Jewish communities on two continents are mourning the murder of a young couple killed in the Marrakesh explosion Thursday morning.
Messod Wizman, 32, and his wife, Michal (Zekry), 30 lived in Shanghai, China, but were in Casablanca over the Passover holiday where Messod’s parents live. On Thursday, the couple visited Marrakesh and stepped into a popular café frequented by tourists in the city’s main square when a bomb exploded, killing 15 and injuring 20. Authorities are regarding it a terrorist attack.
“The Jewish community in Casablanca is very tight-knit,” Morocco’s Chabad representative told lubavitch.com. “The whole community came to the Wizman home in Casablanca this morning to cry with the parents over this terrible tragedy.” Messod and Michal’s three-year old son, David Yosef, was with his grandparents at the time of the bombing.
On the other side of the globe, in Shanghai, China, Rabbi Sholom Greenberg is devastated. The Wizmans were “close, personal friends of ours, and a treasured part of our community,” the Chabad representive to Shanghai said.
“We lost very precious people. The entire community is in shock. Messod and Michal were very special and beautiful people with the kindest of hearts and purest of souls. They were a sincere young couple with an open home.”
Greenberg told lubavitch.com that David Yosef is “a treasured student in our Shanghai Gan Preschool. He was the light of his parents’ life.” His mother was on the parents’ school committee, “and loved giving of her talent and time” to the community.
Messod regularly attended Chabad Torah study classes “despite his demanding business schedule, and supported our programming and fundraising. They always participated in our events and activities and were part of our extended Shanghai family” said Rabbi Greenberg.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has ordered an immediate investigation into the bombing, charging authorities to “be scrupulous in revealing the truth,” of their findings.
Although recent unrest in the country sparked by Muslim extremists leaves many worried, the King enjoys widespread popularity and has promised to accelerate reforms in his country, which is already more politically open and economically liberal country than most Arab countries in the region.
There are roughly 5000 Jews in Morocco, with the large majority living in Casablanca. Messod’s parents have been involved with the Chabad community there for many years, said Morocco’s Chabad representatives, in New York at the time of the bombing. On Thursday evening they escorted two of Messod’s sisters at JFK, as they boarded flights from New York to Casablanca, to be with their parents.
The King, who continues a long tradition of warm relations with his country’s Jewish citizens, has reportedly arranged for a charter flight to fly family members from Morocco to Israel, where the young couple will be laid to rest on Monday.
vous allez trop nous manquer , a chaque moment , viiiitttte mashiah pour qu on assiste ensemble aux semahot.
On vous aime tellement.
Famille R.E
Vivement Mashiah pour qu’on puisse les revoir au plus vite!
Je vous aime tellement!
Deborah.W
sommes tres peines de ce drame et partageons votre souffrance que D.vous donne lecourage etla force pour supporter cette épreuve et qu’ils vous protège .
famille Suissa
partageons avec vous la souffrance due a cette per te incommensurable, que hachem vous vienne en aide pour apaiser votre douleur et qu’ils reposent en paix
MASHIAH NOWWWWW
I think thatTThe Wisman family is a wonderfull one . We always had only admiration for thier discretion and kindness with everyone. I grew up in Moroco and i remember the family Marciano as well of the family Wizeman. My sister is and brother in law are very close to them in fact David wizman is his wonderfull cousin. We are so hurt for the pain they are going threw and we hope that hashem help them overcome this tragedy by giving them Nahat from the other members of family and their grand son David Yossef” Much Nahat from the… Read more »
“elluh shebchol dor vador omdim aleinu l’chalosaynu…” the jews of moroc are treated well because this is part of a tzava’ah the king received from his father, not because of tzadikim of yore. then,of course, there are the economic successes that a sizable jewish population usually manifest, leading to envy and hate. what else is new?p.s.to commenter #1: i imagine the cafe was frequented by a good number of jews, so who knows if that wasn’t a factor in the terrorists’ choice of target.
why do bad things happen to good people as this?
please take upon youself to learn for there shus.
Quel drame !
Nous prions hachen de donner le courage a la famille et garder leurs foies pour surmonter cette catastrophe facilement
baroukh dayane haemet
Jbe
so many deaths near the time or on pesach my grandmother, the father of 4 who i used to babysit, another old lady, a young grandfather, ad mosai moshiach now
We need Mosiach now! wy isnt he here !? we are all suffering so much!! MOSHIACH NOW!!
you seem so sure about you,r statement let me just tell you 1 thing most muslims hate jews including moroccans if jews still leave in peace there is mainly because of the jewish history in that country where many tsadikim from whom many miracles have forced the local musilms to treat their jewish citizens with respect , i happenned to be there in casablanca not too long ago with other friends of mine and we were thrown stones …
Toute la communauté du Maroc et le peuple juif est en deuil
ceux sont des martyres et nous les pleurons et nous les oublirons jamais
famille Benichou Casablanca
yes they are… baruh dayan haemet!
Michal, I will definitely miss you very much! Bless your son david and ask for Machiah NOW!!! I miss u so much already!
they were very nice people, and always when you saw them they had a smile on their face.
yes michal and mesod left david with his aunt and uncle. he’s been with them for pesach and he feels like he’s a part of their family. of course he’ll be told of what happened to his parents when he’s a bit older. if you’re wondering how i know all this, i’m Rabbi Shalom Greenberg’s oldest daughter.
Messod et michal etaient un couple extraordinaire, nous avons beaucoup de peine et nous esperons que leur parents pourront surmonter cette penible epreuve et que le mochiah vienne maintenant! amen
are they cousins with meguira?
M et Mme Wizman sont des personnes tres estimés dans la communauté Nous sommes tous en deuil avec eux
Que D les aide tous Amen
theyre from montreal
My opinion? I haven’t been able to do anything right since I heard. Messod’s parents and we are such old friends, from even a generation before ours: the Wizmans have always been our very idea of handsomeness, industriousness, kindness, selflessness, solidarity, Ahavat Israel. I pray David and Lydia find the strength to bear this loss! My mother just called me to mention that she remembers the day he was born, and it was the day right after Pessach, and sure enough she was right: I heard he celebrated his birthday the night before the tragedy. May this little David grow… Read more »
2nd Mumbai my first thoughts to me were the Mumbai attack leaving the son with the grand parents. where I lost my dear brother gabi and my sister in law Rivky holtzberg alh” ad mosi
!!! Moshiach now!
the couple are from montreal before living in shanghai 🙁
very sad ……… Moshiach now
I cant believe this is still going on. Please H’ save us! Answer Us, Send the Moshiach speedily in our days!!!!!!!!
GAN EDEN SEND THEM A GOOD WELCOME.
Boruch Dayan Hoemes.
G-d help us. Please.
“I am devastated, and you can’t imagine the state of the family…. They came to marrakech for the day and left their son w/ deborahs parents.
May Hashem protect us and give this family a lot of strength”
# 1 get a life.
They both have a neshama, like Rivki & Gavriel.and they left a baby behind.Moshiach now.
Their son was not with them, as is mentioned in the article, and yes, Michal was pregnant :((((
We are shocked and numbed, and tearfully promise never to forget these two beautiful people.
the same resulting tragedy:
a child of three yrs. left without both parents!
vhokitzu vranenu and they should already awaken !
there kidd is adorible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!what happend to him???
Messod’s sister, Deborah Wisman-Torjeman, is our good friend and former babysitter (when she attended Stern College near our Midtown home). Deborah and her husband live in Manhattan with THIER little boy. They are a lovely family and my heart breaks for them.
This comment from another one of our former Stern college/Moroccan babysitters, Ilana Torgeman-Ohayon:
“I’m in marrakech, we r devastated it is deborah wizman’s brother and pregnant wife… This has been such a blow for the community . I am heartbroken “
As a young jew who was born in Marrakesh, I lost in this terrorist attack, my best friends. Messod was a model of gentleman who has always inspired others to live a good and honnest life. Morocco is not a safe place for jews anymore.
There’s some reports in Canada that the couple lived in Montreal?
its also important to mention that a jew in a muslim country taking more risk then in any other free country ..
Morocco KINGS have always been good to jews jews..yes we agree..
but dont ever forget that he has a population that over 50 % are totally against jews ..never forget…
this the reason why only 2500 jews are in morocco when we where 400 000
may hachem give nahat to the parents and accept
this young couple in GAN EDEN AMEN VE AMEN
THIS IS INSANE!!!!!!!!!!! MOSHIACH NOW!!!!!!!!!!!
PS was David spared?
we need moshiach now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hashem yishmor!! we need moshiach now, cannot take it any longer!!!!!!
It’s important to mention that they were among the victims of this terrorist attack but not the targets, because every time there is a Jew murdered, people conclude that it was antisemitic or a clear target. What happened in Morocco is not to be compared with Mumbai where Jews WERE explicitely targeted. Morocco is different and are very warm and sensitive toward ttheir fellow Jewish citizen