Jewish Moroccan man shot dead in Casablanca

MSNBC ^ | 09/11/03 | Reuters

[DanDan]

Jewish Moroccan man shot dead in Casablanca

RABAT, Sept. 11 — Two hooded gunmen shot dead a Jewish Moroccan man in a busy commercial quarter of Casablanca on Thursday, the official MAP news agency said. ''This is the first attack of its kind in Morocco'' targeting a Jewish individual, Serge Berdugo, head of the Moroccan Israelite Community association, told Reuters.

The victim was closing his wood wholesale shop at around 12:45 p.m. (1245 GMT) when he was attacked by the balaclava-clad men and killed by automatic pistol fire, MAP said. Witnesses said members of the public pursued the attackers, who ordered a passing driver out of his car and drove off in it, the agency said. MAP did not identify the victim, but sources in the city's Jewish community named him as 55-year-old Albert Rebibo. A Jewish social club, empty at the time, was among five targets in Casablanca hit by Islamist extremist suicide bombers on May 16. No Jews died or were injured in the bombings, which killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers. Until the 1950s, Morocco was home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world. Moroccan Jews now total less than 5,000, after a massive exodus to Israel. Some 700,000 Israelis are believed to be of Moroccan descent.

[DanDan]

Please note the time of the killing on September 11th...

Going to the burial at 3pm local time tomorrow.

Starting to get hot here.

[TopQuark]

Witnesses said members of the public pursued the attackers,

If so, that society is still relatively healthy. A courageous and decent thing to do.

I do not know much about that country, but the late King Hassan always called himself "King of all religious," emphasizing his tolerance. I do not recal Jews being persectuted in that country.

[miltonim]

Kill one Jew, scare one-thousand Jews away. That way they will have the country all for themselves.

[DanDan]

The moroccan society has been, in general, very tolerant. Which makes such a killing very disturbing for the local jewish community, following the bombings of May 16th.

The killing happened to the minute 2 years after 09/11, leaving little doubt about the motives.

[BlazingArizona]

"Time to round up the usual suspects!"

[B-Chan]

“My dear Mademoiselle, perhaps you have already observed that in Casablanca, human life is cheap.” - Maj. Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt), Casablanca, 1942

Once again, life imitates art.

Sometimes it's a sad, old world.

[DanDan]

Just in, not on any english speaking site yet:
A 75 year old jewish man has been stabbed to death in Meknes, on his way home from the synagogue.

[DanDan]

Just in, not on any english speaking site yet:
A 75 year old jewish man has been stabbed to death in Meknes, on his way home from the synagogue.

[TopQuark]

has been stabbed to death in Meknes, on his way home from the synagogue. If the cancer is not cut out, it spreads even into societies that were previously healthy.