Helen Cazès ben Attar: Portrait of an Unknown Holocaust
Heroine
Helen Cazès ben Attar, a Jewish attorney in Casablanca,
managed to help as many as 60,000 refugees.
By David Lev
First Publish: 4/19/2012, 10:38 AM
Auschwitz
Israel news photo: Flash 90
One of the lesser-known stories of rescue and hope during
the Holocaust centered on the Moroccan city of Casblanca, where tens of
thousands of Jews – perhaps as many as 60,000 - found refuge, and eventual
passage to the U.S. or Israel, all thanks to the actions of one woman. Helen
Cazès ben Attar.
A Jewish attorney in Casablanca, Attar, who was active
with the Red Cross, established and single-handedly ran an organization that
clothed, fed, and housed refugees who managed to make their way to Casablanca,
finding them jobs, and eventually helping them to leave for safer regions.
And the fact that she was able to operate openly in
Morocco – under the control of the Nazi-aligned French Vichy government, which
controlled the country during the war – was nothing less than amazing.
Ben Attar's efforts on behalf of
refugees began in July 1940, when she heard about a ship of refugees, both
Jewish and non-Jewish, that was docked in Casablanca's harbor. Authorities
would not let them disembark, as they had no documentation or family in the
country.
Ben Attar had good relations with many
local officials, and given her activities with the Red Cross, she was asked by
the officials to deal with the refugees. She agreed, quickly arranging housing
and food for them at a local auditorium.
News of the success of the endeavor
made its way to France, and points beyond, and ships with refugees who were
seeking any port that would accept them began making their way to Casablanca –
where Ben Attar made sure they were cared for, without exception. This she did
using her own money, and whatever funds she could raise. At least at the
beginning, Ben Attar received no assistance from organizations working on
behalf of refugees, like the Joint Distribution Committee.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of refugees
daily joined the ranks of those being cared for by Ben Attar's organization. To
make room for new arrivals, Ben Attar arranged for those already in Morocco to
live in cities, towns and villages around the country. Many of the refugees
took jobs as domestics in the homes of wealthier Jews, and lived with the
families they served.
As the needs grew, Ben Attar spent more
time and effort on raising funds, and eventually aid organizations, both Jewish
and non-Jewish, began to contribute. The Vichy government, meanwhile, recognized
Ben Attar's group as the best way to handle the refugee issue, and would often
refer refugees to her.
By the fall of 1940, thousands of
refugees had reached Morocco, and Ben Attar showed no signs of letting up. But
the government, under pressure from the Nazis, began to get nervous, and it
decided to send thousands of refugees, including children, to the equivalent of
concentration camps.
Ben Attar petitioned against the move,
but to no avail – so instead, she did the next best thing: Arranging for work
for as many refugees as possible, so that the government would have less reason
to detain them in concentration camps. Eventually the government relaxed its
attitude, and Ben Attar's group continued to work on behalf of the refugees.
But it was not to last. The Germans got
wind of what was happening, and demanded that the Vichy government put an end
to it. In May 1941, the government demanded from Ben Attar a list of refugees,
and closed the building where she had been housing them, after police arrested two
Jews who had escaped from a concentration camp.
Ben Attar, thanks to her connections,
was able to make a deal, and managed within days to get many undocumented
refugees on ships bound for the U.S., enabling them to avoid detention in
concentration camps in Morocco.
Although her life-saving activities
were curtailed, Ben Attar did what she could throughout the war, helping as
many refugees as possible to stay alive.
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