Morocco Inaugurates Museum Dedicated to Jewish History in Tangier

Rabat – Tangier’s medina (city center) now has a museum dedicated to promoting and preserving the city’s Jewish history.

The inauguration of the Beit Yehuda museum took place this week on Friday, in the presence of Jewish residents as well as local authorities in the Tangier region, including the governor of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Mohamed Mhidia, and President of the Regional Council, Omar Moro.

The Secretary General of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, Serge Berdugo, also attended the inauguration ceremony.

Berdugo emphasized the importance of the inauguration, saying that it reflects King Mohammed VI’s vision to promote the mutual relationship of attachment and commitment between the Moroccan diaspora and their homeland.

The inauguration also reflects the cultural and civilizational diversity of Morocco as well as the interaction between the different components of Morocco’s culture, including the Jewish heritage and culture that “constitute an important element,” he added.

The museum project was part of the rehabilitation work of the city’s synagogue abandoned for over 60 years.

The rehabilitation work required a budget of MAD 2 million ($192,361) financed by Morocco’s Ministry of Culture.

A committee of the Jewish community also contributed financially to the realization of the works of scenography of the museum space to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Judaism.

King Mohammed VI has been emphasizing the importance of Jewish identity as an integral part of Morocco’s cultural diversity. On Saturday, the King dedicated a long passage in his King and People’s Revolution speech to highlighting the importance of the diaspora, including the Jewish community.

Emphasizing the importance of the Moroccan diaspora, the King urged the government to improve Morocco’s investment ecosystem to attract more investments from the Moroccan communities residing abroad.

“The time has come to make sure the Moroccan community abroad gets the accompaniment it needs, to create the right conditions and to provide the means for our fellow citizens abroad to give their best and thus contribute to their country’s development,” the King said, insisting on the need to create a “lasting structural connection with Moroccan experts and talents abroad.”

The Moroccan diaspora has mainly applauded King Mohammed VI’s instructions to include Jewish history in Morocco’s education.

Although Morocco is now home to only about 2,000 Jewish people due to mass emigration, thousands of the Jewish-Moroccan diaspora members have expressed satisfaction with Morocco’s efforts to maintain strong links with the diverse Moroccan communities living abroad.