Rabat – The first edition of the “Jewish Days of Tangier” kicked off Thursday, March 10, in Tangier.
The event aims to encourage interreligious and intercultural dialogue through events that promote the transfer and exchange of knowledge. It is initiated by the Lorin Foundation and the Moroccan-Israeli Friendship (AJM) Association, under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication.
This inaugural edition of “Jewish Days of Tangier”, which takes place from March 10 to 12, will mark a guided tour to the medina (old city) and areas of Jewish presence in Tangier.
The event will include the screening of the film “Jewish Moroccans, a thwarted destinies” by Younes Laghrari, which is a documentary about Jewish-Muslim relations in Morocco.
In addition, singers Lala Tamar and Anas Belhachmi will host a concert of Jewish-Andalusian songs.
Sonia Cohen Azagury, in charge of the conservation of the Jewish heritage of Tangier, will organize an exhibition of the traditional costumes of Jewish brides known as Berberisca.
The “Jewish Days of Tangier”, which was organized around the occasion of International Women’s Day, takes place at the headquarters of the Lorin Foundation in Tangier, with the participation of the Tangier’s City Council, the Israeli Liaison Office in Rabat, and the Jewish Community Council in Tangier.
Andre Gomel, vice-president of the AJM Association, stated that this edition celebrates women through a conference that addresses the status of Jewish and Muslim women in Morocco.
The event aims to highlight the city of Tangier as a space of interculturality, cohabitation, and tolerance and to promote values that are known among the people of Tangier, such as friendship and peace towards different communities, added Gomel.
Gomel noted that this initiative saw the light thanks to two women from Tangier, Nacima Kerouad and Myriam Mesmoudi.
Simone Mrejern-O’Hana, doctor in the sciences of religion and systems of thought, stressed that this event is an opportunity to discuss the status of Jewish women in Morocco and to highlight the value of Jewish people within Moroccan society.
Mrejern-O’Hana highlighted that Morocco is a country that has always welcomed Jewish people with open arms, especially those from Spain and Portugal.
She added that Morocco is a “plural nation” and a land of encounter, tolerance, peace, and openness and that she is “proud to be Moroccan”.
Aicha Haddou, Director of the Center for Research and Training in Interfaith Relations, emphasized the secular cohabitation of Jews and Muslims in Morocco, noting that Moroccan culture is imbued with universal human values, such as respect for pluralism, diversity, and tolerance.
Haddou confirmed that Morocco has made considerable progress in promoting women’s rights, noting, however, that there is still a long way to go in this regard to combat gender discrimination and achieve equality and equity.
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