Israel Thank God Morocco Protects Jews During The Holocaust, President Herzog: King Mohammed Vesting Places Of Distribution

Israeli President Isaac Herzog. (Wikimedia Commons/Spokesperson unit of the President of Israel/Kobi Gideon)

JAKARTA - Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Morocco King Mohammed VI for providing a "safe haven" for Jews during the Holocaust by the Nazis in World War II.

President Herzog's letter, marking the two years since Morocco normalized relations with Israel, was the first time an Israeli official has paid tribute to the actions of the then King of Morocco's Holocaust era, the presidency said.

He expressed Israeli gratitude to the king "and the people of Morocco who, from generation to generation, have acted to protect the security, welfare and cultural heritage of the kingdom's Jewish community".

President Herzog said Jews settled in Morocco after their expulsion from Spain in the late 15th century, before recording North African state protection of Jews during the Second World War.

"When millions of Jews faced the horrors of the Holocaust in the 20th century, King Mohammed V provided safe shelter for Jews," President Herzog said in a letter dated December 22, reported The National News December 28.

"Jahudi Morocco remembers the pride and affection of the memories of my late King, His Majesty King Mohammed V, who is remembered as the protector and guardian of Jews in his territory," the letter continued.

King Mohammed V is notorious for his refusal to implement the anti-Jahudi law, which was determined by the pro-Germany French government Vichy during the war.

President Herzog also praised the current king's move to support the Jewish community in his country, noting the decision to include Holocaust education in Morocco's schools.

It will not only deepen your people's commitments to tolerance and understanding but also send strong messages about these essential values to countries from the Atlantic to the Gulf", he wrote.

Israel's presidency said the letter was coordinated with Israel's Foreign Ministry and Holocaust center Yad Vashem in the country.

Rabat cut ties with Israel in 2000 following the break-up of Palestinian second intifada. But in December 2020, the two countries formalized the relationship, following the signing of the Abraham Records between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain.

Previously, Israel had reached a peace agreement with neighboring Egypt and Jordan, in 1979 and 1994.

It is known that Morocco's Jewish community originated in ancient times and grew in the 15th century with the expulsion of Spanish Jews. In the 1940s the number increased to 250,000, representing 10 percent of the country's population, but mass emigration followed Israel's founding in 1948.

The kingdom's Jewish community is now estimated at around 3,000, the largest in North Africa. About 700,000 Israelis claim Morocco descent and maintain strong ties with it.