photo: General Patton, architect of Operation Torch

Hello to all my friends,

this is a chapter in the history of WWII, which is called “Operation Torch”. Its consequences starting in November 1942, were extremely important to the Victory of the allied forces:

-the combined armies of the USA, UK and Commonwealth, Forces Francaises Libres of General de Gaulle -

in 1944 at the beaches of Sicily, Italy and Normandy!

L’operation US nom de code “Torche” a ete l’un des evenements militaires les plus cruciaux de la Deuxieme Guerre Mondiale: Novembre 1942.

Nous allons lui dedier tout un chapitre a cause des ramifications enormes qui en a decoule par la suite et ce jusqu’a la fin des annees 1970 et au dela , lors de la fin de la Guerre Froide!

So it is the consequences of “Operation Torch”, ie: the establishment of very important US Air Force Bases dependant on the US Strategic Air Command throughout the late 1940′s, all the 1950′s, 60′s, 70′s and later years  on Moroccan soil , that we are going to contemplate here and develop.

Barges for the Invasion of Morocco beaches, North Africa  during Operation Torch .

Invasion of American troops  on Morocco beaches ,November 08, 1942.

Year 1933, my dear parents Aaron and Rachel Cohen wedding

Mes Grands-Parents , Chimone et Esther Azencot, mon grand-pere paternel de Rabat Raphael Cohen et mes parents Aaron et Rachel Cohen durant leur mariage a Alcazarquivir en 1933.
Sur la photo en premier plan se trouve ma tante Rabuena, soeur ainee de ma mere et je pense que mon oncle David Azencot, son frere s’y trouve aussi .

My Grand Parents from my mother side:

Shimon and Esther Azencot

from my father side:

Raphael and Renee Cohen

This is a picture with both my grand-parents at my father and mother Aaron and Rachel Cohen wedding in 1933, Morocco

My parents and grand-parents are in the background whereas in the front sit my aunts Tia Rabuena and tia Messody.

Actually my dad was born in French Morocco in the city of Rabat. Back in those days his father cousin arranged a date for my father to meet Messody Azencot in Alcazarquivir , Spanish Morocco.

When the date arrived in the beautiful Spanish garden of Alcazar Messody came with a chaperon who was her younger sister Rachel.

My dad fell in love right away with Rachel and the rest is history..

Elie cohen, montreal

Rabat 1961, Raphael Cohen was helping his young brother in his school projects

Some of Dairac , my brother, help for high school projects!

Raphael Cohen m’aida a mes dessins de travaux pratiques en cours de Geologie, classe de 4eme au Lycee Gouraud de Rabat!

Raphy m’aidait , tout comme grand et responsable frere qu’il etait, a mes devoirs de lycee et ce qui paraissait tres difficile pour moi a accomplir tel que dessiner des roches comme devoirs de travaux pratiques en classe de Geologie et bien pour mon doue de frere ce n’etait que deux , trois coups de crayons de couleur et l’affaire etait reglee et je parvenais a avoir la meilleure note en sus du non-effort de ma part, vraiment un chic type mon frere .Il faut quand meme souligner qu’il avait des prises de conscience au niveau de l’ethique et donc ne m’aidait qu’en cas d’extreme urgence de ma part…

Voici un exemple que j’ai encore conserve precieusement dans mes archives, malgre tous les nombreux voyages que la destinee m’a fait faire.

I was pretty weak in Drawing as exhibited by Jean Gaston Mantel , the great artist, mentor of Dairac and my High Scool teacher

JG Mantel m’avait donne mention Passable en 1961 en classe de Dessin!

Back in in my young years as a College student I happened to be kind of ” blocked” when my artistic skills were required. So having a great artist sharing my room back in my parents Rabat house, needless to say that I begged my older brother to help me in my assignments. Of course Raphael was a man with strong principles and his code of Ethics dictated that I must try first to accomplish my college tasks without any external help..

After watching me for a very long time while he was busy painting in his canvasses  and having some feeling towards me ( plus my promises  for a month of  helping him in various errands ) Raphy did make the sketches for my homework..

It only took him three minutes, I swear!

Here, I was agonising as how to draw rocks for my Geology courses and my beautiful stones in front of me were just sitting there and looking at me!

..Please Raphy help me! I begged him!

..Raphy with three strikes of a pencil did a fantastic job!

So great it was.. that my teacher refused first to release my assignment and after strong questioning I submitted to her that the job was beyond my capacity so my older brother “did in fact help me”!

And so my mark was exceptionally high but it was addressed to ” 18/20 for your brother!”

Anyhow it was great and until today I cherished this book from school!

Here some of those  “helps” from Raphael Cohen

Bien pour votre frere!

Very Good for your Brother, so wrote my teacher in “my projects” back in 1961 during my Science classes of Geology!

J’ai essaye de faire un gros plan de cette oeuvre, peut etre qu’un de mes freres ou soeurs en a herite d’une copie car Raphy etait tres fort en lithos et plein de ses oeuvres ont ete reproduites en moule qui , bien sur, a ete brise apres les quelques exemplaires qu’il a engendres.

Cette composition representait une synthese de la vie, tristement breve il s’avera par la suite, de mon frere Raphy au Maroc , en France et tous ces personnages qui l’ont marque , si c’etait lorsqu’il etait dirigeant de la jeunesse juive de Rabat, alors Ben Gourion et les themes Juifs et Israeliens..les dix commandements,Theodore Herzl l’avaient beaucoup interesse. Ou bien la politique exterieure qui nous a tous influences, De Gaulle et le 18 juin 1940, S.M.Mohammed V et l’Independance du Maroc…

Well,

I am trying to focus on that subject and enlarge it. I am doing so because I do not own that litho! Perhaps one my siblings have it on their walls because I do know my late brother did spread his works all around France, Israel, United States, Canada and also Morocco. So I would not be surprised that some copies of that litho are owned by my sisters. Anyhow one fact is sure, the die, the mold from where numbered copies had been processed is broken! for ever lost due to the fact that Dairac always destroyed them once the amount of lithos were produced and signed by him!

In that composition Raphael did make a synthesis of his brief life, not knowing that he will depart from us so soon!

In it we can see some of the most important people that had an impact on his life and on the Jewish people.

Some examples that can be seen are :

Ben Gurion because Raphael Cohen worked actively and intensively for the building of the new State of Israel by being one of the most outspoken leader of young Jewish men and women in Rabat and Morocco throughout his stay in that country..So we can see in that lithography the popular faces of David Ben Gurion, Theodore Herzl and some Israeli and Jewish themes.

France and its culture and struggle are represented by general de Gaulle and his famous appeal of 18 June 1940 to fight the nazi enemy in France and in her colonies. In that respect we can also discover the face of her majesty the late Mohammed V , king and liberator of modern Morocco, the father of its Independence from colonial rule

Aspects of Raphael Cohen “Dairac” life recorded by his brother,

elie cohen

Mon fils Stephen a droite sur la photo et ma premiere epouse Sheila lors d’une visite de famille chez Raphy a Paris,

Sheila adorait tout ce que Raphy faisait et etait une de ses plus grandes admiratrices.Avec notre enfant Stephen qui lui aussi d’apres Raphy a herite des dons artistiques des Cohen, tous deux etaient en contemplation devant les dernieres oeuvres que Raphy ne s’arretait pas de produire dans son atelier situe au dernier etage de cet immeuble a Paris, la ou il demeurait..pas loin de la butte Montmartre.

Paris May 1985,

my son Stephen with his mother Sheila during a family  visit at my brother’s Raphy house

Sheila always loved Raphael’s compositions and art, therefore she was one of his utmost and fervent admirers.

In this photo our son Stephen who has inherited some of the family artistic talents  contemplate with his mother one  of Dairac’s , his uncle, creations.

His art studio was located above their appartment in Rue de Tretaigne, Paris XVIIIeme arrondissement, not far from La Butte Montmarte and Place du Tertre , where Dairac used to sell some of his paintings..

Une huile par Dairac: “la bataille de Verdun”

Oil by DAIRAC : “The Battle of Verdun”

Raphael Cohen, artist name : DAIRAC

Born February 22 1939 in Rabat  Morocco and passed away, following a tragic accident, a very somber winter day in Paris on the eve of Christmas, the 29 of December 1987.

I was at his side that morning , in the suburbs of Paris inside that ultra modern military hospital for burnt patients.

Raphy lost his battle after three days of fighting against poisonous gas in his arteries and his beautiful soul left us for ever..

Bit his flame, his spirit carries for ever through his magnificent art.

Elie, his kid brother

Raphael Cohen, nom d’artiste Dairac

Ne le 22 Fevrier 1939 a Rabat,Maroc et decede des suites d’un accident le 29 Decembre 1987 a Paris…j’etais a son chevet..a cet hopital de la banlieue parisienne..par cette journee sombre et grise.

elie, son frere

Photo:

Raphael Cohen teaching my sister Georgette and her school friend Judith under the supervision of our great intellectual , my late brother Charles Cohen

Raphael Cohen dit DAIRAC, artiste-peintre

22 Fevrier 1939-  29 Decembre1987

Fils de Aaron et Rachel Cohen, Raphael Cohen est ne a Rabat le 22 Fevrier 1939. Il a ete comme tous les enfants juifs de Rabat a l’ecole de l’AIU et plus tard au lycee Gouraud comme c’etait la tradition dans la famille. Parallelement a cela, il etait scout aux EIM, entre 1952 et 1959. Raphael Cohen fut un artiste precoce. A 14 ans chef de patrouille aux EIM, il publia un livre pour Pourim, l’histoire d’Esther ecrite de sa main en lettres calligraphiees avec des illustrations tellement belles que le livre fut conserve comme  manuscrit pour le mouvement entier. Des la 5eme, son professeur de Dessin J.G.Mantel au lycee Gouraud ,lui meme deja une celebrite a Rabat et ailleurs comme artiste peintre, avait suggere a son pere de lui faire faire les beaux-arts a Rabat, tout a la joie de Raphy qui adorait peindre. C’est ainsi qu’il etudia aux Beaux-arts de Rabat autour des annees 1955. A 18 ans il prepara sa 1ere exposition avec l’aide de Momo Amiel directeur de la tres celebre librairie Les Belles Images, Avenue Mohammed V dans sa fameuse galerie au sous-sol, qu’il avait gracieusement mis a sa disposition. C’etait en 1957, juste apres l’Independance du Maroc et le tout Rabat etait venu au vernissage. Etait present, a part ses amis et dirigeants de la communaute juive R’bati, le premier ministre Balafrej qui d’ailleurs, voulait lui acheter les 2 plus grands tableaux qu’il exposait et qui s’intitulaient: ” L’ Independance ” et ” L’ Espoir “. Balafrej lui avait fait des compliments et lui avait dit comment lui et le Maroc etaient fiers que dans ce jeune Maroc a l’aurore de son Independance, un jeune Marocain pouvait composer de telles œuvres.

Raphael devint ingenieur geometre pour le Cadastre,et evidemment ses releves des terrains des fermes des bleds ou d’ailleurs etaient toujours encadres par leurs proprietaires tant il ne pouvait s’empecher de les enrichir d’une certaine touche artistique. Son salaire lui etait assez confortable, mais vu sa popularite dans les milieux juifs de Rabat, il faisait le design des salons de coiffure, cafes et autres des jeunes commercants juifs, ses amis.

Il obtint dans les annees 1960-62 un contrat exclusif pour tous les prospectus de l’Office National du Tourisme Marocain : design, dessins, cartes. Il fit le design de nombreuses affiches dont la Reunion Philatelique Internationale a Rabat. Il fut aussi tres actif au sein de la communaute juive de Rabat: president du DEJJ, responsable pour la jeunesse juive de Rabat, createur-fondateur d’un magazine mensuel de la communaute juive de Rabat, createur avec ses amis de la Coupe de Football HAYOT,pour commemorer cet excellent joueur juif marocain decede tres tot.

Sa fiancee, Arlette Levy de Rabat etait partie en 1961 a Nancy pour continuer ses etudes en pharmacie. En 1962 ils se marierent dans les locaux de l’AIU de Rabat et partirent de suite pour Nancy. Il y trouva un emploi en tant que geometre mais continua toujours sa peinture. Il participa a plusieurs expositions : La Forge…

Apres que sa femme eu termine ses etudes, ils allerent vivre a Paris, ou il trouva un emploi comme chef dessinateur des guides Michelin. Puis sa femme acheta sa 1ere pharmacie. Quant a lui il quitta Michelin et se mis a son compte, s’occupa de la pharmacie et continua a peindre enormement. Il eut quelque succes.

Au debut des annees 1980, un proprietaire d’une galerie a Paris qui aimait beaucoup sa peinture lui demanda de changer son nom d’artiste et ses themes bibliques et de se concentrer sur des sujets moins “juifs” car sa clientele en majeure partie etait d’Arabie Seoudite. Il abdiqua et Raphael Cohen devint DAIRAC: les initiales de sa famille D=Daniel (son fils) A=Annie (sa fille ainee) I=Isabelle (sa fille cadette) R=Raphael (son prenom) C= Cohen (son nom de famille).

Il fit plusieurs expos a Paris, Bruxelles, en Espagne.

En 1985, il essaya de faire carriere au Canada et aux USA, mais pour des raisons personnelles il retourna a Paris.

Debut 1987 il se separa de sa femme. Il continua a peindre, et formula son desir d’aller s’etablir a Jerusalem et d’y amener toutes ses peintures apres son divorce. Sa mort tragique a l’age de 48 ans a la suite d’un incendie mit fin a sa carriere. Il fut enterre a Jerusalem . En 1988, il avait laisse derriere lui plus de 3000 oeuvres dont enormement d’huiles, gouaches, lithos, dessins, collages etc… Sont œuvre etait tres  marquée  par l influence de l’ecole de paris. Ses themes de predilection etaient les themes bibliques, les juifs marocains de l’epoque, et des sujets tres complexes par leur ampleur tels le” monde juif dans tous ses periples”, entreprise immense, la Shoah, et d’autres inspires de sa vie passee en France, des visites en Espagne, en Israel etc… Sa carriere s’est arretee trop vite et son œuvre n’est pas reconnue, mais il a certainement ete un des tous premiers pionniers Juif marocain dans le domaine de la peinture.

Hello to everyone,

It ‘s been a while since the election of the American President  Barack Obama and the question is: what happened to all his promises?

The financial turmoil all around the world is basically the same as it was last January and all the world big banks, except those of Canada – they performed well and achieved the best performances worldwide because of their self discipline and thorough Canadian Government controls – are in a big mess! Those American and European banks  were all rescued by huge and almost unrealistic sums of money.

In all,  quite many trillions of dollars  courtesy of their citizens, the pitiful taxpayers that don’t have a say in that matter, were wasted for the biggest financial cover-up the world had ever witnessed!

All around the USA many tea parties are taking place this week to protest against those abominable deficits imposed on “We the People..” It reminds us of those  same protests against the British crown, many years ago in Massachusetts at the eve of the American Revolution  : the Boston tea tax riots!

Nobody likes to spend money  he does not have  and certainly not  to cover the unforgivable mistakes made by so-called experts in Wall Street and in the other financial institutions  worldwide!

It is time those responsible for that immense black hole of dollars stopped being bailed out and digest the fruits of their erratic and strange financial behavior, to say the least!

So today, AIG super managers are going to be standing in front of their saviors and explain why they deserve bonuses..as if we all live in a twilight zone where bad behavior is promoted!

Anyhow, President Obama and  the American Congress are very upset and demand some action being taken towards those responsible for that monster  economic collapse we are facing now !

This new behavior of no more free lunch and free loading for  those CEO’s and Executives  that brought us  the ” Financial Fiasco of the Century ” in Wall Street and somewhere else is more than welcome and perhaps we might be seeing finally some rationale and better judgment coming now from Washington !

But when President Obama will try to fix one problem at a time and not create compounded disastrous  effects from  his fantastic mammoth projects, this planet of ours might have a chance to see better days for all its inhabitants!

So good luck and G.od bless our nations and help them .. the sooner ..the better!

Elie C.

Photo: Gaston Mantel , with his famous beard, at his house, across the beautiful river Bou Regreg in Rabat-Sale, Morocco

Notre grand artiste et professeur de dessin aux lycees Gouraud et Descartes,  le celebre Gaston Mantel , debout au coin de sa veranda , avec sa famille dans sa maison sur les rives du Bou Regreg a Rabat-Sale

RAPHAEL COHEN ” DAIRAC” MENTOR , THE GREAT ARTIST AND TEACHER  JEAN GASTON MANTEL

Raphy Cohen est alle etudier les arts a l’Ecole des Beaux Arts de Rabat sous les recommandations du professeur de dessin du Lycee Gouraud, Jean Gaston Mantel , lui-meme tres grand artiste-peintre de Rabat qui a fait plusieurs expos et chefs d’oeuvre representant le Maroc pittoresque et des natures mortes.

Acting upon the strong recommandations of the great artist and teacher , the world renown Jean Gaston Mantel , Raphael Cohen went to study art  in all its forms at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Rabat, French Morocco few years before the declaration of Independence of that kingdom.

Jean Gaston Mantel was Raphael Cohen teacher in College as he was also mine and to many others students from my beloved city of Rabat since 1950..That great painter was very famous in French and Independent Morocco until his death. His works are abundant in oils, gouaches,sketches ( dessins ), posters, illustrations of school books and various other publications ..His numerous exhibits attracted  all the  intellectuals of Rabat, Morocco  and France . His paintings, very much in demand during his life , are today auctioned in Casablanca and France and reached regularly prices in the six digits, US dollars currency.

Photo:

Composition, oil :natives young girls in picturesque Morocco

1980 Jean Gaston Mantel “les jeunes filles”