“Azar was a Jewish porter, so neither French nor Arabs would ever use his services;  his livelihood depended solely on the goodwill of his brother Jews. Azar was one of many Jews who found the transition from the village to the ‘city’ a trauma, since none of their ‘country’ skills were of use in Essaouira. They were obliged to take any job or invent a service just to meet their daily needs.  Azar did our Shabbat shopping,  knowing exactly what to buy and when to deliver it. He was young but looked old and poor, very muscular and possessed a wealth of oral knowledge. Like most Jews, he knew most of the prayers by heart and would, when the opportunity presented itself, hold his own in HALACHA* and liturgical matters.  To supplement his income, he would give children rides in his cart if their destinations were on his delivery route.”

* Code of law governing Jewish life.

– Raphael Bouganim

Size: 27″ x 21″, Medium: oil on canvas