Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-08-29
THE JEWS OF MOROCCO.
A MOST INTERESTING AND MOST
TRYING RACE OF PEOPLE.
DespiseA by the Moors and Subjected to
Every Imaginable DegradAtion-The Ter
ribie PunIshments Sometimes inflicted

Every Imaginable Degradation-The Ter
ribie PunIshments Sometimes inflicted
on the Hebrsws-The Jews' Quarters
The Jews Of Morocco are to my mind at
once the most interesting and the most
trying race of people ever met Subject
to restrictions in their life and business
which would exterminate an ordinary race
Of people In two generations. they have
grown, prospered and In many places are
masters of their masters
No one knows just where the Moorish
Jews came from. but of course they have
been connected with the lost tribes and
all that. The main facts are. they are In
MOROCCO without knowing themselves just
how they got there. Among the anomalies
connected with them is that they are
hated and despised by the Moors. subject
to every insult and degradation that can
be imagined; yet they are recognized as
such necessary members Of society that
there Is q law. which is actively enforced,
forbiddirg Jews to leave the country
under any circumstances. The Jews. out
side Of one or two coast towns. are treated
worse than the meanest and lowest arimals;
and. whether in the way Of retaliation or
the means which in the d st place secured
them this brutal treatment acl not com.
petent to say. tley in RET urn treat the
Moors with fairly deviiisli cruelty when
they get them Ia tlcir power, as they
often do through money transactions: for,
as in other lands, the superior cunning of
the Jews makes them the bankers of the
country. and. with a debtors law which
allows the Imprisonment of man until
his debt is discharged. there sre ample
opportunities for the Jews to act as 6ends
incarnate.
KILLING A JEW.
In return for this q Moor thinks no
more of killing a Jew, II he can do It
quietly. than Of killing rat. and as for
dishonoring the family of q Jew, It Is
looked upon as the natural course Of
events. and truth compels me to say that
the husband and father looks ON the trans
action with fair degree of complacency.
provided always il helps along some end
he has in view The Jews are not allowed
TO carry arms Of any kind, nor to ride
upon q horse, mule. donkey or bullock.
but must make all journeys on foot;
neither are they allowed to wear any foot
covering outside of their own quarter,
where they are herded together like ami
mails, their dress being regulated and re-
stricted so they may always be known
from the believers at q glance. and they
are forbidden to build any places of worship
or to hold religious services of any kind.
which command is religiously disregarded.
services being held regularly in their
houses. with. In some cities. a guard
posted to inform Of the approach Of
strangers. IL there is any nasty work to
be done. ss for instance the embeiming Of
the beads of executed rebels SO that they
may hang the longer at the traitors gate,
the Jews are pressed into the service: IL
the sultan or one of his officers wishes q
few thousand dollars to meet a sudden
demand. some wealthy Jew. who has paid
the least for protection. Is seized without
notice and thrown into dungeon until
he has been squeezed out Of q proper sum.
II Jew meets q Moor, no matter how
low the position of the latter. he is obliged
to step barefooted into the filth Of the
middle Of the street so as not 20 touch the
garments Of a follower of the prophet. and
he is not allowed under any circumstances
to enter the street upon which Q mosque
Is situated. The punishment for the dis
regard Of any Of these laws Is simply ter
rife. ranging from burning to death to
bastinadoing.
IHE BATH UNhNOWN.
The use of the bath either for the face
or the body Is totally unknown among the
Jews, except the hand bath before eating,
at other times the face being simply
rubbed with dry cloth when 1t becomes
unpresentable. The Jews of Morocco
look upon themselves as prosecuted race,
but from my own observations ! think
hsd rather be Jew than Moor as far as
persecution. is concerned. for his deadly
hatred Of the Moor. coupled with his own
superior cunning. gives him in the course
OIL his lifetime chance to return oppres-
sion for oppression. and to my certain
knowledge the dungeons of Morocco are
filed with Moors rotting to death In pay.
ment Of debts owed to this same perse-
cuted race.
OF the Jews quarter In Alcazar much
cannot be said, except that it Is some
thing dirtier than the rest Of the city,
and the inhabitants decidedly hospitable.
For some reason all white skinned people
are looked upon by the Jews as their
friends. consequently there Is no limit to
Jews hospitality. or to his requests for
political fayors after you have received
it. As the most interesting event that
could be shown, it was at once suggested
ehoe ottehu sewSh weouihg then LAX.
ing place; and while l feared to offend
the proprieties by coming into the pres
ence of the timid bride in top boots and q
flannel shirt, Jacob insisted that she
would not mind If had no boots at all
ON. or wore them around my neck.
was little afraid we would arrive late,
until ! learned that it was the playful
custom Of the Jews to keep the poor
bridegroom in suspense by stringing the
ceremony out for week. and that this
wedding had already reached its third
day.-Morocco Cor. Boston Transcript.