President Herzog hails late King Mohammed V of Morocco for saving Jews

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog thanked King Mohammed VI of Morocco for his country’s protection of its Jewish community during the Shoah, calling it a “beacon of light” during some of the darkest hours of Jewish history. 

“The State of Israel and the Jewish people would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to Your Majesty and the people of Morocco who, for generations, have acted to protect the security, welfare and cultural heritage of the kingdom’s Jewish community,” Herzog said in a letter to the king, which was sent on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of Morocco’s inclusion in the Abraham Accords.

Herzog also praised the role of the King’s grandfather, Mohammed V, who ruled Morocco from 1927 to 1953, saying he is remembered as the “protector and guardian of Jews in his realm.”

“When millions of Jews faced the horrors of the Holocaust in the twentieth century, King Mohammed V provided a safe haven for his Jewish subjects. Indeed, we celebrate the fact that wherever they are, Moroccan Jews recall with pride and affection the memory of your grandfather, His Majesty King Mohammed V,” Herzog said.

Herzog, who extended an invitation to King Mohammed VI last year to visit Israel, said that the “Hebraic character of Morocco” was recognised within the kingdom’s constitution during his rule, and that “Jewish communal institutions throughout the country – from synagogues to cemeteries – have been renovated.”

King Mohammed VI also received praise from Herzog for denouncing  Holocaust denial, and his singling out the “Final Solution” as “one of the most tragic chapters of modern history.”

Lastly, at a time with rising antisemitism, Herzog applauded the Moroccan government’s commitment to include Holocaust history in its curriculum, saying it will “resonate far and wide, not only deepening your people’s commitment to tolerance and understanding but send a powerful message about these essential values to countries from the Atlantic to the Gulf.”

A number of senior Israeli officials have visited Morocco since the normalisation between the two countries, most notably Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid who was Foreign Minister at the time of his visit last year.