Rabat – Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has taken to Twitter to thank King Mohammed VI and Morocco for preserving coexistence and connections with its Jewish community.
On January 17, the Israeli president tweeted a press report from 2M about the King’s visit to Bayt Dakira, a Jewish center dedicated to the legacy of Judaism in Essaouira.
The King visited the historical landmark on January 15. Members of Morocco’s Jewish community attended the ceremony.
French-Moroccan comedian Gad Elmaleh also attended the event, among other celebrities and public figures.
“Heartfelt thanks and blessings” to King Mohammed VI, the Israeli president wrote on Twitter.
Rivlin expressed satisfaction with the King’s willingness to continue the “legacy of his ancestors through strong connections to the Jews of Morocco and nurturing coexistence between Muslims, Jews, and Christians.”
Very moved by this week’s dedication ceremony of Beyt Dakir, the Museum of Moroccan #Jewish Heritage in Essaouira, in the presence of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of #Morocco pic.twitter.com/Xc4zl4Kz5Y
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) January 17, 2020
The president said he was moved by the dedication ceremony of Bayt Dakira in the presence of the King.
Morocco is among the states that refuse diplomatic normalization with Israel due to its solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause.
Read Also: King Mohammed VI Honors Morocco’s Jewish Community in Essaouira
Morocco, however, has been home to thousands of Moroccan Jew for 1,000 years.
Although fewer than 2,000 Moroccan Jews now live in Morocco, thousands flock to the city of Essaouira every year to celebrate religious events and Jewish pilgrimages, such as the Hiloula of Rabbi Haim Pinto.
Moroccan-Jewish figures regularly speak out about their attachment to their homeland. One of the latest testimonies came from former Israeli politician and ambassador to France and the UN, Yehuda Lancry.
In an interview with I24News, the former ambassador said he was lucky to “be raised in Morocco for 17 years before we left to Israel”
It was necessary for us to leave because it was my family’s ambition,” he said.
The small Jewish community in Morocco “enjoy all rights and equality under the leadership of King Mohammed VI,” Lancry underlined.
The Jewish community in Morocco, estimated at 1,800, is spread across the country, especially in the larger cities in areas called Mellah, or walled cities.
