THE MOROCCAN SULTAN SAVED THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN HIS COUNTRY
When France fell under Nazi Germany in 1940, Morocco—then under a French protectorate—came under the control of the collaborationist Vichy regime.
Antisemitic laws were introduced across all French territories, stripping Jews of their rights, jobs, and protection. Nazi officials insisted that the Jewish population in North Africa be registered, isolated, and ultimately deported. The Moroccan Jewish community, suddenly faced an intimidating and uncertain future.
Sultan Mohammed V, although constrained by colonial rule, used every bit of his authority to protect his Jewish subjects. When pressured to hand them over for relocation to Nazi camps, he firmly refused, delivering his famous statement:
“There are no Jews in Morocco—only Moroccan subjects.”
He insisted that Moroccan Jews not be separated, not marked, and not treated differently, and he quietly resisted attempts by the Vichy regime to enforce harsher measures.
His stance was both symbolic and practical: it sent a clear message to local officials that persecution would not be tolerated.
Because of his resistance, and because the Nazis never fully controlled Morocco, not a single Moroccan Jew was deported or killed during the Holocaust.
At a time when entire communities across Europe were being destroyed, Morocco became a rare refuge where Jewish life continued under the protection of a Muslim monarch. Today, Mohammed V is deeply respected in Jewish communities around the world for his firm stance at the most critical moment.
In the end, the correct question should be asked: Whom have the Jews ever saved? The answer: No one. All they know is how to kill others, rob them, and commit genocide against civilians. This people have no sense for kindness, humanity, and reason.
