"Baba Sali's Advice Saved Us from Deportation to Death Camps": A Fascinating Interview

When Chaim Ben Simon was an infant, the Germans took over Morocco. Until then, the Jews had hoped for protection from France, as Morocco was under French rule. However, in 1940, France was defeated, and the Vichy regime established its rule in collaboration with the Germans. Following France, Morocco also fell into the hands of the Nazis. "The Germans came to Morocco to figure out how to take the Jews to the camps," Chaim recounts. "They gathered lists of Jews from all over Morocco and began organizing 'transports' to the camps in Europe, where Jews were already being burned."

Anti-Jewish laws were enacted in Morocco. Many workers were dismissed from their jobs, and Jews were required to register with the government offices. Great fear spread among the Jews, and their situation deteriorated.

"My father worked in welding," Chaim recalls, "along with another partner, he operated two household goods stores in Oujda, where we lived. But since the war started and decrees against the Jews were announced, making a living became increasingly difficult. My family, like other Jews in Morocco, began experiencing frequent hunger, and life became hard."

"Muslims collaborated with the Germans and enacted anti-Jewish laws. Sometimes spontaneous pogroms erupted, during which the Arabs sought to kill the Jews."

The King Consults with Baba Sali

Overall, there loomed the fear of deportation to the death camps in Europe: "The King of Morocco was considered a friend to the Jews at the time, but the Germans demanded that he hand over all the Jews to them, or they would bomb Morocco. The king didn't know how to respond. He decided to consult with Baba Sali, who was highly esteemed in his eyes," Ben Simon recounts.

The King of Morocco, Mohammed V, met with the renowned Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira, Baba Sali, of blessed memory, who was already famous and served as a rabbi in Arfoud near Rissani. The king consulted him on how to counter the Nazis' demands to harm the Jews. "Baba Sali's response was surprising," Chaim tells us: "The wise rabbi advised the king to write a contract with the Germans, ensuring that the Jews were in their hands, and that they could execute the 'final solution' whenever they wished, Heaven forbid. The king accepted the bold proposal and signed an agreement with the Germans. What happened," Chaim reveals to us, "was that the Germans were assured that the Jews of Morocco were under their control and did not rush anywhere. They focused their efforts on the Jews of countries that resisted them, and meanwhile, the Jews of Morocco gained precious time for living."

"The Jews of Morocco used this time for a fast and secret escape operation: The committee - the Jewish council in Oujda, began smuggling Jews to southern France. The council organized ships and planes and secretly smuggled many families every night. This is how the Jews of Morocco were saved from deportation to the death camps, thanks to this wondrous advice of Baba Sali."

After World War II ended, the Ben Simon family stayed in France like many Moroccan Jews and planned to emigrate to Israel. They reached a transit camp in the city of Arens, France. But at the last moment, plans changed:

"We wanted to emigrate immediately in 1948, with the establishment of the state. But then my father heard from the first arrivals that the economic situation in Israel was difficult. There was no work for new immigrants, not enough food, and he was worried. Meanwhile, it was discovered in France that my mother was a skilled midwife. By today's standards, she might be considered primitive, but she was proficient and good at her job, and they asked her to work in a hospital."

The War Ended, the Hatred Didn’t

Thus, the Ben Simon family remained in France until they decided to return to Morocco. "When we returned to our hometown Oujda, we saw that the two houses we had, and the two shops my father had, were taken by the Arabs. My father had a large sum of money in his wallet, and that too was stolen by them. The atmosphere in the city changed completely: Most Jews fled Morocco, the Germans had indeed left, but their hatred remained... the economy was inherited, and the rage of the residents was directed towards the Jews. More than anything, the rumors from Israel, where a Jewish state was established, stirred emotions even further, and we felt open fear and tension. We had unpleasant adventures. Whenever wars occurred in Israel, the hatred in Morocco intensified, and the violence against us increased."

Chaim sighs: "I remember one day when we left the house, I saw a Jewish girl riding a bicycle. Later, I met her father in Israel when he worked with me in the government printing office. In the middle of her ride down the city street, an Arab came and stabbed her in the back. He didn't even hide from us; we all saw, but no one could approach the Arab out of fear. He stabbed her and left. And when the police came and saw that it was a Jewish girl, the officers didn't even ask us what we saw and didn't care. The case was closed without any attention to the assailant. To this day, I remember it as an unforgettable nightmare. She was just a little girl murdered so cruelly. May Hashem avenge her blood.

There was also a particularly fierce riot where bloodthirsty Arabs even reached the school where we studied. "I was a diligent student," Chaim remarks with a small smile, "We hid in the school for a whole week, and those who couldn't hide were killed. My father often had to hide during the riots under the counter, and they would cover him with clothes so he wouldn't be discovered. At home, we waited for him for hours, hoping that some chance or miracle would save the situation... Sometimes groups of Arabs tried to break into the Mellah, the Jewish neighborhood, and the danger was very great.

"At this point, we began to despair of the situation in Morocco. Although there was a period when relations with the Arabs improved, every time there were wars in Israel, the Muslim 'neighbors' started retaliating against us. They murdered, beat, and persecuted us constantly. We were terrified."

Because of the Western Wall, Because of the Torah

The Ben Simon family had already grown to ten children when they parted ways with Morocco: "We immigrated to Israel in 1955, and since then we are privileged to live here. We chose Israel because of the Western Wall, because of the Torah, and because of all the things we loved. In Morocco, we frequently prayed to the Creator of the Universe and knew that only He could save us. And behold, He granted us the merit to move to the Holy Land. During these years, the Western Wall was under Jordanian rule, and we couldn’t really access it, and yet, the Wall was always in our hearts and thoughts. When we were in Jerusalem, we felt as if we were there at the Wall itself. Then came 1967, and during the Six-Day War, the Western Wall returned to Israeli hands. Who would have believed it? It was a special joy for us to reach the Western Wall.

"When we arrived here, we were sent to a transit camp in Haruvit near Masmia, where we worked in cotton and agriculture. And since then, we have settled and established ourselves in Israel.

Today, at the age of 81, without the evil eye, Chaim has 6 children, 15 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren, may they live, residing in Jerusalem and Ashdod. He laughs, "I wasn't a sucker, right?"

"The Holocaust was part of my life. I am defined as a Holocaust survivor and receive reparations from Germany. It’s very hard for me to recall those days when six million Jews were murdered. Moroccan Jewry is part of the Holocaust. We were truly between a rock and a hard place. We were supposed to go to those death camps like everyone else, but we had a heavenly miracle and were saved. I am glad I told you about our salvation miracle, like a stone lifted off my heart."

Today, Chaim resides at the 'Rochlin' nursing home in Jerusalem, sponsored by the Ministry of Welfare. "I always played music here. I play the guitar, harmonica, flute, organ... I learned to play by myself. At 17, I was already playing with my brother, and we formed our own band, and everyone around us would dance and sing. Even here at the nursing home, I played for my friends many times. Even on Mimouna, they brought us musicians and we celebrated. I grew up with that; I grew up with joy. When a person is happy, the joy remains in his body, in his heart. That's why I look younger than my age. It's because of the joy of life."