The Phoenix Jewish news., 1958-05-09
By ALVIN ABRAMS

I had been hanging around Casa
blanca for a week or so living III
the old Arab-Jewish quarter per-
haps better known as the "Cas-
bah." just a few steps off the
place de France through a
crooked little street, and you go
back in time hundreds of years.
The Arabs in long hooded robes
or baggy pants and turbans, veil
ed women, beggars shouting AL
lah," strange sights, smells, and
sounds. Ancient Jews in their
nightshirt-type gowns of white IL
nen. black coffee can-like skull
caps and long boards, working side
by side with the Arabs. was fas-
cinated by all this and, although I
had not planned on staying long in
Morocco, I could not pull myself
away.
ONE DAY a German I had met
told me by all means not to miss
the city of Marrakech In the south.
I had no commitments of any sort,
was simply hitch-hiking wherever
I chose to go. I packed my KNAPP
sack and started to cut down the
$50 miles to my destination.
My first ride was with fez-top-
ped Arab and his veiled wife IN
an old Citroen. They deposited
me along a desolate highway,
where nv only view was camel
attempting to survive on just dirt.
Presently a car with three people
shot past and then stopped. 1t
contained two men and woman.
They were French but the woman
spoke Spanish quite well.
We are acquainted in no time
at all. They were very interested
in me as an American student
and what was doing there. Then
the woman asked me what my re-
ligion was and I answered He
brew"
1T CAUSED a great commotion.
They were all Jewish, too. and aft
er the excitement had died down
she asked me where / was to
spend the holidays of Rosh Has
honah and Yom Kippur. I had not
received any mail for more than
a month and. didn't know tf'e
dates, consequently had no plans.
The young man who was driving
then said, "Yo1 Will spend Rosh
Hashonah with my family in Mar
rakech." I told rim I'd like to
and then the woman insisted 1
spend a week or so with her fam
ily at their summer home in the
Atlas Mountains, starting with Yom
Kippur. I said I'd like to, but
didn't know whether I'd stay that
long. Then she said, "I'll give
you an address in Marrakech and
if you would like to come, be
there on Oct. g."
MARRAKECH was even more In
tereSting and colorful than Casa
blanca, with its extensive |Souk'
or Arab market and many mos
ques. It also has a large Jewish
population. The three religions get
along quite well in Morocco. In
the market on Friday all MoSlem
shops are closed, on Saturday all
Jewish shops, and on Sunday the
Christians observe their sabbath.
Lie 1IldlH JeWISll lIAuuobIy SCClhSu
to be in shoe repair and metal
craftsmanship, their work being
done sometimes in a little stall
or in the shade of the old city
wall.
Rosh Hashonah was spent with
the Zrihen family and it was more
or less the same as in Phoenix
Actually the country Is quite like
Phoenix, the climate, the land;
they have date palms, oranges
tamarisks, adobe construction, and
prickly pear cactus. The family
consisted of two sons, one of whom
had invited me; two daughters my
age, who referred to me as AL i
American and took great pride il
introducing me to their friends
We spent many hours in groups
while they fired questions at me
on every conceivable subject or
American-Jewish life.
HAD UNTIL Oct. 3 and wanted
to see more. so set as my mex
destination the Sahara Desert. M.