Mother Dadah
Mother Dadah was a powerful, dominant woman who greatly influenced the Hazan family and the life of the Jewish quarter in Marrakesh at the beginning of the 20th century.
Jews in Morocco received a special permit to make wine from the King of Morocco in order to be able to practice the mitzvoth of ‘Kiddush Shabbat’. Not having enough of alcohol variety, Jews also produced Mahia – an alcoholic drink made by distilling various fruits, mainly figs, dates and grapes.
So did Mother Dadah. She made wine and Mahia, making life more vibrant and sizzling for the people of Marrakesh, producing many stories from a sparkling time in Hazan legacy.
In 1963, when Jacky, the seventh son of Meir and Hanina Hazan, was about six months old, the Hazan family made ‘Aliyah’ to Israel. In Israel, the family continued producing Mahia in a simple Couscous pot, and Mother Dadah kept on leading the family with her unique sizzling character until her death in 1984 when she was then only 105 years old (more or less).
Mother Dadah is buried in Or Akiva Israel, still present in spirit by inspiring her family to continue making alcohol, not to mention drinking it.