Jewish Marrakech

Many visitors to Morocco are surprised at the Jewish areas known as Mellah in towns such as Marrakech and Essaouira. Mellah is from the Arabic word for salt as Jews in Morocco were often traders using their contacts in the Jewish Diaspora to set up the trade and banking relationships helped by the fact they often spoke several languages. Long protected and respected as “people of the book” they have been an integral part of Moroccan society and as well as traders have been respected as craftsmen and educators.



Indeed it was the Moors who brought Jews to Al-Andalus, Spain and Portugal and frequently welcomed them when they suffered persecution elsewhere. Morocco has an ancient Jewish population which dates back to at least the dissolution of the Jewish state by the Romans around 70 AD. Jews were long an integral part of the Moroccan social landscape and even unintentionally prepared the Berber mindset to embrace Islam in later centuries.


Hand of Fatima - Mellah

Since the advent of Islam, Jews in Morocco were, with the exception of the puritanical al-Mohad era with its forced conversions, tolerated and prospered as tribute-paying zhimmis (protected minorities). Spanish and Portuguese Jews – aka Sephardim – began to flee persecution at the end of the 14th century after a bloodbath in Seville. Following the fall of Granada in 1492, this flow became a flood. The Mellah, east of the Medina, used to be the Jewish quarters in Marrakech. It was here that sultan Abdullah Al-Ghalib moved the Jews to his protected Kasbah in 1558.



The royal family appreciated the talents of the Jewish community of traders, jewellers and bankers who spoke many languages. This protected quarter was surrounded by walls and entered by two gates. The Mellah looks distinctly different from the rest of the Medina, almost a town in itself – supervised by rabbis, with its own souks, gardens and synagogues. The present Mellah is today almost entirely inhabited by Muslims as most of the Jewish community in Marrakech have either moved to Casablanca, France or Israel. However, the quarters are distinct and still worth a visit. Do not miss the local Jewish cemetery, the Miaara, with its brilliant white tombs stretching into the distance. The oldest synagogue in Marrakech, Rabbi Pinhas, on Rue Talmud Torah is still in use.



Prior to the creation of Israel, there were nearly 300,000 Jews in Morocco. Then, following the partition of Palestine in 1948, the tide turned when anti-Israeli rioting killed nearly 50 Jews. That same year, 18,000 Jews migrated to the newly created state. When this occurred and until 1956 Morocco was subject to a much resented colonial relationship as a French “Protectorate.” With the growing bitterness of the Israeli-Arab conflict, gradual immigration to Israel continued, until the number of Jews dwindled to an estimated 5-8,000 today. Nevertheless, the Jewish community still enjoys some prominence in Morocco. The king has a Jewish senior adviser, Andre Azoulay, and Jewish schools and synagogues receive government subsidies.


Jewish Council Marrakech 1949

Jews have been living in Morocco since the time of Antiquity. Prior to WWII, the Jewish population of Morocco reached 225,000. Although, Jews were not deported during WWII, they did suffer humiliation under the Vichy government. In 1940, the Nazi-controlled Vichy government issued anti-Semitic decrees excluding Jews from public functions. Sultan Mohammed V, the present King’s Grandfather, refused to apply these racist laws and, as a sign of defiance, insisted on inviting all the rabbis of Morocco to the 1941 throne celebrations. Mohamed V, refused to allow the Vichy Government to register Moroccan Jew and no Jews were deported from Morocco. This and the fact that Jews were (after a hiatus) allowed to emigrate to Israel explains why (despite the ludicrous Arab League boycott) Israel and Morocco enjoy a de facto cordial relationship. The Israeli President has visited Morocco and the King is often used as an honest broker.




The Miaara -Jewish Cemetery

Following the U.S. landing in 1943, a few pogroms did occur. In June 1948, bloody riots in Oujda and Djerada killed 44 Jews and wounded scores more. That same year, an unofficial economic boycott was instigated against Moroccan Jews. In 1956, Morocco declared its independence, and Jewish immigration to Israel was suspended. In 1963, emigration resumed, allowing more than 100,000 Moroccan Jews to reach Israel.

In 1965, Moroccan writer Said Ghallab described the attitude of his fellow Muslims toward their Jewish neighbours:

“The worst insult that a Moroccan could possibly offer was to treat someone as a Jew....My childhood friends have remained anti-Jewish. They hide their virulent anti-Semitism by contending that the State of Israel was the creature of Western imperialism....A whole Hitlerite myth is being cultivated among the populace. The massacres of the Jews by Hitler are exalted ecstatically. It is even credited that Hitler is not dead, but alive and well, and his arrival is awaited to deliver the Arabs from Israel.”

Nonetheless, before his death in 1999, King Hassan tried to protect the Jewish population, and at present Morocco has one of the most tolerant environments for Jews in the Arab world. Moroccan Jewish emigres, even those with Israeli citizenship, freely visit friends and relatives in Morocco. Moroccan Jews have held leading positions in the business community and government. The major Jewish organization representing the community is the Conseil des Communautes Israelites in Casablanca. Its functions include external relations, general communal affairs, communal heritage, and finance, maintenance of holy places, youth activities, and cultural and religious life.


Rabbi Hanania Benisty, Chief Rabbi d.1953

"The Jews no longer reside in the traditional Jewish Mellah, but intermarriage is almost unknown. The community has always been religious and tolerant....The younger generation prefers to continue its higher education abroad and tends not to return to Morocco. Thus the community is in a process of aging."



Marrakech's Jewish flavour is alas no longer quite as pungent as it once was. But wander through the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter beyond the Place des Ferblantiers, and you still find the embers of a more haimishe time hanging over the Mellah, where the streets, enclosed and brooding, retain their distinctive and utterly beguiling air of days gone by. Several small synagogues remain, though only a few still reverberate to the sound of prayer, and those that do are mighty hard to find, largely because they look like - and indeed are - private houses. But meander along these narrow lanes on a Friday evening and the odds are you'll spot a knitted kippah. A friendly word and you'll be welcomed with open arms to a true Moroccan Shabbat.


Jewish Students, Marrakech 1946/47

On closer inspection, the true nature of the Mellah, the Jewish quarter - in essence, the Moroccan version of the ghettos of European cities - becomes clear. Many of the homes are still decorated with mezuzot and a wealth of other sacred Jewish symbols. Today, Marrakech is home to 300 Jews out of the 5,000 in the whole of Morocco. Marrakech's Mellah, once a vibrant shelter to those expelled from Spain after 1492, recalls an era in which both Jew and Muslim were involved in the salt and spice commerce, and both lived and prayed within the medina's thick paprika-red walls.



In early 2004, Marrakech had a small population of about 260 people, most over the age of 60. Casablanca has the largest community, about 3,000 people. There are synagogues, mikvaot, old-age homes, and kosher restaurants in Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Mogador, Rabat, Tetuan and Tangier. In 1992, most Jewish schools were closed, but Casablanca has experienced a bit of a renewal and now 10 schools serve 800 students there.



Morocco is perhaps Israel's closest friend in the Arab world. King Hassan often tried to be a behind-the-scenes catalyst in the Arab-Israeli peace process. In July 1986, he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in an effort to stimulate progress. Two months later, Hassan met with a delegation of Jews of Moroccan origin, including an Israeli Knesset member. In 1993, after signing the agreement with the PLO, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin paid a formal visit to Morocco. In May 1999, King Hassan organized the first meeting of the World Union of Moroccan Jews, in Marrakech.





Jewish Scout Troop Marrakech 1949

In April and May 2000, the Moroccan government sponsored a series of events and lectures promoting respect among religions. Andre Azoulay, royal counsellor and a leading Jewish citizen, spoke about the need for interfaith respect and dialogue. In October 2000, two Moroccan youths tried to vandalize a Tangiers synagogue. King Mohamed VI publicly declared in a televised speech on November 6, 2000, that the government would not tolerate mistreatment of Morocco’s Jews. The youths were subsequently sentenced to one year in prison.



On May 16, 2003, a series of suicide bombers attacked four Jewish targets in Casablanca, and a fifth attack was made against the Spanish consulate. No Jews were hurt in the attack because it occurred on Shabbat when the buildings were empty of Jews. Twenty-nine Muslims were killed. Though the bombings affected the Jewish sense of security, they were viewed by most Moroccans as assaults on the country's social and political order, and a test of the young king's power, rather than an act of anti-Semitism. King Mohammed VI visited the site of one of the attacks the day it occurred and urged the Jewish community to rebuild. The government subsequently organized a large rally in the streets of Casablanca to demonstrate support for the Jewish community and the king reasserted his family's traditional protection for the country's Jews.



If you’d like to explore the Mellah, then you can enter through the Place des Ferblantiers, which was once referred to as the Place de Mellah. If you are having a hard time finding the area, look for the tin workers who now line the outer edge of the square souk. In this area, you’ll also be able to visit Place Souweka, which is a fountain that marks the centre of the quarters.






A former synagogue which is now a Berber Pharmacy

When walking through the souk, attempt to stay on the main passageways through and you’ll come upon the Jewish Cemetery and shrines that are still visited today. The synagogues are also along this same route and the main ones are called the Lazama and El Fasiines. If you’d rather not have a guide for the area, then you’ll have to ask until you reach your destination. Otherwise, a guide is the easiest way to find them. The Mellah has even more synagogues that are all viewable by navigating your way through the somewhat tricky medina alleyways. Two other synagogues worthy of note are the Rabbi Pinhas and Bitoun.




Courtyard of Lazama Synagogue

After viewing the Badi Palace we headed down the Place des Ferblantiers towards the Mellah. As we came upon a busy market place we asked the local policeman for directions to the Synagogue. He called to the locals and two came to us and showed us to a building on the corner. We could tell it was a synagogue by the external decoration but it was not the Lazama Synagogue we were looking for. Rather it was another former synagogue which housed a Berber pharmacy dealing in herbs and natural remedies. We spent a fascinating time with the pharmacist who showed us the treatment area and demonstrated the herbal remedies and oils. He explained that whilst no longer a synagogue it is being restored and will contain a Jewish Museum and a kosher restaurant.


Lazama synagogue

The Lazama synagogue is not easy to find but if you follow the directions on the map as you get near you will be offered directions by one of the young kids on the lookout for tourists, brought down a long alley to an unmarked door. Entering this door you find yourself in a striking courtyard decorated in the Jewish colours of blue and white and with Hebrew inscriptions on the first floor frieze. The Synagogue is one of a series of buildings constructed around a large, well-tended central courtyard. The eastern side has only recently been embellished by a gallery (ezrat nashim) for women an innovation in Morocco, where women traditionally remained at the entrance to the synagogue or in a separate room. The original wooden movable lectern has been replaced by one of marble along the eastern wall. On the floor above the Lazama synagogue is a Talmud Torah School, a soup kitchen and the community centre.



This synagogue was built in 1492 by the megorashim, or Jews that fled Spain after the Inquisition. When the megorashim first arrived, tensions existed between them and the native Jewish community, who looked like their Arab neighbors and had different religious and cultural practices. They built this synagogue in order to preserve the Spanish methods of Jewish observation, but over the years, the tensions alleviated as the communities began to integrate. After its construction, it also became a yeshiva or Talmud Torah and recruited religious men from many rural regions all over Morocco to study. The community supported these scholars; each family in the mellah would “adopt” a student and sponsor them during the course of their studies.




Tomb of Rabbi Solomon Bel-Hench in the Ourika Valley

"The Jewish community developed a fascinating tradition of rituals and pilgrimages to the tombs of holy sages. There are 13 such famous sites, centuries old, well kept by Muslims. Every year on special dates, crowds of Moroccan Jews from around the world, including Israel, throng to these graves. A unique Moroccan festival, the Mimunah, is celebrated in Morocco and in Israel."

One particular trait of Moroccan Judaism is the veneration of tzaddikim or holy men. This reverence is shared by Moslems, but for different reasons. Sermons in the synagogues by the spiritual leaders of Moroccan Jewry had considerable impact on their audiences. Even today, pilgrimages made by Moroccan Jews to the tombs of the tzaddikim are linked to these rabbis' prophesies. The tzaddik is considered according to Kabbalah to be the "foundation-stone of the world", it is he who hands down judgments made by God. One such place of pilgrimage is only 30km from Marrakech in the Ourika Valley where you will find the tomb of a former Chief Rabbi of Marrakech, Solomon Bel-Hench, which like the tomb of Rabbi Chaim Pinto in Essaouira is still a place of pilgrimage.



Morocco is a place apart, no more so in Marrakech, the city which gave its name to Morocco, with its 70/30 population split between Berber and Arab and with a large expat community. The Rif and Atlas mountains kept it separate and even the colonial interlude seems with hindsight to have had a positive effect in terms of development and self confidence. It was the only country in North Africa not to be ruled by the Ottomans and its status as a Kingdom adds to the sense of difference. Morocco is a tolerant and a more diverse place than you might expect. It was noticeable from the street urchin to the policeman that Jews were only ever referred to respectfully and the Jewish heritage is proudly and openly on display. In this as in other ways there is much about Morocco which is life affirming and we can learn from them how to be good neighbours.

For more background see;

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/morocjews.html

Essaouira – Morocco’s White City

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/03/essaouira-morrocos-white-city.html

Jewish Marrakech

Many visitors to Morocco are surprised at the Jewish areas known as Mellah in towns such as Marrakech and Essaouira. Mellah is from the Arabic word for salt as Jews in Morocco were often traders using their contacts in the Jewish Diaspora to set up the trade and banking relationships helped by the fact they often spoke several languages. Long protected and respected as “people of the book” they have been an integral part of Moroccan society and as well as traders have been respected as craftsmen and educators.



Indeed it was the Moors who brought Jews to Al-Andalus, Spain and Portugal and frequently welcomed them when they suffered persecution elsewhere. Morocco has an ancient Jewish population which dates back to at least the dissolution of the Jewish state by the Romans around 70 AD. Jews were long an integral part of the Moroccan social landscape and even unintentionally prepared the Berber mindset to embrace Islam in later centuries.


Hand of Fatima - Mellah

Since the advent of Islam, Jews in Morocco were, with the exception of the puritanical al-Mohad era with its forced conversions, tolerated and prospered as tribute-paying zhimmis (protected minorities). Spanish and Portuguese Jews – aka Sephardim – began to flee persecution at the end of the 14th century after a bloodbath in Seville. Following the fall of Granada in 1492, this flow became a flood. The Mellah, east of the Medina, used to be the Jewish quarters in Marrakech. It was here that sultan Abdullah Al-Ghalib moved the Jews to his protected Kasbah in 1558.



The royal family appreciated the talents of the Jewish community of traders, jewellers and bankers who spoke many languages. This protected quarter was surrounded by walls and entered by two gates. The Mellah looks distinctly different from the rest of the Medina, almost a town in itself – supervised by rabbis, with its own souks, gardens and synagogues. The present Mellah is today almost entirely inhabited by Muslims as most of the Jewish community in Marrakech have either moved to Casablanca, France or Israel. However, the quarters are distinct and still worth a visit. Do not miss the local Jewish cemetery, the Miaara, with its brilliant white tombs stretching into the distance. The oldest synagogue in Marrakech, Rabbi Pinhas, on Rue Talmud Torah is still in use.



Prior to the creation of Israel, there were nearly 300,000 Jews in Morocco. Then, following the partition of Palestine in 1948, the tide turned when anti-Israeli rioting killed nearly 50 Jews. That same year, 18,000 Jews migrated to the newly created state. When this occurred and until 1956 Morocco was subject to a much resented colonial relationship as a French “Protectorate.” With the growing bitterness of the Israeli-Arab conflict, gradual immigration to Israel continued, until the number of Jews dwindled to an estimated 5-8,000 today. Nevertheless, the Jewish community still enjoys some prominence in Morocco. The king has a Jewish senior adviser, Andre Azoulay, and Jewish schools and synagogues receive government subsidies.


Jewish Council Marrakech 1949

Jews have been living in Morocco since the time of Antiquity. Prior to WWII, the Jewish population of Morocco reached 225,000. Although, Jews were not deported during WWII, they did suffer humiliation under the Vichy government. In 1940, the Nazi-controlled Vichy government issued anti-Semitic decrees excluding Jews from public functions. Sultan Mohammed V, the present King’s Grandfather, refused to apply these racist laws and, as a sign of defiance, insisted on inviting all the rabbis of Morocco to the 1941 throne celebrations. Mohamed V, refused to allow the Vichy Government to register Moroccan Jew and no Jews were deported from Morocco. This and the fact that Jews were (after a hiatus) allowed to emigrate to Israel explains why (despite the ludicrous Arab League boycott) Israel and Morocco enjoy a de facto cordial relationship. The Israeli President has visited Morocco and the King is often used as an honest broker.




The Miaara -Jewish Cemetery

Following the U.S. landing in 1943, a few pogroms did occur. In June 1948, bloody riots in Oujda and Djerada killed 44 Jews and wounded scores more. That same year, an unofficial economic boycott was instigated against Moroccan Jews. In 1956, Morocco declared its independence, and Jewish immigration to Israel was suspended. In 1963, emigration resumed, allowing more than 100,000 Moroccan Jews to reach Israel.

In 1965, Moroccan writer Said Ghallab described the attitude of his fellow Muslims toward their Jewish neighbours:

“The worst insult that a Moroccan could possibly offer was to treat someone as a Jew....My childhood friends have remained anti-Jewish. They hide their virulent anti-Semitism by contending that the State of Israel was the creature of Western imperialism....A whole Hitlerite myth is being cultivated among the populace. The massacres of the Jews by Hitler are exalted ecstatically. It is even credited that Hitler is not dead, but alive and well, and his arrival is awaited to deliver the Arabs from Israel.”

Nonetheless, before his death in 1999, King Hassan tried to protect the Jewish population, and at present Morocco has one of the most tolerant environments for Jews in the Arab world. Moroccan Jewish emigres, even those with Israeli citizenship, freely visit friends and relatives in Morocco. Moroccan Jews have held leading positions in the business community and government. The major Jewish organization representing the community is the Conseil des Communautes Israelites in Casablanca. Its functions include external relations, general communal affairs, communal heritage, and finance, maintenance of holy places, youth activities, and cultural and religious life.


Rabbi Hanania Benisty, Chief Rabbi d.1953

"The Jews no longer reside in the traditional Jewish Mellah, but intermarriage is almost unknown. The community has always been religious and tolerant....The younger generation prefers to continue its higher education abroad and tends not to return to Morocco. Thus the community is in a process of aging."



Marrakech's Jewish flavour is alas no longer quite as pungent as it once was. But wander through the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter beyond the Place des Ferblantiers, and you still find the embers of a more haimishe time hanging over the Mellah, where the streets, enclosed and brooding, retain their distinctive and utterly beguiling air of days gone by. Several small synagogues remain, though only a few still reverberate to the sound of prayer, and those that do are mighty hard to find, largely because they look like - and indeed are - private houses. But meander along these narrow lanes on a Friday evening and the odds are you'll spot a knitted kippah. A friendly word and you'll be welcomed with open arms to a true Moroccan Shabbat.


Jewish Students, Marrakech 1946/47

On closer inspection, the true nature of the Mellah, the Jewish quarter - in essence, the Moroccan version of the ghettos of European cities - becomes clear. Many of the homes are still decorated with mezuzot and a wealth of other sacred Jewish symbols. Today, Marrakech is home to 300 Jews out of the 5,000 in the whole of Morocco. Marrakech's Mellah, once a vibrant shelter to those expelled from Spain after 1492, recalls an era in which both Jew and Muslim were involved in the salt and spice commerce, and both lived and prayed within the medina's thick paprika-red walls.



In early 2004, Marrakech had a small population of about 260 people, most over the age of 60. Casablanca has the largest community, about 3,000 people. There are synagogues, mikvaot, old-age homes, and kosher restaurants in Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Mogador, Rabat, Tetuan and Tangier. In 1992, most Jewish schools were closed, but Casablanca has experienced a bit of a renewal and now 10 schools serve 800 students there.



Morocco is perhaps Israel's closest friend in the Arab world. King Hassan often tried to be a behind-the-scenes catalyst in the Arab-Israeli peace process. In July 1986, he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in an effort to stimulate progress. Two months later, Hassan met with a delegation of Jews of Moroccan origin, including an Israeli Knesset member. In 1993, after signing the agreement with the PLO, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin paid a formal visit to Morocco. In May 1999, King Hassan organized the first meeting of the World Union of Moroccan Jews, in Marrakech.





Jewish Scout Troop Marrakech 1949

In April and May 2000, the Moroccan government sponsored a series of events and lectures promoting respect among religions. Andre Azoulay, royal counsellor and a leading Jewish citizen, spoke about the need for interfaith respect and dialogue. In October 2000, two Moroccan youths tried to vandalize a Tangiers synagogue. King Mohamed VI publicly declared in a televised speech on November 6, 2000, that the government would not tolerate mistreatment of Morocco’s Jews. The youths were subsequently sentenced to one year in prison.



On May 16, 2003, a series of suicide bombers attacked four Jewish targets in Casablanca, and a fifth attack was made against the Spanish consulate. No Jews were hurt in the attack because it occurred on Shabbat when the buildings were empty of Jews. Twenty-nine Muslims were killed. Though the bombings affected the Jewish sense of security, they were viewed by most Moroccans as assaults on the country's social and political order, and a test of the young king's power, rather than an act of anti-Semitism. King Mohammed VI visited the site of one of the attacks the day it occurred and urged the Jewish community to rebuild. The government subsequently organized a large rally in the streets of Casablanca to demonstrate support for the Jewish community and the king reasserted his family's traditional protection for the country's Jews.



If you’d like to explore the Mellah, then you can enter through the Place des Ferblantiers, which was once referred to as the Place de Mellah. If you are having a hard time finding the area, look for the tin workers who now line the outer edge of the square souk. In this area, you’ll also be able to visit Place Souweka, which is a fountain that marks the centre of the quarters.






A former synagogue which is now a Berber Pharmacy

When walking through the souk, attempt to stay on the main passageways through and you’ll come upon the Jewish Cemetery and shrines that are still visited today. The synagogues are also along this same route and the main ones are called the Lazama and El Fasiines. If you’d rather not have a guide for the area, then you’ll have to ask until you reach your destination. Otherwise, a guide is the easiest way to find them. The Mellah has even more synagogues that are all viewable by navigating your way through the somewhat tricky medina alleyways. Two other synagogues worthy of note are the Rabbi Pinhas and Bitoun.




Courtyard of Lazama Synagogue

After viewing the Badi Palace we headed down the Place des Ferblantiers towards the Mellah. As we came upon a busy market place we asked the local policeman for directions to the Synagogue. He called to the locals and two came to us and showed us to a building on the corner. We could tell it was a synagogue by the external decoration but it was not the Lazama Synagogue we were looking for. Rather it was another former synagogue which housed a Berber pharmacy dealing in herbs and natural remedies. We spent a fascinating time with the pharmacist who showed us the treatment area and demonstrated the herbal remedies and oils. He explained that whilst no longer a synagogue it is being restored and will contain a Jewish Museum and a kosher restaurant.


Lazama synagogue

The Lazama synagogue is not easy to find but if you follow the directions on the map as you get near you will be offered directions by one of the young kids on the lookout for tourists, brought down a long alley to an unmarked door. Entering this door you find yourself in a striking courtyard decorated in the Jewish colours of blue and white and with Hebrew inscriptions on the first floor frieze. The Synagogue is one of a series of buildings constructed around a large, well-tended central courtyard. The eastern side has only recently been embellished by a gallery (ezrat nashim) for women an innovation in Morocco, where women traditionally remained at the entrance to the synagogue or in a separate room. The original wooden movable lectern has been replaced by one of marble along the eastern wall. On the floor above the Lazama synagogue is a Talmud Torah School, a soup kitchen and the community centre.



This synagogue was built in 1492 by the megorashim, or Jews that fled Spain after the Inquisition. When the megorashim first arrived, tensions existed between them and the native Jewish community, who looked like their Arab neighbors and had different religious and cultural practices. They built this synagogue in order to preserve the Spanish methods of Jewish observation, but over the years, the tensions alleviated as the communities began to integrate. After its construction, it also became a yeshiva or Talmud Torah and recruited religious men from many rural regions all over Morocco to study. The community supported these scholars; each family in the mellah would “adopt” a student and sponsor them during the course of their studies.




Tomb of Rabbi Solomon Bel-Hench in the Ourika Valley

"The Jewish community developed a fascinating tradition of rituals and pilgrimages to the tombs of holy sages. There are 13 such famous sites, centuries old, well kept by Muslims. Every year on special dates, crowds of Moroccan Jews from around the world, including Israel, throng to these graves. A unique Moroccan festival, the Mimunah, is celebrated in Morocco and in Israel."

One particular trait of Moroccan Judaism is the veneration of tzaddikim or holy men. This reverence is shared by Moslems, but for different reasons. Sermons in the synagogues by the spiritual leaders of Moroccan Jewry had considerable impact on their audiences. Even today, pilgrimages made by Moroccan Jews to the tombs of the tzaddikim are linked to these rabbis' prophesies. The tzaddik is considered according to Kabbalah to be the "foundation-stone of the world", it is he who hands down judgments made by God. One such place of pilgrimage is only 30km from Marrakech in the Ourika Valley where you will find the tomb of a former Chief Rabbi of Marrakech, Solomon Bel-Hench, which like the tomb of Rabbi Chaim Pinto in Essaouira is still a place of pilgrimage.



Morocco is a place apart, no more so in Marrakech, the city which gave its name to Morocco, with its 70/30 population split between Berber and Arab and with a large expat community. The Rif and Atlas mountains kept it separate and even the colonial interlude seems with hindsight to have had a positive effect in terms of development and self confidence. It was the only country in North Africa not to be ruled by the Ottomans and its status as a Kingdom adds to the sense of difference. Morocco is a tolerant and a more diverse place than you might expect. It was noticeable from the street urchin to the policeman that Jews were only ever referred to respectfully and the Jewish heritage is proudly and openly on display. In this as in other ways there is much about Morocco which is life affirming and we can learn from them how to be good neighbours.

For more background see;

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/morocjews.html

Essaouira – Morocco’s White City

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/03/essaouira-morrocos-white-city.html

Essaouira - Morocco's White City

Ramparts of Essaouira



Today in Marrakech we were up early as I headed off to a place I had long wanted to see; the Atlantic fortress town of Essaouira where Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Bob Marley hung out. It is 180 kms on a dead straight road from Marrakech and in its heyday the caravan trails of the Sahara centred on Timbuktu and then went across the Atlas to Marrakech and through the outside world through Essaouira. Originally known by its Portuguese name of Mogador the town provided providing one of the chain of forts and harbours to the Indies and Portuguese South America – today Brazil. As well as its associations with music and the swinging sixties Essaouira is an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Since its foundation, it has been a major international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world.







Interestingly as well it had been a major Jewish centre in Africa and is still a centre of Jewish pilgrimage and its famous music festival was the brainchild of a French expat whose Jewish roots are in this town which once boasted six Jewish neighbourhoods. Indeed whereas Marrakech is “Al Hamra”, The Red city, to this day Essaouira is painted in the Jewish colours of blue and white.





The beach



Essaouira has never really become a tourist trap. The narrow streets discourage cars, making Essaouira look much as it did in the days of sea pirates. The town where Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley liked to hang out is a perfect spot to unwind, eat great seafood and absorb the mellow vibe. The Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) is a UNESCO World Heritage site an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. With the opening up of Morocco to the rest of the world in the later 17th century Essaouira was laid out by a French architect who had been profoundly influenced by the work of Vauban at Saint-Malo. It has retained its European appearance to a substantial extent. In its heyday it had a population of 70,000 Jews and 50,000 Muslims and even today it is painted in the Jewish colours of white and blue with 6 Jewish districts and the Star of David inscribed on gateways.





Star of David on gateway to Mellah



But to get there we first had to leave Marrakech very early in the morning at 07.30 hrs. At that time going through the suburbs you see another more workmanlike utilitarian city than the tourist town. It is still chilly as you go through the suburbs which have expanded rapidly with apartment dwellings. Many people are walking for public transport isn’t good and the buses are overloaded. At the roadsides stalls have grown up to sell drinks, tea, cigarettes and simple hearty meals of beans and bread. Slowly we free ourselves from Al Hamra and head on the single lane highway the 180 kms to Essaouira. The countryside for the first half or more of the journey is surprisingly fertile with extensive irrigation, market gardening and frequent poly tunnels. The towns on route are linear and rudimentary with no cosy retail experiences, rather pavement stalls, open sided shops and in behind regional markets where the farmers exchange goods and sell their produce on bare ground. All this however is changing with signs of development, the road being replaced by a two lane highway and halfway being bisected by the motorway due to be completed in 2010.









Argan Trees



Then the landscape changes as we drive into a throwback from the Terrasic Era, the forest of the Argan trees. The tree, a relict species from the Tertiary age 1.6 million years ago, is extremely well adapted to drought and other environmentally difficult conditions of south-western Morocco. The species Argania once covered North Africa and is now endangered and under protection of UNESCO. UNESCO declared a 25,900-square-kilometer of land between the Atlantic and the Atlas Mountains as a biosphere preserve and has provided money to manage the trees' preservation. Indeed so hardy and resilient is the tree that all vegetation can have died on the surrounding ground and hungry goats will climb the tree to eat the nuts.







However, a word of warning. Do not stop to take pictures of goats in trees for while solitary goats may climb trees they never do so naturally in groups. If you see a group in a tree they have been forced up it by somebody who will charge you to take photos. If you do stop and pay to take photos you are supporting animal cruelty. This fact rammed home to us when we rounded a corner and saw a farmer throw a terrified young goat into the branches of a tree and then use a stick and rocks to make it go further to join the others in the upper branches.









Coopérative Marjana



A far happier result from the Argan forest was found 15km from Essaouira at Coopérative Marjana, a women's argan co-op. Here you can take a tour to learn how argan oil is made, chat with the women, and pick up treats like homemade soap or 'amlou in the co-op store to bring home. Argan oil is oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree, endemic to Morocco, which is valued for its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties. At the Coopérative Marjana Berber women sit on the floor with rough rectangular stones between their knees cracking pits with rounded rocks. Each smooth pit contains one to three kernels, which look like sliced almonds and are rich in oil. The kernels are then removed and gently roasted. This roasting accounts for part of the oil's distinctive, nutty flavour. It takes several days and about 32 kilograms of fruit - roughly one season's produce from a single tree - to make only one litre of oil. The cosmetic oil, rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, is used for massage, facials and as an ingredient in anti-aging cream. The edible oil is extracted from roasted kernels.



All argan sold today is produced by these women's cooperatives which share the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. The cooperatives have established with UNESCO’s help a sustainable ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of argan oil will not run out and the income that is currently supporting the women will not disappear. The money is providing healthcare and education to the local women, and supporting the entire community as a whole. Indeed scientists believe that the ability of this time traveller from plant history holds the secret to reversing desertification in North Africa as bands of Argan trees are being planted in Morocco and Algeria to halt and ultimately reverse the encroachment of the Sahara.







Soon as we emerge from the Argan forest the landscape changes as we near the Atlantic on which Morocco has a lengthy and in this region a somewhat windy coastline due to the trade winds. Some clues to this are the wind farms on the heights and the fact that the nearest Canary Island almost in a straight line west is called Funteventura, Spanish for the strong winds. Then we stop on the viewpoint on the heights before we descend to Essaouira and we see on this tumultuous coastline the raison d’etre for the city, the sheltered harbour , the ramparts of the fortified town and the 7 kms of beach beloved of the windsurfers who flock here. With mounting excitement we descend and alight at the ramparts of the Medina, the walled city.







Essaouira is a very picturesque city with a bustling harbour, colourful souks, fine fish restaurants, a nice medina, and a culture that lends back to the sixties. It is sometimes nicknamed the white city, since in contrast to Marrakech; all of the houses are white. It is windy on the sea shore much of the time, which makes for a cool outdoors in summer, and has managed to develop without losing any of its charm.







The present city of Essaouira was only built during the 18th century. Mohammed III, wishing to reorient his kingdom towards the Atlantic for increased exchanges with European powers, chose Mogador as his key location. He directed a French engineer, Théodore Cornut, who had been captured and enslaved, and several other European architects and technicians, to build the fortress and city along modern lines. Originally called "Souira", "The small fortress", the name then became "Es-Saouira", "The beautifully designed". In laying out the town of Essaouira Cornut was influenced by the work of Vauban at Saint-Malo. It has retained its European appearance to a substantial extent.





Grand Place



From the time of its rebuilding by Muhammad II until the end of the nineteenth century, Essaouira served as Morocco's principal port, offering the goods of the caravan trade to the world. The route brought goods from sub-Saharan Africa to Timbuktu, then through the desert and over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. The road from Marrakech to Essaouira is a straight line, explaining the King's choice of this port among the many that the Moroccan coast offers. Mohammed ben Abdallah encouraged Moroccan Jews to settle in the town and handle the trade with Europe. Jews once comprised 40% of the population, and the Jewish quarter, or Mellah remains, containing many old synagogues. The town also has a large Jewish cemetery. The city flourished until the caravan trade died, outmoded by direct European trade with sub-Saharan Africa.







Essaouira is the site of an annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Chaim Pinto, whose home and synagogue are preserved as an historic and religious site, the Chaim Pinto Synagogue. The Simon Attias Synagogue is also still standing.







Essaouira possesses a classical European 'Grand Place,' beautifully preserved ramparts and naval fortifications, one of the finest remaining fortified ports in the world, and numerous monuments of historical interest left by figures ranging from sixteenth-century Portuguese explorers right up to Orson Welles and Jimmy Hendrix. Its architecture is both harmonious and yet varied, exposing at different times its French, Portuguese, and Berber heritages. Mixing historic buildings with award-winning twentieth century designs lining its long, serene boardwalk, Essaouira is, like Morocco itself, a study in contrasts - its impressive ramparts and cannon-studded walls enclosing tranquil winding streets, the bustle of the souks giving way to the crumbling grandeur of the ancient Mellah, mosques nestled next to churches and synagogues; and just minutes from the crash of ocean waves one finds the many great riads, their tranquil courtyards and soaring atriums restored to the golden age of Moroccan tilework and woodcraft, offering hospitality once again in the purest Moroccan tradition.





The former French Palais de Justice



For a fantastic picturesque view over the port, climb the sea bastions by the harbour, known as Skala du Port. Here, you can also see the Ile du Mogador, the walled Medina and capture the colourful, laid-back image of Essaouira. Skala du Port is open daily to the public from 8:30 – Noon & 14:30 – 18:00, admission is 10dh.







In the early 1950s film director and actor Orson Welles stayed at the Hotel des Iles just south of the town walls during the filming of his 1952 classic version of "Othello" which contains several memorable scenes shot in the labyrinthine streets and alleyways of the medina. Legend has it that during Welles's sojourn in the town he met Winston Churchill, another guest at the Hotel des Iles. Orson Welles's bust is located in a small square just outside the medina walls close to the sea.





Orson Welles sans nez



For a real local experience, head to the fish stalls at the end of the port off of the main square, Place Moulay Hassan. Check out the fresh catch of the day, grab a seat, and nibble on bread and fresh salad as you wait for your fish to be grilled. A great spot for groups, though tourists tend to get ripped off. Expect to pay about 40-70dh for your meal.





Fish stall by harbour







Many of the tourists visiting Essaouira are drawn by its sandy beach, but equally the strong wind known here as “alizee”. This creates much sought-after waves for wind-surfing and the town has effectively promotes itself as “Windy City, Africa”. In the summer, Essaouira is awash with windsurfers from across the globe taking part in international windsurfing contests.





Medina - fish market





Fresh chicken - with even fresher chickens behind



Essaouira is not only popular with youthful European backpackers. A great deal of chain hotels and villas have sprung up along the modern cornice by the beach, making it increasingly popular with independent travellers and packages. It remains, however, a pollution-free atmosphere and the best spot to unwind and relax after a visit to the cities, Marrakech or the desert. Essaouira has a long sandy beach that's typically too windy for sunbathing, but makes the perfect setting for a sunrise or pre-sunset stroll. If you do decide to hang out for the day, it's worth renting a beach chair (40dh) so you're able to use the bathrooms and order drinks at the cafe across the way.







Essaouira is famed for its high-quality and unique wood-carving workshops. To sample the great variety of carved woods, head down to Rue de Skala to see artisans painstakingly produce amazing marquetry work in the various marquetry and wood-carving workshops built into the ramparts. Goods range from little containers and boxes to magnificent chests and intricately carved tables. To gauge quality and prices I suggest you visit the emporium at Afalkay Art at Place Prince Moulay Al Hassan first to see the “prix fixe” before you attempt to haggle in the markets.





Wood workshop





The finished products



The Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival held for a week every June celebrate the music of the Gnaouas, the product of a mystic tradition with branches as widespread as Haitian voodoo and Brazilian Candomblé. Performers include the best local and international musicians of the genre. This is a festival devoted to the feats of the Gnaouas, best known for their tasselled hats, which spin wildly as the musicians’ rock. Originating through a cross-pollination of African magic and Islamic rituals, the Gnaoua brotherhoods form a structured unit around a master. He leads the music and dancing until the participants are in a trance induced by the mesmeric rhythms of the drums, the guenbri (a form of lute) and the hand-held garagab (metal castanets). During religious ceremonies, Gnaouas have been known to impale themselves on swords or beat their heads with iron balls without sustaining visible external injury. You can see how this music influenced earlier visitors anxious to discover their African roots, including musical roots.







With the French colonisation of Morocco in 1912 a great deal changed. The French moved the capital from Fez to Rabat as being on the coast it was easier to reinforce. In the major cities they built French “Ville Nouvelles” and French people were forbidden to live in the warren like Medina’s, the wide avenues of the Villes Nouvelles were far more machine gun friendly if there was a rebellion. With the building of the railway from Tangiers to Marrakech via Rabat and Casablanca, Essaouira lost both its economic and strategic importance and went into a long decline and slumber in the 20th Century. After the Second World War many of the Jewish population emigrated. In the Moroccan tradition of tolerance King Mohammed V asserted his family's traditional protection for the country's Jews and refused to allow the French to register Jews or enforce the racist Vichy laws in Morocco. From 1963 over 100,000 Jews emigrated to Israel and many French passport holders went to France.







In any event the trade on which the Jewish community depended has largely gone. Mellah, the name for Jewish areas is the Arabic word for salt for this commodity and the sugar trade were largely Jewish and indeed many gateways and buildings in the town still display the Star of David and other Jewish symbols.







There is evidence of dereliction and decay throughout the Medina however there is also evidence that in the past 10 years the tide has turned and Essaouira is enjoying a rebirth and a reinvention. The King has an ambitious development programme for Morocco and if you look at the website for the local province it is in seven languages with an offer for anybody to make suggestions for development projects – hardly that provincial! Tourism has increased here as in the rest of Morocco but the windsurfing fraternity have made the beach their own but here there are extensive developments of new hotels as visitors are attracted by the mix of new and old. Many expats have taken up residence in the Medina renovating old properties attracted by the good year round climate and the discount on Marrakech prices. The diaspora of the Jewish community still retain strong links with Essaouira and are behind many of the festivals and events which are raising its international profile. Others are investing in this town which is still very much in their hearts. So as this old lady awakens from her long slumber make a bee line for the White City to soak in its athmosphere, get the vibe and eat great seafood after testing yourself on the Atlantic breakers.