Colette Aboulker Muscat

In her book of memoirs, For the love of you (Pour l’amour de vous) her young cousin, Gillda (Ginette) Karsenty, describes Colette’s relation to her family as the relation of "a responsible landlord, full of energy and authority but also charm and generosity". She also describes the bravery and the inflexible integrity of this whole family in matters of morality and patriotism.

Algeria had been not only colonized but declared "part of the French soil" in the 1840’s. The Jews of Algeria had welcomed and helped the French, acting as translators and diplomats. In 1870, the Cremieux Decree had given them the French nationality with full civil rights. That created inner conflicts. On the one hand, Muslims felt shocked and jealous: the Jewish dhimmis (non-Muslims) they had condescendingly used, protected or mistreated for centuries according to the mood of their leaders (some Jews were vizirs, potent for a while but decapitated at a whim, some were slaves, a few were very rich but had to finance sultans’ wars and pleasures, most were very poor and lived in fear) escaped their whims and attained permanent social and political prominence over them thanks to the foreign power. The French colonists on the other hand, were often anti-Semites and enraged to see that Jews were better educated than they. As for the Jews, they responded with enthusiasm to the French occupation, fell in love with the French language and culture and became passionate patriots. Some of them retained their own religion and traditions, including a mystical and sentimental type of Zionism (when and if the Messiah comes. ). Many became assimilated and modernized. In Colette’s memoirs, we can see how her grandmother, proud of the family ancestors, is keeping the many religious and mystical traditions, while some of her uncles and her father himself, become unbelievers, make patriotism their religion and France their idol. All engaged in WWI, all behaved like heroes and, back home, had to face a situation of incessantly growing anti-Semitism until WW II.

Colette’s father, Henri Samuel Aboulker (1876-1957), professor of medicine, a famous specialist of neurosurgery and head of Algerian Jewry, founded and presided the Algerian Zionist Federation and directed the Jewish Algerian Committee for Social Studies as well as an Association of Monotheistic Creeds which aimed at uniting Jews, Muslims and Christians to fight anti-Semitism.

The part played by the family during WW II is impressive.

While France was occupied by the Germans and Marechal Petain’s government, settled at Vichy’s thermal spa in the South of France, collaborated with the invaders, racial laws were promulgated against the Jews, in North Africa as well as in France, expelling the Jewish children from schools and universities, Jewish doctors from hospitals, Jewish officials, clerks and teachers from all government offices and of course abrogating the Cremieux Decree (1940). The Jews of Algeria organized private schools, private hospitals, private administration and feared to be sent to concentration camps in Germany. The French colonists were triumphant but the Muslims declined to collaborate with denunciations and other abuse against the Jews. In November 1942, one of the spiritual leaders of the Algerian Muslim community wrote to Dr Loufrani from the Jewish community: "By putting Jews in a position of inferiority, they only succeeded to make them closer to Moslems. They thought Moslems would rejoice from the abrogation of the Cremieux Decree. Instead, Moslems felt that a citizenship that could be taken away, after having been valid for seventy years, by the very same people who had bestowed it, was doubtful indeed."

During an interview done by Jean Laloum on January 13^th 1986, Jose Aboulker described the behaviour of the Moslem Algerians thus: "They didn’t take part in the war. It wasn’t their war. With the Jews, they were perfectly all right. Not only did they refuse to participate in the anti-Jewish abuse the Germans and the Vichy government tried to push them to do, but, while the colonists were fighting over the Jewish possessions, they even resisted the temptation to buy them at low price and make huge profits. The instructions were given in the mosques: the Jews are going through hard times, they are our brothers."

On the contrary, a massive majority of Jews entered the Resistance, more as French patriots than as persecuted Jews: "In London, we were, first of all, French Resistance fighters. As French people, we were against anti-Semitic laws."  This attitude of most French Jews in the Resistance (Rene Cassin, the jurist of De Gaulle’s Free French Forces in London is the best example) was shared by the Algerian Jews: "It was Vichy that made a distinction between Jews and non-Jews. I counted the fighters. I didn’t recruit according to origins. Those categories belonged to the enemy" says Jose Aboulker, Colette’s brother. Their main motivation was the love and veneration they felt for France as their country and the birthplace of human rights.

Colette’s father became the head of the wartime Resistance. As such, he secretly collaborated with the Allies to assist the American landing in Algiers in Nov.7-8 1942 (operation TORCH). His son José (born 1920), later a professor of neurosurgery in Paris, was the leader of the Resistance forces which neutralized Algiers for thirty five hours –a mere four hundred very young men with few weapons against the fifteen thousand well trained and well equipped French soldiers of the Vichy forces- while the Americans landed in the country. This movement was mainly the work of Jews and its leaders were recruited almost entirely among members of the family and relatives. Among them were Raphael and Stephane Aboulker (Henri Aboulker’s brother and nephew) Roger and Pierre Carcassonne (their cousins, who leaded and financed the insurrection in Oran) Jean Dreyfus, Jean Gozlan, Roger Jais and Bernard Karsenty (Colette’s cousin on her mother’s side) who, later, joined General De Gaulle and the Free French Forces in London together with José Aboulker and Pierre and Roger Carcassonne. Gaby Karsenty (his brother) who was active in the Resistance in the South of France, was eventually captured by the Germans, tortured and sent to Aushwitz.

Gillda-Ginette Karsenty, Gaby and Bernard’s sister and Colette’s young cousin, in her book of memoirs quoted above, tells the story of the first meeting between the local Resistance leaders and eight American and English officers (five Americans and three Englishmen), among whom General Clarke and General Lemnitzer, which took place at night in an isolated farm not far from Cherchell beach:  

"The American submarine arrived at One A.M. Four kayaks transported the officers to the shore and the meeting started. But the Vichy Police and the coastguards had noticed something strange and prepared to encircle the farm. Warned on time, our friends try to see their guests back on the submarine. But the sea is too rough to use the kayaks. Bernard and two other friends undress, enter the water and try to pull a kayak and hold it firmly. They have to fight against the waves that are throwing the kayak back to the beach with overwhelming strength. Colonel Holmes tries to swim to the kayak but has to abandon. They decide to go back to the farm. The eight representatives of the English and American governments have to hide in a cellar, which General Clarke doesn’t appreciate at all! Meanwhile, bottles of whisky, packs of cigarettes and playing cards are scattered on the tables. When the Police chief comes, he is told that the American consuls and the Youth camp leaders are having a party. The Police officers don’t insist."

Paradoxically, after the victory of the Allies in Algeria, General Giraud, who had been put in place by the Americans, instead of De Gaulle, together with Governor Yves Châtel, and with the complicity of the local diplomatic representative of the U.S.A., Robert Murphy, took new measures against the Jews, including the establishment of detention camps and it took the personal intervention of President Roosevelt to re-establish the Cremieux Decree on October 20^th 1943.

At the end of December 1942, Admiral Darlan, a staunch Petainist who supported the collaboration with the Germans, was assassinated. Seventeen Gaullists, among whom Dr Henri Aboulker himself and his son José, were immediately arrested and sent to the camp of Laghouat, at the border of the desert. Dr Aboulker wasn’t even given the time to put on the orthopedic appliance he had to wear on his ankle to be able to walk since he had been wounded during WWI. They stayed there two months in very bad conditions and had to sleep on straw. They were given almost no food. Some Berbers that Dr Aboulker had once treated free of charge brought them food and water, saving them from starving.

"They probably wouldn’t have survived if Colette Aboulker and Bernard Karsenty who, by chance, hadn’t been arrested, didn’t alert journalists from the Allied Forces and the American colonel Edmund Taylor, from the Psychology department. Taylor called Robert Murphy on the phone and told him: 'We cannot let the most faithful participants of the TORCH operation be arrested under a made-up pretext'. After reflection, Murphy said he regretted he couldn’t interfere in this specifically French affair involving only French people. Colette said that, one day she knocked at Murphy’s door and told him: 'I have come to give you back your umbrella and your hat that you forgot at our place on November 8^th. You, in exchange, give me back my men!' In the meantime, the Anglo-American press campaign started to produce some effect. The men were finally released in February 1943. Once liberated, José Aboulker went to London. He had written down in Algiers, a detailed report about November 8^th and he immediately handed it over to General De Gaulle upon his arrival. The General, recognizing his superb qualities, sent him for a mission into occupied France. There again, José played an important role in the liberation of France."

Only in 1943, did General De Gaulle arrive in Algiers where he presided, together with General Giraud, the French Committee of National Liberation. Later on, Giraud abdicated in favor of De Gaulle. In 1944, Algiers became the center of the temporary Government of the French Republic until France was completely liberated from the German invaders and De Gaulle Government could sit in Paris. However, it is only in 1947 that equality for all (Jews, Muslims and French colonists) was proclaimed in Algeria.

Colette, who had, from the start, actively participated with her father and her brother to every stage of the planning of the insurrection, used to recall the day when the Police came to search the house. It was full to burst with weapons and ammunition, which would have entailed immediate capital execution for her father, her brother and herself had they discovered it, as well as certain very compromising list of names! Thanks to her cool attitude – she was knitting, her small children next to her, her young son succeeding even to hide the list in his pants, and it seemed they were hypnotized- the searchers didn’t find a thing. "The Martial law is in effect. Each child is flanked by two men holding a grenade and a revolver. Each child knows where the arms and ammunition are hidden. I hold the children’s gaze with mine. They are silent and will stay so. The men threaten me again: Tell us where the weapons and ammunition are or the children will go up in smoke! I keep on looking at the children saying nothing. I see the eyes of the children becoming light – becoming my father’s eyes. The children are my father, nothing can happen. I say nothing. The room is so full of love and faith that the soldiers who feel that something will happen to themselves, are relieved when someone comes and orders them to leave." [Colette Aboulker-Muscat: "Tales of Resurrection: The night of the long knives"]

Colette had spent a great part of her youth working with her father as his assistant. She studied therefore all the aspects of neurology. During those years, she invented imaginal techniques, which were an integral part of her North African [Jewish kabbalistic] heritage. After having graduated in psychology, sociology, philosophy and physiology and studied with Professor Desoille in Paris a special method of therapy called psychosynthesis, she developed her own "waking dream" method which is been studied and applied in two institutes in New-York and which she used to teach in Jerusalem from 1954 till her last days. During WWII, she applied her method in the largest army hospital in Algeria as well as in France, effecting cures with wounded soldiers who were near death and given up for lost by the doctors. She helped others to die peacefully. She also worked successfully with fighter pilots in a special hospital set for them in Pau (southern France) She treated people who wanted to commit suicide and saved thus a great number of lives. [Note: After Gitta Amipaz-Silber: "La resistance juive en Algerie 1940-1942" (The French Resistance in Algeria) and "Tales of Resurrection" by Colette Aboulker.]

After the war, Colette was awarded the Croix de Guerre (a high military decoration) while Jose her brother and Roger Carcassonne were made Compagnons de la Liberation, which is the highest award, founded by Charles De Gaulle and limited to a very small number of selected patriots and heroes of WWII.

Colette receiving the "War Cross" decoration in Algiers in 1948.
This was a high form of decoration. 
The importance of resistance in Algiers was recognized only three years after the war has ended.

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Posted by Francoise Coriat on Mar 12, 2005

Francoise is a theatre designer and translator. She came to Israel in 1967 and has been living in Jerusalem since 1969. She was born in Gibraltar on her parents' way to England during WWII. She was educated in France (Paris) and has been to England several times. She met Colette in 1970 and followed a number of her seminars. She has a little shop-studio in the center of town where she rents, sells and designs theatre costumes and props as well as bridal dresses. 

Tel: (02) 622-3014, "Artishop", Rechov Ezrat Israel 4 
(off Rechov Jaffa 60, near the Jaffa and Strauss-King George junction). 
She can be reached via francoise@012.net.il