Tribute paid to late King Mohammed V for his protection of Jews during World War II

The Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Association, based in Lombardia (northern Italy), paid tribute to the late King Mohammed V for his unwavering defense and protection of the Jewish community during the World War II.

The president of the association, Marco Baratto, recalled, in a statement, the late king’s rejection of the Vichy regime’s anti-Jewish law.

Entitled “Mohammed V: courage of choice during the Shoah years”, Baratto’s statement also recalled the late king’s rejection of the request of marshal Petain’s government to have the list of Moroccan citizens with Israelite creed, with the late king courageously replaying that in Morocco there were no Jewish citizens, but only Moroccan citizens.

This gesture made it possible to save the Moroccan Hebraic community during the terrible Shoah years, Baratto said.

For his part, rabbi Yousef Haddad, a historic member of the Moroccan Hebraic community, expressed Moroccan Jews’ gratitude to the late king Mohammed V, thanks to whom the Shoah years did not take place in Morocco.