Doha – According to a decision published on February 20, the Ministry of Culture in Morocco has officially enrolled three Jewish monuments from the city of Assilah on the list of National Heritage.
The notice Comes in response to a request from the Jewish community of the Morocco in January 2024.
The newly classified sites include the Kahal synagogue, the Jewish cemetery and a Mikvé (ritual bath) and an associated oven.
The Kahal Synagogue, an 181 square meter places of worship, which was originally built in 1824, was reconstructed and reopened in 2022.
The decision signed by the Minister of Culture Mehdi Bensaid provides these monuments under the protection of law 22-80 on the preservation of historical monuments, locations, inscriptions, art objects and antiques.
According to this legislation, all changes to classified monuments require a notification to the Ministry of Culture at least six months before the start of the work.
This latest entry in Morocco Heritage List reflects the country’s continued commitment to the preservation of his Jewish heritage led by King Mohammed VI.
In recent years, the monarch has launched several initiatives to protect and restore Jewish historical sites across the country.
In December 2021, King Mohammed VI was presented A plan to renovate hundreds of Jewish historical sites in the country, including synagogues, cemeteries and other landmarks of the heritage.
The initiative included the restoration of the Jewish cemetery in FEZ, which contains approximately 13,000 graves, and the reinstatement of original names for certain Jewish quarters within the country.
In addition, the king officially in July 2022 approved A restructuring of the Jewish community of Morocco, which sets up three new positions: the National Council of the Moroccan Jewish community, the commissioning of Moroccan Jews abroad and the basis of Moroccan Judaism.
The National Council is responsible for the administration of the matters of the community and the protection of the cultural and religious heritage of Judaism and its authentic Moroccan values, “said the Royal Palace.
The Commission is working on strengthening the relationships between the Moroccan Jews and their country of origin living abroad, while the foundation focuses on promoting and maintaining the intangible heritage of Moroccan Judaism.
The Jewish community in Morocco, which is valued at around 3,000 people, is despite the significant emigration After the creation of Israel in 1948. Before this exodus, the community counted around 250,000 people.
Today around 700,000 Israelis Moroccan descent Keep strong connections to your traditional home.
In his report from 2022 on religious freedom published in May 2023, the US State Department emphasized the efforts of King Mohammed VI to preserve the Jewish heritage and to promote tolerance in Morocco.
The report stated that “the monarchy continued to support the restoration of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries across the country” and that “Jewish citizens have continued to report that they will surely live and worship in synagogues”.
In the report, Morocco’s continuing efforts to integrate Jewish-Moroccan history and culture in school books and the inauguration of the first synagogue on a university campus in the Arab world of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat were mentioned.
Although these conservation efforts before the recent diplomacy – which were rooted in the constitution of Morocco in 2011, which formally recognized the Hebrew component of its identity – they collected an unexpected speed in the extension of the relationships between Israel in December 2020.
