Egoz (ship)
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Egoz (Hebrew: אֱגוֹז hazelnut; originally named Pisces) was a ship that carried Jewish emigrants from Morocco to Israel, at a time when the immigration of Moroccan Jews to Israel was illegal under Moroccan law. The ship operated undercover, and gained fame after sinking on 10 January 1961, which resulted in the loss of 46 lives, 44 of them immigrants.
Sinking
The Egoz, originally named Pisces, had been used by the British marine in World War II, and had been leased in 1960 by the Mossad. It transported 334 Jews out of Morocco within a three-month span, smuggling on each of its journeys between 40 and 50 Jews from Morocco to Gibraltar, from where they would continue to Israel.[1]
On January 10, 1961, on its 13th voyage, the Egoz set sail from the northern Moroccan coast with 43 Moroccan Jewish emigrants from 10 families on board. There were also 4 Spanish crew members and one Israeli, Haim Sarfati, born in
Aftermath
The tragedy had an international echo and Golda Meir, Foreign Minister of Israel, declared that the Moroccan authorities bore the brunt of the blame for the ship's sinking. However, a report by the Israeli authorities made public in 1993 established that "a series of operational malfunctions caused the sinking of the ship", including a communications problem with the monitoring station in Paris.[3]
The sinking of the Egoz (which in Morocco is mainly referred to as the Pisces) was seen as a turning point in the long-running negotiations between the Israeli government and the Moroccan government in order to allow the organized emigration of Moroccan Jews to Israel. After the accession of Hassan II of Morocco on 26 February 1961, it became possible to reach an agreement, through the mediation of the HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), an American Jewish organization, sanctioning the departure of the Jews of Morocco under certain conditions, including the payment of a fee, and a commitment to take a route that passed through a third country. In the framework of this agreement, by 1964, 80,000 Moroccan Jews left Morocco in Operation Yachin; most of them emigrated to Israel.
In December 1992, King Hassan allowed the restitution of the remains of the drowned passengers of the Egoz, which were reburied on
Even though the ship sank long after the
Restitution of the victims
The efforts to bring the remains to Israel
Between the years 1983–1992,
One such incident occurred in 1986, after Ben-Shitrit, along with two representatives from the
To increase the pressure on the King, Ben-Shitrit appealed to various personalities from Israel and around the world, including UN Secretary
The King of Morocco agreed to requests by former Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir after Ben-Shitrit presented another request by Yitzhak Rabin in September 1992. In Rabin's letter to Hassan II he stressed that this is a request, on behalf of the bereaved families, whose motivations were religious and humanitarian and would also contribute to the peace process being devised in the Middle East.
Operation Ayelet HaShahar
In 1992, King Hassan II of Morocco sanctioned the restitution of the remains of the Egoz and the date was set for November 29, 1992. In a secret operation called Ayelet Hashahar the remains were flown to Israel for burial.
As the plane landed in Israel with the remains of the illegal immigrants, major networks ran headlines in the written and electronic news reporting the tragic story of the Egoz.
National burial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem
The Israel Defense Forces, the Military Rabbinate and the Information Center conducted the national ceremony for the interment of the remains according to a pre-existing plan. The President, the Prime Minister and his ministers, the Chief Rabbis of Israel, judges from the Supreme Court, a delegation of dignitaries from Morocco and a large number of Israelis attended the memorial services and funeral at Mount Herzl. The Knesset held a special meeting which opened with warm words of gratitude to King Hassan by the Prime Minister.
The immigrants aboard the Egoz were finally put to rest in peace in a special plot for immigrants on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The memorial is inscribed with a Hebrew Bible verse from Psalm 69:15b: "Do not let the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me."
Popular culture
This tragedy inspired
See also
References
- ^ "This Week in Haaretz: 1961 / The Egoz Sinks, Killing Moroccan Jewish Immigrants to Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
- ^ "L'HISTOIRE DU BATEAU EGOZ "PISCES"". Dafina. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
- ^ "This Week in Haaretz: 1961 / The Egoz Sinks, Killing Moroccan Jewish Immigrants to Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
Sources
- Hazan, Haim; Hertzog, Esther (2012). Serendipity in Anthropological Research: The Nomadic Turn. Ashgate Publishing. p. 296.
- Simon, Reeva S.; Laskier, Michael M.; Reguer, Sara (2003). The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in Modern Times. Columbia University Press. p. 501.
- Black, Ian; Morris, Benny (1991). Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services. Grove Press. p. 174.
External links