History of the Jews in Morocco

The Jewish presence with the Morocco is very old and was nourished by various waves of refugees following the vicissitudes and persecutions whose the Juif S during the History were victims, but also of conversions among the populations Berbère S autochtones. This community counts two ethnico-cultural subsets: the Toshavim " autochtones" and the Megorashim " expelled (of Andalusia) ". ;

If the Jewish community were strong several hundreds of thousands of individuals until the 20th century, it is reduced there not to count more currently but between 3000 and 7000 members, according to the sources. The various Jewish communities of Moroccan origin count from now on more than one million members throughout the world.

History

Antiquity

The history of the Jews of North Africa merges with the creation of Carthage by the Phéniciens, towards, and the development of commercial counters in North Africa.

Testimonys exist on the trade which the Jews of Morocco practiced with the Romans, as of fourth century BC. These first communities will be joined by the Jews of the first diaspora, at the time of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, in 581 before the Christian era. Cities, like Salted (Chella) close to the current Reduction and Ifrane, become important centers of trade for the Jews of Morocco practitioner the trade of gold and salt. However, oldest testimony epigraphic goes back only to second century BC, being primarily funerary inscriptions in Hebrew and Greek found in the ruins of the Roman Volubilis.

At the beginning of the Christian era, the Romains invade the area, without the Jewish and Berber tribes not opposing a very great resistance, and give to the Morocco (and part of current Western Algeria) the name of Maurétanie Tingitane (of Tingis , old name of Tangier which was the capital). Archaeological traces attest of an important Jewish presence in these new Roman provinces.

Preislamic period

At the dawn of the 5th century, the Vandales start to invade Maurétanie, and towards 430, they drive out the Romans of North Africa. The Vandals find in the Jews of the solid allies and those know a freedom of worship during one century.

In 533, the Byzantine general Bélisaire invades the area and imposes the laws of the Byzantine Empire on it. The Jews then will know a very dark period, with forced conversions, brimades, restricted worship and persecutions. Nevertheless, that will not prevent the migration towards this area of the Jews fleeing the repression exerted by the kings Visigoths of Spain at the 8th century.

Islam

Under the reign of the almohades (1146-1400), several Jewish families of Fez converted with Islam in order not to be forced to leave the country. Among these families one little to quote the Benchekroun (Choukroun or Chokron), El Kohen (Cohen) etc

The Alaouitte dynasty

The XXème century

The community is still numerically considerable in the middle of the 20th century. She does not suffer from the Shoah because the sultan Mohammed V refuses (whereas Morocco is under French protectorate) that the antijuives laws of the Régime of Vichy are applied on its Jewish subjects, but there are already waves of emigration towards the Palestine as of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Between the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and the independence of Morocco in 1956, 90% of the Moroccan Jews emigrate. Poorest leave for Israel, where they constitute a big part of the proletariat and population of the " towns of développement" , while the elite and the middle-class emigrate in Canada and in France.

The Moroccan Jews are currently full citizens, voters and eligible. The Moroccan State their established a legal space in conformity with the precepts of the Judaïsme. On the plan of the personal status, the Jews are governed by the mosaic law, which means that they are justiciable to the rabbinical rooms close to the regular courts for all that touches with the marriage, the heritage and the right of the minors.

The essence of the current Jewish community of Morocco remains with Casablanca.

Culture

Since 1997, Casablanca shelters “the museum of the Moroccan Judaism”. Ignored general public the museum is devoted to the Jewish component of the Moroccan culture. One can visit there exposures routes and other permanent. On more than 600 m2 the visitor can admit Moroccan caftans decorated with Star of David, costumes, lamps of Hanoukka and various objects of the Moroccan cultural heritage. One can discover synagogs of Moroccan style also there. In addition the museum contains a library, a video library and a photographic library.

Moroccan Jewish communities throughout the world

Each year, the expatriates come from the whole world find themselves around tombs of saints located at Ouezzane, Essaouira or Taroudant to celebrate the Hiloula , version Jewish of the moussem , which points out the records of last and commemorates the attachment with the ground of the ancestors.

With Montreal, their arrival modified the relations between Québécois and Jewish nationalists, in their near total english-speaking (or Yiddish ophones) and pro-federalists, by creating a news (cultural community) Jewish French-speaking person quickly equipped with specific Community structures.

In Israel, as of the years 1950, there were riots among the Moroccan Jews parked in the towns of development. In years 1970 were even created black Panthères () on the model Afro-American of the Black Panther Party but, in the last quarter of the 20th century, their political weight increased considerably, becoming in conformity with their demographic importance, mainly via ethnic left like Tami, Gesher and especially Shass. They belong to those which one qualifies in Israel of Orientaux (Mizrahim) or, incorrectly (since a part only is originating in the Iberian peninsula), of Séfarades.

Bibliographical reference marks

Robert Assaraf, a certain modern history of the Jews in Morocco 1860-1999 , ED. Gawsewitch, 2005, ISBN 2350130053
Jamaâ Baida, the emigration of the Moroccan Jews (1948-1956), Contribution presented to conference AIMS 2004 “Rethinking Jewish Culture and Society in North Africa” American Legation, behavior in Tangier, from June 22nd to 24th 2004

External bonds

the Jews of Morocco, memories and nostalgias
Association of the Jews of Morocco
Exposure of the Jewish Museum of Belgium
Site of the Moroccan Jews of Morocco and besides
the famous figures of the Moroccan Jewish world
the Museum of the Moroccan Judaism
Torat Emits the site of the African northern Judaism
Jewish community of Agadir the seism of Agadir 1960 - Photographs of all the tombs of the Jewish cemetery of Agadir

See too

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