Samuel-Daniel Lévy (4 December 1874, Tetuan–1970,

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

) was an activist, organizer, and leading advocate of

Zionism in Morocco Organized Zionism, the 19th century ethnocultural nationalist movement to establish a Jewish state through the colonization of Palestine, came to Morocco from Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. During the period of French and Spanis ...

. He held British citizenship.Nacik, Lhaj Mohamed
"'Bulletin de renseignements sur la colonie juive du Maroc et sur le mouvement sioniste. Le 31 Janvier 1948,”(Document inédit)."
''Hespéris-Tamuda'' 58, no. 1 (2023): 273-354.

Biography

Levy was born to a

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

family in Tetuan in 1874 and studied at that city's school of the (AIU). He was chosen by Abraham Ribbi, director of the school in Tetuan, to attend the ' in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He graduated in 1893 and became schoolmaster in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

. He later moved to

Sousse Sousse, Sūsah , or Soussa (, ), is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which ...

and

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

. He was made director of the school in

(1900–1902), where he established a school for girls. He moved to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and directed

Jewish Colonisation Association The Jewish Colonisation Association (JCA or ICA; ) was an organisation created on September 11, 1891, by Baron Maurice de Hirsch. Its aim was to facilitate the mass emigration of Jews from Russia and other Eastern European countries, by settling ...

schools in the province of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He returned to Casablanca in 1913 and engaged in work for the Jewish communities in Morocco. His work was supported by international Jewish organizations including the

Organization for Rehabilitation through Training ORT (), also known as the Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training, is a global education network driven by Jewish values. It promotes education and training in communities worldwide. Its activities throughout its history have spanned mor ...

(ORT), the , and the

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Advert Where and how does this article resemble an WP:SOAP, advert and how should it be improved? See: Wikipedia:Spam (you might trthe Teahouseif you have questions). American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a J ...

. He visited

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

in 1935 and returned with renewed commitment to Zionism. He led a number of initiatives, such as the establishment of the Sanatorium Israélite Ben Ahmed, a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

dedicated to Jewish patients in

Ben Ahmed Ben Ahmed (Moroccan Arabic: بن أحمد) is a city in Settat Province, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea ...

, and a program to systematically diagnose

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. He also established a number of Zionist and Jewish philanthropic associations and local branches of foreign associations, including Société Maghen David, ORT Maroc, and OSE Maroc.

Zionism

Samuel-Daniel Lévy is considered the leading advocate of Zionism in Morocco. He was committed to Zionism early on, already a member of several Zionist cells by 1913. He established Zionist branches in all of the main cities in Morocco and propagated Theodor Herzl's ideology through a network of synagogues, through cultural associations (especially the Société Maghen David), and through publications (especially ''

L'Avenir Illustré ''L’Avenir Illustré'' was a francophone Jewish periodical published in Casablanca, Morocco, from 1926 to 1940 that disseminated Zionism, Zionist ideology and propaganda. Its targeted readership was primarily the Westernized urban Jewish elit ...

''). He facilitated collecting the Zionist ''shekel'' and helped fundraise for the

Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

and

Keren Hayesod Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal (, literally "The Foundation Fund") is an official fundraising organization for Israel with branches in 45 countries. Its work is carried out in accordance with the Keren haYesod Law-5716, passed by the Kne ...

. He also organized visits from rabbis and lectures from speakers from Palestine and other places. He visited

in 1935 and returned with renewed commitment to Zionism. He was further inspired by the election of the pro-Zionist

Léon Blum André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister of France. As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of socialist l ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of France in 1936.

Views

The historian Mohammed Kenbib notes that "he took tremendous pride in the contribution of Jews, and especially of Sephardic Jews, to world civilization." In a speech to the AIU alumni association in Tangier in 1896, Lévy told the audience that Jewish intellectual superiority was a source of jealousy for Christians and Muslims. At the 1944

World Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, he expressed gratitude to France for its . On his Zionism, Kenbib notes that "Lévy felt that the Jewish dimension of Moroccan history represented an uninterrupted pattern of oppression, marginalization, and suffering, and that the Arabs had to be expelled by force from the Holy Land."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Samuel-Daniel 1874 births 1970 deaths People from Tétouan Jews and Judaism in Tétouan Zionism in Morocco 19th-century Sephardi Jews 20th-century Sephardi Jews 19th-century Moroccan Jews 20th-century Moroccan Jews Moroccan Sephardi Jews Zionist activists