Sol Hachuel
Encyclopedia
Sol Hachuel was a Jewish heroine, who was publicly beheaded
when she was 17 years old. She was executed for alleged apostasy
from Islam
—apparently without ever having converted to Islam. She once said:
Hachuel's sacrifice served as an inspiration to painters and writers. One of the most detailed accounts, based on interviews with eyewitnesses, was written by Eugenio Maria Romero. His book El Martirio de la Jóven Hachuel, ó, La Heroina Hebrea (The Martyrdom of the Young Hachuel, or, The Hebrew Heroine) was first published in 1837, and republished in 1838. Hachuel's story was also the subject of a song by Françoise Atlan
on the CD Romances Sefardies.
In 1860 the French artist Alfred Dehodencq
, inspired by the life and death of Hachuel, painted "Execution of a Moroccan Jewess".
, to Chaim and Simcha Hachuel, and had one older brother. Her father was a merchant and Talmudist. He conducted a study group in his home, which helped Sol form and maintain her own belief in Judaism. Sol’s mother was a housewife.
girl and Hachuel’s friend and neighbor, falsely claimed she converted Hachuel to Islam (which was considered a particularly pious deed under the code of Maliki
Islamic Law).
According to the account of Israel Joseph Benjamin, a Jewish explorer who visited Morocco in the middle of nineteenth century, "never had the sun of Africa shone on more perfect beauty" than Hachuel. Benjamin wrote that her Muslim neighbors said that "It is a sin that such a pearl should be in the possession of the Jews, and it would be a crime to leave them such a jewel."
. If she promised to convert, she was promised protection from her parents, silk and gold, and a marriage to a handsome young man. As an alternative the pasha
promised Hachuel:
The girl responded:
True to his promise, the pasha put the girl to a windowless and lightless cell with chains around her neck, hands, and feet. The girl’s desperate parents asked for assistance the Spanish vice-consul Don Jose Rico. Don Jose Rico did what he could to free the girl, but all his efforts were unsuccessful.
The pasha decided to send Hachuel to Fez
, and let the sultan
decide her fate. Her transfer and execution fee was to be paid by her father, who was threatened with 500 blows of the bastinado if he would not comply. Eventually the required sum was paid by Don Jose Rico, because Sol’s father could not afford it. In Fez, the Sultan appointed the Qadi
to decide her punishment. The Qadi summoned the Jewish sages of Fez and told them that if Sol did not agree to convert, she will be beheaded and their community would be punished. Despite the hakham
im's urges to convert in order to save herself and their community, she refused and was found guilty. The Qadi stated that the cost of the funeral would be borne by her father. The sultan's son, who was astonished by the girl's beauty, also tried to convince her to convert to Islam. The girl refused.
She was ordered to be beheaded in a public square in Fez.Romero described the emotions of the citizens of Fez on the day of the execution: "The Moors
, whose religious fanaticism is indescribable, prepared, with their accustomed joy, to witness the horrid scene. The Jews of the city...were moved with the deepest sorrow; but they could do nothing to avert it..."
Apparently the sultan instructed the executioner to wound Hachuel first. He hoped that the girl would get scared, and accept the conversion, but Hachuel refused. Her last words to her torturers were:
The Jewish community of Fez was awestruck by the life and the death of Hachuel. They had to pay for the retrieval of her corpse, her head and the bloodstained earth for a Jewish burial at the Jewish cemetery. She was declared a martyr.
The Jews called Hachuel "Sol ha-Tzaddikah" (The righteous Sol), the Arabs called her Lalla Suleika (Holy lady Suleika). Her grave became a place of pilgrimage
for both Jews and Muslims alike.
It might seem rather strange that Moroccan Arabs consider the girl to be their saint, but as it was explained by Léon Godard in his "Description et histoire du Maroc: "Despite their intolerance, Moroccans, however contradictory this may appear, do in some cases honour the holy people of other religions, or beg the aid of their prayers from those whom they call infidels. In Fez, they render a kind of worship to the memory of the young Sol Hachuel, a Jew of Tangier, who died in our time of terrible torture rather than renounce the law of Moses, or alternatively renew an abjuration previously made, by yielding to the seductions of love."
Her tombstone has inscriptions in both Hebrew and French
. The French text reads: Here rests Mademoiselle Solica Hachuel born in Tangier in 1817 refusing to enter [rentrer] into the Islamic religion. The Arabs murdered her in 1834 in Fez torn away from her family. The entire world mourns this saint child.
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
when she was 17 years old. She was executed for alleged apostasy
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
from Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
—apparently without ever having converted to Islam. She once said:
Hachuel's sacrifice served as an inspiration to painters and writers. One of the most detailed accounts, based on interviews with eyewitnesses, was written by Eugenio Maria Romero. His book El Martirio de la Jóven Hachuel, ó, La Heroina Hebrea (The Martyrdom of the Young Hachuel, or, The Hebrew Heroine) was first published in 1837, and republished in 1838. Hachuel's story was also the subject of a song by Françoise Atlan
Françoise Atlan
Françoise Atlan is a French singer, born in a Sephardic Jewish family in Narbonne 27 July 1964. Her father was a counselor native of Béjaïa in Kabylia and her mother was a pianist and a lyrical singer.-Musical learning:...
on the CD Romances Sefardies.
In 1860 the French artist Alfred Dehodencq
Alfred Dehodencq
Alfred Dehodencq was a French painter born in Paris. He was known for his vivid oil paintings depicting slices of life in the world around him.-Life :...
, inspired by the life and death of Hachuel, painted "Execution of a Moroccan Jewess".
Life
Hachuel was born in 1817 in MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, to Chaim and Simcha Hachuel, and had one older brother. Her father was a merchant and Talmudist. He conducted a study group in his home, which helped Sol form and maintain her own belief in Judaism. Sol’s mother was a housewife.
Allegations of conversion to Islam
According to Eugenio Maria Romero's account, Tahra de Mesoodi, a devout MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
girl and Hachuel’s friend and neighbor, falsely claimed she converted Hachuel to Islam (which was considered a particularly pious deed under the code of Maliki
Maliki
The ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
Islamic Law).
According to the account of Israel Joseph Benjamin, a Jewish explorer who visited Morocco in the middle of nineteenth century, "never had the sun of Africa shone on more perfect beauty" than Hachuel. Benjamin wrote that her Muslim neighbors said that "It is a sin that such a pearl should be in the possession of the Jews, and it would be a crime to leave them such a jewel."
Arrest and execution
Based on a single and possibly false claim of her conversion to Islam, Hachuel was brought to the court and told to kneel before the governorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
. If she promised to convert, she was promised protection from her parents, silk and gold, and a marriage to a handsome young man. As an alternative the pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
promised Hachuel:
The girl responded:
True to his promise, the pasha put the girl to a windowless and lightless cell with chains around her neck, hands, and feet. The girl’s desperate parents asked for assistance the Spanish vice-consul Don Jose Rico. Don Jose Rico did what he could to free the girl, but all his efforts were unsuccessful.
The pasha decided to send Hachuel to Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, and let the sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
decide her fate. Her transfer and execution fee was to be paid by her father, who was threatened with 500 blows of the bastinado if he would not comply. Eventually the required sum was paid by Don Jose Rico, because Sol’s father could not afford it. In Fez, the Sultan appointed the Qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
to decide her punishment. The Qadi summoned the Jewish sages of Fez and told them that if Sol did not agree to convert, she will be beheaded and their community would be punished. Despite the hakham
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
im's urges to convert in order to save herself and their community, she refused and was found guilty. The Qadi stated that the cost of the funeral would be borne by her father. The sultan's son, who was astonished by the girl's beauty, also tried to convince her to convert to Islam. The girl refused.
She was ordered to be beheaded in a public square in Fez.Romero described the emotions of the citizens of Fez on the day of the execution: "The Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, whose religious fanaticism is indescribable, prepared, with their accustomed joy, to witness the horrid scene. The Jews of the city...were moved with the deepest sorrow; but they could do nothing to avert it..."
Apparently the sultan instructed the executioner to wound Hachuel first. He hoped that the girl would get scared, and accept the conversion, but Hachuel refused. Her last words to her torturers were:
The Jewish community of Fez was awestruck by the life and the death of Hachuel. They had to pay for the retrieval of her corpse, her head and the bloodstained earth for a Jewish burial at the Jewish cemetery. She was declared a martyr.
The Jews called Hachuel "Sol ha-Tzaddikah" (The righteous Sol), the Arabs called her Lalla Suleika (Holy lady Suleika). Her grave became a place of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
for both Jews and Muslims alike.
It might seem rather strange that Moroccan Arabs consider the girl to be their saint, but as it was explained by Léon Godard in his "Description et histoire du Maroc: "Despite their intolerance, Moroccans, however contradictory this may appear, do in some cases honour the holy people of other religions, or beg the aid of their prayers from those whom they call infidels. In Fez, they render a kind of worship to the memory of the young Sol Hachuel, a Jew of Tangier, who died in our time of terrible torture rather than renounce the law of Moses, or alternatively renew an abjuration previously made, by yielding to the seductions of love."
Her tombstone has inscriptions in both Hebrew and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. The French text reads: Here rests Mademoiselle Solica Hachuel born in Tangier in 1817 refusing to enter [rentrer] into the Islamic religion. The Arabs murdered her in 1834 in Fez torn away from her family. The entire world mourns this saint child.