichy Regime

King Mohammed V’s refusal to comply with French orders became a direct challenge to the the pro-Nazi regime. When the Vichy government published its anti-Jewish laws in October 1940 and again in August 1941, Mohammed V continuously tried negotiating with the Vichy regime, acting as a defacto lawyer for Morocco’s Jewish community. Although he was ultimately legally bound to sign the decrees, his persistence delayed the implementation of the anti-Jewish laws and their enforcement was somewhat lax.

The most famous act of defiance came in November 1941 on Throne Day, the annual royal feast in Morocco that celebrates the ascension to the throne of the current king. The banquet traditionally included the country’s top level officials, French authorities, and during World War II some German SS officers as well. Mohammed V was in charge of the seating arrangements and decided not only to invite the top representatives of the Moroccan Jewish community, including leading rabbis, but to also place them right next to the French Vichy authorities.

The French for their part were shocked and disgusted to see Jews at the royal banquet and were simultaneously embarassed in front of their German patrons. The message was loud and clear. He would not support the marginalization of his Jewish subjects.

The Final Solution Reaches North Africa

By January 1942, Nazi Germany reached the peak of its influence from North Africa to Scandinavia and from the Atlantic to Moscow. The majority of Jewish communities in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East were now under direct or indirect Nazi control. At this point, their policy shifted from discriminatory laws, ghettoization, and sporadic killings, to an organized and systematic final solution, the destruction of all the Jews under the Nazis’ grip. The death camps in Poland were not only designed for Polish Jews. Jews were deported to Auscwitz from regions as far as France, the Balkans, and Greece. With the Soviets successfully resisting German advances and the refusal of Great Britain to capitulate, the Germans no longer felt that the outcome of the war was a foregone conclusion. Efforts to exterminate the millions of Jews under their rule accelerated and the new “final solution” policies reverberated in North Africa as well.

During the Wansee Conference of January 1942 that outlined the plans to exterminate all Jews in Europe, the number of Jews set for “unoccupied France”, i.e. Vichy France, was estimated to be 700,000, which far exceeded the number of Jews in southern France. The number only make sense when southern France is combined with Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, all of which were under the Vichy regime. Evidently Moroccan Jews were indeed meant to be targeted for the final solution.

Delaying Deportation

It’s not clear how the Vichy regime in coordination with Nazi Germany would have carried out such a deportation of Jews from Morocco to the killing centers in Poland. The Mediterranean Sea served as a natural barrier separating Morocco from the bloodshed in Europe. Shipping a quarter million Jews across the sea and then sending them by train from southern Europe to Poland would have been a logistical nightmare and quite impractical considering allied naval activity in the Mediterranean. It could be that the trans-Saharan railroad, which at the time was being used to move Senegalese troops (under Vichy French rule) up from West Africa to North Africa, could have been repurposed for Jewish deportations to the east. Tunisia for example was under direct German occupation and already had a system of slave labor camps in place. Another alternative was suggested by Haj Amin al-Husseini, the pro-Nazi Palestinian mufti of Jerusalem, which was to build concentration camps in Palestine in the aftermath of a German victory in the Middle East.

In 1942, the Vichy regime attempted to make a list of all 250,000 Moroccan Jewish citizens, presumably for deportation to the death camps. Although they were well aware of Mohammed V’s position on the matter, during a private meeting at the royal palace they nevertheless tried persuade him to produce such a list. Mohammed V reportedly made a powerful statement to the French authorities, saying, “There are no Jewish citizens, there are no Muslim citizens. They are all Moroccans!”

This was not just a symbolic gesture; it was a direct challenge to the implementation of the final solution of Jews in Morocco. The Nazis were known to have punished, deposed, or removed from power colaborative governments that did not fall in line with the Third Reich’s policies. Mohammed V was risking losing his power or perhaps even his life, but he still took a stand. In doing so, he delayed the mass deportation process long enough for the tables to turn.

Operation Torch

On the early morning of November 8, 1942, before dawn, Allied forces landed on the Atlantic and Mediteranean coasts of Morocco and Algeria in multiple locations in what was dubbed “Operation Torch”. Commanded by the American General (and future president) Dwight D. Eisenhower, 107,000 U.S. troops stormed the beaches of North Africa encountering stiff resistance from Vichy French forces. The Allies severely bombarded the French fleet in various harbors and ports in the region and put Casablanca under siege.

Within three days, Vichy forces in Morocco and Algeria surrendered. Eisenhowever convinced Admiral Darlan, leader of Vichy French forces in North Africa, to switch allegiances in exchange for maintaining his position of power. After Darlan ordered all Vichy French military personnel under his command to cease hostilities and cooperate with the Allies, U.S. and British forces consolidated their presence on Moroccan and Algerian soil. From there, they launched a military campaign that defeated German and Italian forces in occupied Tunisia by May 1943, thus eliminating the final Nazi threat over the Jewish communities of North Africa.

The Jewish Community’s Gratitude

King Mohammed V’s decision to protect his Jewish population during World War II left an indelible mark on the history of Morocco and the wider Jewish world. His actions arguably saved 250,000 Jewish lives, and today, Moroccan Jews around the world remember him with great respect and admiration. He has been post-humously honored by several Jewish organizations including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the American Sephardi Federation, and the World Jewish Congress among others. This recognition was a testament to the courage and moral clarity that defined his reign.

Mohammed V’s actions serve as a powerful reminder that in times of darkness, there are always some individuals who choose to do what is right. History will remember him as a friend of the Jewish People and a precursor to future Jewish-Moroccan relations.

Nearly one million Jews of Moroccan descent reside in Israel where they retain strong ties to their Moroccan heritage and have historically acted as advocates for better relations between Morocco and Israel. In December 2020, in the context of the Abraham Accords, Israel and Morocco established official diplomatic relations. Under the current Moroccan government, the country continues to honor its Jewish heritage, and has in recent years introduced Holocaust education into the Moroccan school system. This inclusive policy reflects the values Mohammed V championed during his reign. He will long be remembered as “The Moroccan King Who Saved the Jews”.

Source: AISH by Avi Abrams