Three volunteers were in charge of the “Kimcha de Pischa” deed, literally “Pesach Flour”: Eliezer Boros, blessed his memory, Aharon Sabah, blessed his memory, and myself.
Immediately after Purim and up until the eve of Pesach, we were busy with our donation campaign. The day before our campaign, one of us would go around visiting shopkeepers and informing them of our next visit:” Tomorrow the Rav will come to visit you for Kimcha de Pischa.”

We had three lists of donors : the first one with important shopkeepers, the second and third ones including people of lesser means.

As we were going around donations were getting smaller but always given with good will and many apologies of not being able to give more….

I never asked from any donor to increase his contribution, knowing that whoever gave, was doing it with good will and according to his means.
Finally, some people did not wait for our visit to send us their contributions.

One year, I was asked by the social service of the Jewish Casablanca Community to make a special effort for families in need who did not answer the criteria for help.
They offered to send me a list of those families for additional help beside what they were already receiving. I agreed thinking I would deal with few special cases.
When I received the list, it was a long one and exceeding by far our means. I didn’t know what to do.

Not knowing where to find the money, I asked for advice. A few friends advised me to turn to the “American Joint” for help.

I went to their office. There, my blood ran cold : so many people were waiting to speak to the Chairman. The Administrator let me know the “Joint” did not have such a budget.
I decided to go and speak directly to the Chairman himself.

My request reminded him of his father and of his own involvement in Kimcha de Pischa from Purim to Pesach. He was deeply moved. Immediately he phoned the Administrator asking for a stock list: sugar, wine and matzos. His answer was: there is nothing left.
What about tea and coffee? I told him we already had a donor. He gave me a check allowing me to purchase about a thousand liters of wine and asked me to draw a list of our needs in sugar, matzos, tea, coffee, oil and soap. He also asked me to give him a list of our needs every year as long as he would be in charge.

That year, I asked from our volunteers not to send home anybody empty handed and the same tradition was kept for the next five years until my aliya. Every year after my aliya, I never forgot to encourage my friends Eliezer and Aharon to continue that tradition. They did it up to their own aliya.

The Kimcha de Pischa campaign began with my father who started it in Meknes for the members of the Chevra Liviat Chen. Living in Casablanca, I continued it on a bigger scale.

Everything started with the generosity of Rav Abraham Vaknine. Each year, he gave 400 kilos of kosher wheat for “matzos shemuros” for the Seder.
The Great Rabbi Shalom Messas was doing the same and we could supply the whole community. It lasted up to 1973, year of my aliya.

Rahamim BENAMARA