Morocco’s Ministry of Justice seeks to enhance the role of the Hebrew Chamber of the Civil Court.
Minister of Justice Mohamed Ben Abdelkader visited the Hebrew Chamber in Casablanca on Wednesday.
The official held meetings with judges at the chamber to learn about their expectations regarding the government’s plan to improve the role that the Hebrew chamber plays within the framework of the Moroccan judicial system.
During the visit, Ben Abdelkader unveiled the new nameplate bearing the name of the Hebrew Chamber.
For Ben Abdelkader, the plan to make the Hebrew chamber more visible and better integrated within the Moroccan system echoes the North African country’s longstanding history of social inclusiveness and religious tolerance. The Hebrew judicial system was “historically framed by several royal decrees,” he argued.
The decrees stressed that Morocco constitutes an “exception in that the kingdom is the only Arab country where Moroccan citizens celebrate the Jewish religion and benefit from their own Hebrew judicial system.”
The Moroccan minister also emphasized that the Hebrew judicial system in Morocco has undergone development and has become “specialized in matters of personal status on the basis of the Law of Moses.”
The President of the Chamber, Judge Rabbi Joseph Israel, expressed satisfaction with the visit.
Joseph Israel has been a judge at the court since 1987.
The chamber specializes in settling personal matters for Moroccans of Jewish faith, including marriage, divorce, as well as last will and testament.
The judge recalled that Morocco is the only country in the world that has a Hebrew Chamber.
“This situation does not even exist in European countries,” he said.
