Jewish Agency pays tribute to Egoz ship passengers on Remembrance Day
Some 44 Jews died aboard the Egoz, which tragically sunk in 1961 during a covert mission to rescue Moroccan Jews and bring them to Israel
By ALAN ROSENBAUMJewish Agency Chairman of the Executive Isaac Herzog and Gila Gutman Azulay, who lost the majority of her family on the Egoz, light a torch to commemorate the victims and the men and women who died defending Israel.(photo credit: JEWISH AGENCY)
The Jewish Agency for Israel’s annual Yom Hazikaron ceremony held on Wednesday morning honored a tragic event in Jewish history, as well as fallen soldiers, terror victims, and those who were injured or killed in antisemitic attacks.In 1961, during a secret mission intended to bring Jewish Moroccan immigrants to Israel, the Egoz ship sank, resulting in the loss of 44 people.Among those on board the ship were 43 immigrants, half of whom were children, in addition to Mossad operative Haim Tzarfati z”l. Authorities were able to locate 22 bodies, which were then buried in a Jewish cemetery, but the rest were lost at sea. In 1992, the bodies were moved to Jerusalem’s Mt. Herzl, where they were given a ceremonial burial.“Our hearts are heavy with grief for every man, woman, and child who died simply because they dared to be part of the miracle that is Israel. Today, we unite behind and honor their individual stories. We especially remember those tales of hardship and sacrifice in order to become Israeli,” said Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive Isaac Herzog. “In that vein, we pay tribute to the victims of the Egoz ship and Haim Tzarfati. They set sail from Morocco on a stormy winter night 60 years ago and never reached their destination. Forty-four people lost at sea – children, women, men - Jews whose only desire was to start a new life in the Land of Israel. The ship sank but did not drown the longing for Zion.”Chairman Herzog and Gila Gutman Azulay - who lost the majority of her family on the ship - both lit a torch to commemorate the victims and the men and women who died defending Israel.“The tragedy of the drowning of the Egoz ship is a national and a personal tragedy. At home in Casablanca, I was always given the feeling that life in Morocco was temporary. We all longed for the Land of Israel, and it was our soul’s desire,” Azulay remarked. “My sister Penny and I joined a local underground organized group of children set to immigrate to Israel and were told that the rest of our families would join us later. We did not say goodbye to my mother and my siblings. I couldn’t have imagined that we’d never see them again. A few days later, my mother and five brothers and sisters perished in the disaster.”The memorial event was organized by The Jewish Agency, with the participation of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Keren Hayesod, Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the Jewish Federations of Canada (JFC).As the ceremony also commemorated those who perished in terror and antisemitic attacks, a memorial wall of all the victims from around the world was unveiled. According to data from The Jewish Agency, since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, 200 Jews were killed in antisemitic incidents and terror attacks worldwide.
