Published: 8 November 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
“Morocco is also a Jewish land,” says head of Muslim-founded organisation dedicated to preserving country’s Jewish culture.
The fruits of the rapprochement between Israel and swathes of the Arab world continued to ripen this week, with Morocco becoming the first Muslim country to inaugurate a synagogue at one of its universities.
The synagogue, called Beit Allah (House of God) is located next to the mosque at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University near Marrakech.
The inauguration of the synagogue comes in no small part thanks to the efforts of Mimouna Association, a Muslim-founded Moroccan non-profit organisation that aims to promote the country’s Jewish heritage, and the American Sephardi Federation, which has offices in the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
Mimouna Association founder and president El Mehdi Boudra believes that Jewish culture plays a major role in Morocco’s history and identity and that the synagogue has the full blessing of the king.
“Moroccan Judaism is really a part of Moroccan society for 2000 years. Morocco is also a Jewish land and we celebrate the diversity of Morocco traditionally,” he said.
“King Mohammed VI has restored 167 Jewish cemeteries around Morocco in the last 10 years. He restored more than 20 synagogues around Morocco, and he restored the mellah, the former Jewish neighbourhood.”
Another landmark for Jewish identity in far-flung places occurred in September when the first Limmud in the former Soviet Union was held in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.
Some 350 young Jewish people, all Azeri-born, attended the day-long conference on September 11 that sought to strengthen their Jewish identity, bring them closer as a social group, and expose them to Jewish culture.
Limmud FSU Executive Director Natasha Chechik said that despite having lots of experience in organising conferences, holding one for Jewish youth in the current political reality in the region was very complicated.
