A forward-looking vision of an essential component of national memory

The Jewish Museum in Casablanca: A forward-looking vision of an essential component of national memory

This step would not have been achieved, at that time, had it not been for the depth of choices, Morocco, which is the only Arab and Islamic country that cares about its Hebrew cultural heritage as a tributary of the national identity, which is embodied in several initiatives launched on more than one occasion in different parts of the country, including This museum was established in 1997, the same year in which the Jewish Museum in Paris was opened

The Jewish Museum in Casablanca

These steps related to the interest in the Moroccan Hebrew heritage can be found in the Moroccan constitution of 2011, which states that among the tributaries that form the identity of the Kingdom of Morocco is the Hebrew tributary. It also finds its support in the initiatives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, aimed at preserving the cultural and religious heritage of the Moroccan Jewish component, and consecrating the richness and diversity of the spiritual components of the Kingdom

The museum, located in the El Ouizis district in Casablanca, contains some components of the local Moroccan-Jewish heritage, including traditional costumes and clothes, traditional Moroccan jewelry and Jewish wedding dresses from different Moroccan regions

The museum also has recordings of Jewish singers, taarab flags and Jewish singing in Morocco, such as Salim Hilali, Sami Al Maghribi, Zahra El Fassia, and Maxime Croce, in addition to a collection of documentaries and films about Moroccan Jews, and then many Moroccan manuscripts written in Moroccan dialect but in Hebrew letters

The Jewish Museum in Casablanca Morocco

What is included in the museum is also a collection of very old books, such as Azzouz Cohen's document, which is the only one in the world, and it is only found in this museum, and it was written around 1933, and it is written in Moroccan Arabic with Hebrew letters

In addition, there are collectibles that embody Jewish crafts, as Jewish craftsmen practiced several professions such as making brass, threads, and weaving such as making ready-to-wear clothes, then making comb for pulling wool, in addition to other handicrafts such as making belt “buckles” and embroidery. Saddles, blacksmithing, carpentry, weaving hats or gauze and shoes

In general, the museum displays various aspects of the professional, family and religious life of Moroccan Jews, as well as spaces that represent places of Jewish rituals and religious rituals

If the establishment of this museum is a natural extension of the great care that Morocco and its kings pay to the Moroccan Jewish component in its various manifestations, then it is also a space for cultural, scientific and social interaction open to the future, in addition to being a symbol of coexistence and tolerance that has marked the life of Moroccans since ancient times

The Jewish Museum in Al-Bayda .. Memory of Religious Tolerance in Morocco

This particular factor was expressed in the same way by Mrs. Zahour Rahhel, director and governor of the Moroccan Jewish Museum in Casablanca, at the beginning of this year, during her participation in a symposium on the topic "The Arab component in Moroccan culture and its historical linguistic fabric", organized within the framework of the activities of the International Exhibition. For publication and book in Dar al-Bayda, where it considered that "Morocco is the only Arab and Islamic country that cares about its Hebrew cultural heritage" as it is a tributary of the national identity

More than that, she emphasized that the major cultural centers that are concerned with the Jewish heritage in the world are Ashkenazi centers dealing with the Western Jewish heritage, explaining that Morocco is the Arab and Islamic country that is clinging to the Hebrew heritage, so he launched many initiatives to preserve and research this heritage

In this context, she mentioned the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the "House of Memory" in the ancient city of Essaouira, which is a historical, cultural and spiritual space for preserving and valuing the Moroccan Jewish memory, and unique in the southern Mediterranean and in the Islamic world

She added that the "International Research Center Haim and Celia Zafarani" on the history of relations between Judaism and Islam, which is housed in the "House of Memory" in Essaouira, will contribute to deepening research in the Moroccan Hebrew heritage, noting that the name of the center has a strong connotation considering the rich bibliography and valuable writings left by Haim Zaafarani about the Moroccan Jewish heritage

In general, this museum is a reservoir of valuable artifacts, a collective memory, and a symbol of coexistence and tolerance that Moroccans of different religions live in, in a social environment marked by mutual respect, communication and interaction in various aspects of life

The Jewish Museum in Casablanca ... the only one in the Arab world