Lebanese Jew Reached Out to Arafat to Protect Synagogue

A little over twenty years ago, I met a rather amazing gentleman. My sister-in-law was recently engaged to a young Lebanese lawyer, and his parents were kind enough to invite me for the Sabbath dinner. Maître Selim Moghrabi (Maître is a commonly used honorific for lawyers in Québec), recited the Kiddush over the wine and then proceeded to tell me about his flight from Beirut during the Lebanese civil war in 1975. 

Maître Moghrabi, who passed away recently at the age of 94, was a prominent and well-connected lawyer in the city that was once called “the Paris of the Middle East”. He was active in the Lebanese-Jewish community and was respected by Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. He had many important members of the political class as clients and a multicultural staff. 

Selim Moghrabi was born in Beirut in 1927. He came from an observant family and his father, Ibrahim, was the only mohel in Lebanon. In fact, his father kept a detailed list, in a special book, of all the circumcisions that he performed. That tome is now in the possession of his son Moïse Moghrabi, and Lebanese Jews often contact Moïse to learn about their parents or to determine birth dates. 

As a young man, Selim graduated from the American University of Beirut and started work as a secretary. He was ambitious, and the job did not offer him enough challenges or compensation. After only a few months, he submitted his resignation and enrolled in law school.  

He managed to pay for part of his tuition by selling his comprehensive notes to other students in the program. Selim graduated first in Lebanon from the Law program and became the first and only Jewish lawyer to practice in Beirut.  He articled as an attorney for a very prominent lawyer with extensive political connections and by association he got access and was welcomed into the upper political class of Lebanese society.

Selim Moghrabi had an unusual talent. He had the ability to make anyone feel important. 

Selim Moghrabi had an unusual talent. He had the ability to make anyone feel important. 

In the spring of 1975, the fragile balance of power between Christians and Muslims that had existed in Lebanon suddenly fell apart. Armed militias of various factions roamed the streets of Beirut. 

During the fighting, some of the Jewish families sought  refuge in the Beirut synagogue. Ongoing street fighting made it so the Jews could neither escape nor obtain enough food and water.

When news of the situation reached Maître Moghrabi, he made a phone call to a very unlikely ally, Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Mr. Arafat immediately dispatched his own militia to defend the synagogue and to deliver food to the besieged people. They were eventually brought to a safe place along with all of their religious articles. The relationship between Maître Moghrabi and Yasser Arafat was unclear; suffice to state that sometime in the past, Selim had met and impressed Yasser Arafat and he was eager to do a favor for his Jewish “friend”.

Maître Moghrabi knew that it was time to escape from Lebanon. Before the Moghrabi family could board a plane for their new home, they had to stealthily make their way through Lebanon, and board a ship for Cyprus. 

During this treacherous journey, the family had to cross various enclaves controlled by rival factions and was often stopped and even detained. The most unlikely of circumstances allowed them to continue to their final destination. 

Every summer, the family would rent a cottage in the small town of Bhamdoun to escape the heat of the city. When the war broke out, they collected what they could of their possessions, and moved to the cottage, where they hoped they would be safe from the fighting. 

The cottage was not winterized, the nights were very cold, but the countryside was beautiful and the area was generally peaceful. That is, until Syria entered the war. Selim’s son, Moïse, remembers waking up one morning and seeing hundreds of Syrian tanks that had taken up position on the ridge. That night, they started to fire shells at the towns and villages below, including Bhamdoun.  

After a year-and-a-half in Bhamdoun, Maître Moghrabi was able to secure the papers required for passage out of Lebanon. Other families would be joining the Moghrabis on their journey. A convoy of cars wound their way down the mountainous roads, but roadblocks and other obstacles made the trip into a harrowing journey. Selim had secured from his political connections authorization passes for every different militia territory they would have to cross along the way.

At one point, the families crossed into a territory for which they had no pass and upon finding out that Selim was an acquaintance of Arafat, the militia had him arrested and brought to a holding cell. It looked like the end of the line for the frightened group, as they anxiously awaited the arrival of the leader who would decide their fate. Luckily, upon his arrival, the leader recognized Maître Moghrabi as someone who had helped him in his previous life and embraced him. Instead of detaining the prisoners, he had his men prepare a lavish lunch for them and sent them on their way.

At nightfall, they finally arrived in Tyre and boarded a freighter that would take them to Cypress. 

Maître Moghrabi and his family endured a long and difficult journey out the Lebanese war zone. But the struggles were not over when they finally reached Montréal. At 49 years old, he had to return to university. Quebec did not recognize his degree and he had to reattend law school and pass the bar to be able to practice. In 1987, his son Moïse became a lawyer and in 1988, they opened their own law office. His law firm grew as he started to take on prestigious clients, many of them, like himself, refugees from Lebanon who were trying to make new lives by building successful businesses in Canada. 

Moïse took over the firm when Selim retired but Selim never lost the respect and admiration of those around him. I remember joining him for dinner in a well-known Lebanese restaurant. What impressed me the most was when a Maronite Bishop dressed in lavish robes came over to our table and embraced Maître Moghrabi. 

Selim Moghrabi took his last breath on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at the age of ninety-four.  Maître Moghrabi defined the word “mensch” — a man who made lasting friendships and was always there for those who needed him.

He is survived by his beloved wife and lifelong partner, Vicky, his children Becky, Albert, Moïse, Mike and Shirley, and 13 grandchildren.

Paul Starr is a recently retired systems analyst who has lived his entire life in Montréal, Canada. On Sunday mornings he is “living the dream,” hosting a two-hour Internet radio show featuring music from the 50s and 60s called “Judy’s Diner.”