The Jewish Museum of Casablanca

You will find the Museum of Moroccan Judaism at 81 Rue Chasseur Jules Gros, in Oaisis, Casablanca. It is certainly worth a visit and for those who know little or nothing of its history and the history of Jews in Morocco, then you will probably find the article "Curating Casablanca" by Eric Trager (2006-2007 Islamic Civilizations Fulbright grantee based in Cairo) worth a read.

At first glance — given the recent history of Jews in Arab lands — the statistics for Morocco’s Jewish community are unsurprising, even if startling. A population of roughly 265,000 in 1948 has dwindled to merely 5,000, as most Moroccan Jews have immigrated to Israel, Europe and North America. Yet Morocco, almost an entire continent removed from the Arab-Israeli conflict and Gulf-based radicalism, maintains a decidedly different outlook toward Jews when compared to most other Arab states.Copies of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” prominent staples of any newsstand in Beirut or Amman, are not noticeably available on the streets of Rabat or Casablanca. Old Jewish quarters, virtually forgotten and replaced in Alexandria and Damascus, have been meticulously preserved in Marrakech and Fez. And synagogues — heavily guarded in Egypt, even when not in use — stand without patrols in all of Morocco’s major cities. Jewish schools and synagogues in Morocco receive government subsidies, while King Mohammed VI retains the counsel of a Jewish senior adviser — a truly remarkable gesture in this part of the world.

This relative comfort historically enjoyed by Morocco’s Jewish community is brought to life at the Moroccan Jewish Museum of Casablanca, which prides itself on being the only museum of its kind in the Arab world (oddly, it is also the only museum in the Casablanca area). Founded in 1996 in the posh suburb of Oasis, roughly 15 minutes from downtown Casablanca by taxi, the museum serves as the base for the greater effort of the Foundation of Jewish-Moroccan Cultural Heritage to conserve and present the Jewish history of Morocco.

The museum primarily features a wide range of Jewish artifacts from all over Morocco, including synagogue furniture from Meknes, Larache and Tetouan; traditional Jewish garments from Fez and Rabat, and an assortment of scrolls, menorahs, mezuzot and ark lamps. Furthermore, it maintains a catalog of (French-language only) videos on Moroccan Jewry, as well as a photographic exhibit on Jewish communities of the 1960s. Perhaps most interestingly, the museum displays a collection of texts and plaques written in the unique Moroccan Jewish dialect: Arabic, interspersed with Berber words, written in Hebrew characters. A guided tour of the exhibits costs 30 dirhams (about $3.50) and takes about an hour.

The museum was founded thanks to the efforts of Simon Levy, who continues to serve as director. Levy, a retired university professor and the author of a French-language book on Moroccan Jewish history, presents his heritage with an overwhelming sense of pride and purpose. “Moroccan Jewry is the most important in the world, culturally,” he said. “Every Moroccan rabbi was a scholar and recorded the history of [his] community, which has preserved our knowledge of these communities. Morocco is the only place in the world where Jews lived continuously, with at least some rights, for over 2,000 years.”

The rest of the article is here: Curating Casablanca

The details:

MUSEUM OF MOROCCAN JUDAISM OF CASABLANCA
81. rue chasseur Jules Gros
Casablanca-Oasis
Director: Simon Levy
Curator – Zhor Rehihil
Telephone: (212) 22 9949 40
e-mail: museejudaismemaroc@wanadoo.net.ma



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