The chief rabbi of the Jewish community in Morocco, Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, has opened the first Jewish kindergarten in Morocco. The institution is located at the Driss Slaoui boulevard in Casablanca.
Jewish NGO Shuva Maroc, chaired by rabbi Pinto, announced the inauguration of the educational institution last week.
According to a press release from the organization, the kindergarten will allow Jewish families living in Casablanca to initiate their children to Judaism and Jewish history.
“This project founded by Chief Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto aims to enable Jewish families to educate their children in an Orthodox religious framework, and to consolidate the rabbi’s program to establish a real framework meeting the expectation of practicing Jewish families in Morocco,” the press release said.
The kindergarten will accommodate Jewish children aged two to seven years old. The institution will initiate the learners to their religion through readings of the Talmud, similarly to how Quranic schools operate. Students will also learn the Hebrew language in the educational facility.
So far, 15 children have enrolled in the kindergarten. Rabbi Pinto announced he will cover all the tuition fees.
Recent developments, such as the re-establishment of Morocco-Israel relations, have pushed the North African country’s openness about its Jewish culture to new heights.
In November 2020, King Mohammed VI approved a decision to teach Jewish history and culture in the Arabic-language curriculum for public primary schools in Morocco.
The decision seeks to combat antisemitism through raising children’s awareness about the role that Jews have played in Morocco throughout the years.
