1948 anti-Jewish riots in Oujda and Jerada

Events in the French protectorate of Morocco yes 1948 Oujda and Jerada riots Oujda and Jerada, Morocco 7–8 June 1948 Jewish exodus from Arab countries Oujda cimetière juif 001.JPG A photo of the Jewish cemetery in Oujda, taken in 2010. Moroccan Jews Violent pogrom, massacre 47 Moroccan Jews killed1 Frenchman killed Many Jews injured Moroccan Muslim rioters *Declaration of Israel 1948 Arab–Israeli War 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight Anti-Jewish riots occurred on June 7–8, 1948, in the towns of Oujda and Jerada, in the French protectorate of Morocco in response to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War ensuing the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14.Gottreich Emily http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781838603601 Jewish Morocco 2020 I.B. Tauris 978-1-78076-849-6 10 10.5040/9781838603601 213996367 The two towns—located near the border with Algeria—were departure points for Moroccan Jews seeking to migrate to Israel; at the time they were not permitted to do so from within Morocco.151 In the events, 47 Jews and one Frenchman were killed, many were injured, and property was damaged.151 The riots took place a few weeks after a speech in which Sultan Mohammed V, in the context of the recent declaration of the State of Israel and ongoing Nakba, "affirmed Jews’ traditional protected status in Morocco but also warned them not to demonstrate any solidarity with the Zionist cause."Gottreich Emily http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781838603601 Jewish Morocco 2020 I.B. Tauris 10.5040/9781838603601 978-1-78076-849-6 213996367151 In the eyes of many Moroccan Muslims, those emigrating were going to join the forces fighting the Arab armies.151 French officials argued that the riots were "absolutely localized" to Oujda and Jerada, and that it had been "migration itself—and not widespread anti-Jewish animosity—that had sparked Muslim anger".Mandel 2014 38: "Similarly, [French] officials argued against awarding international refugee status to Moroccan Jews, insisting that the 1948 riots in Oujda and Djérada had been "absolutely localized." It was, they warned, migration itself—and not widespread anti-Jewish animosity—that had sparked Muslim anger." Outbreak René Brunel, the French Commissioner for the Oujda region, stated that rioting began when a Jewish barber attempted to cross into Algeria carrying explosives.Mandel 2014 28 Brunel wrote that that atmosphere has "overheated" as a result of "the clandestine passage over the border of a large number of young Zionists from all regions of Morocco trying to get to Palestine via Algeria."Mandel 2014 28 The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Jewish emigration from Oujda to Palestine was a significant irritant to the local Muslim population. The ministry noted, "It is characteristic that those in this region near to the Algerian border consider all Jews who depart as combatants for Israel."Mandel 2014 28 Alphonse Juin, Resident General in Morocco, noted that "the clandestine departure of Jews for Palestine ignited the anger already inflamed by professional agitators."Mandel 2014 28 It has also been suggested that the riots were sparked by an anti-Zionist speech by Sultan Mohammed V relating to the ongoing 1948 Arab–Israeli War,Dalit Atrakchi (2001). "The Moroccan Nationalist Movement and Its Attitude toward Jews and Zionism". In Michael M. Laskier and Yaacov Lev. The Divergence of Judaism and Islam. University Press of Florida. p. 163.: "...the riots that broke out on 7 June 1948 in the cities of Oujda and Jerada, close to the border between Morocco and Algeria, which served as a transfer station for Moroccan Jews on their way to Israel.... It is believed that the riots were brought on by the speech given a short while earlier by Sultan Muḥammad Ben-Yussuf, which inveighed against the Zionists and cried for solidarity with the Arabs fighting in Israel. Claims have been made that the French authorities not only knew about these impending events but also goaded and collaborated with the instigators as a provocation against the heads of the Moroccan Independence Party, who could later be blamed for committing murder." but others suggest that the Sultan's speech was focused on ensuring the protection of the Moroccan Jews.André Chouraqui (2002), "Between East and West: A History of the Jews of North Africa". 1-59045-118-X, "On May 23, 1948, scarcely a week after the proclamation of the State of Israel, the Sultan of Morocco made an appeal to his subjects in which he reminded them of the protection that Morocco had always accorded to the Jews. He asked the Jews to refrain from all Zionist manifestations, and the Moslem population to prevent any disturbance of the peace."June 2022June 2022 Riots The riots began in Oujda, which was at the time the main transit hub for Jewish emigration out of Morocco because of its proximity to the Algerian border (Algeria was at the time administered as part of Metropolitan France), in which five Jews were killed and 30 injured in the space of three hours before the army arrived. The riots in the neighbouring mining town of Jerada were even more violent, with 39 deaths.André Chouraqui (2002), "Between East and West: A History of the Jews of North Africa". 1-59045-118-X, "Finally, on June 7, the crowd, sparked off by a minor incident, poured into the Jewish quarter. In the three hours that passed before the army could control the mob, five people (including one Frenchman) had been killed, thirty had been severely injured, shops and homes had been sacked. The same night an even more serious riot occurred in the neighboring mining town of Djérada where the Jewish population, consisting of about a hundred souls, had been surrounded by an uncontrollable mob and attacked with outrageous savagery. Neither children nor old men were spared; thirty-nine Jews lost their lives, thirty were severely injured and others less severely so."June 2022June 2022 Aftermath At the time, Morocco was a protectorate of France, and the French commissioner for Oujda, René Brunel, blamed the violence on the Jews for leaving through Oujda and for sympathizing with the Zionist movement.Green David B. This Day in Jewish History / Anti-Jewish Rioting in Morocco Leaves 44 Dead https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2014-06-08/ty-article/.premium/this-day-44-dead-after-anti-jewish-rioting-in-morocco/0000017f-db07-d856-a37f-ffc73d620000 Haaretz 6 May 2020 en 8 June 2014 The French League for Human Rights and Citizenship blamed the French colonial authorities for their relaxed control in the area. A French military court tried 35 people for their involvement in the pogrom. Two people were sentenced to death, another two to life imprisonment, and the remaining 31 convicts to lesser prison terms.תקרית פטי ז'אן – י.צור https://moreshet-morocco.com/category/%d7%aa%d7%a7%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%aa-%d7%a4%d7%98%d7%99-%d7%96%d7%90%d7%9f-%d7%99-%d7%a6%d7%95%d7%a8/ 2024-01-09 מורשת יהדות מרוקו he-IL As an Arab Muslim national identity became the vehicle of the anti-colonial resistance in Morocco, the violence in Oujda and Jerada demonstrated how Jews, particularly after the establishment of the State of Israel, were becoming excluded from Moroccan nationalism.151 While Morocco's Amazigh populations could belong as Muslims, Jews were increasingly excluded from the Moroccan nation.151-152 The emigration of Jews from Morocco to Israel quickly became a flood after the incident: 18,000 Moroccan Jews left for Israel the following year, and 110,000 out of a total of 250,000 Jews in Morocco left between 1948 and 1956. Coverage The events were covered in the Sydney Jewish News, which described them as a pogrom.1948-09-03 The Pogroms of Oujda and Djerada http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article261673179 2025-08-18 Sydney Jewish News 8 References Further reading "North African Jewry in the twentieth century: the Jews of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria", by Michael M. Laskier, Chapter 7: The Israeli-Directed Self-Defense Underground and "Operation Yakhin". External links Muslims and Jews in France: History of a Conflict Mandel Maud Maud Mandel Princeton University Press 2014 978-1400848584 Victims of Riots in Oujda and Jérada, June 7 and 8, 1948 Category:1948 Arab–Israeli War Category:1948 riots Category:1948 in Judaism Category:Massacres in 1948 Category:1948 in Morocco Category:June 1948 in Africa Category:20th-century mass murders in Morocco Category:Jewish Moroccan history Category:Anti-Jewish pogroms in North Africa Category:Antisemitism in Morocco Anti-Jewish Riots Anti-Jewish Riots Category:Arab–Israeli conflict Category:Massacres in Morocco Category:Massacres in the Arab–Israeli conflict