Over 2,000 Moroccan Jews Arrive in Essaouira to Celebrate Hiloula of Rabbi Haim Pinto

A record of more than 2,000 members of the Moroccan Jewish community from across the world visited the Moroccan city of Essaouira last week to celebrate the Hiloula of Saint Rabbi Haim Pinto after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rabat – A record of more than 2,000 members of the Moroccan Jewish community from across the world visited the Moroccan city of Essaouira last week to celebrate the Hiloula of Saint Rabbi Haim Pinto after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hiloula of Rabbi Haim Pinto, or the Yom Hillula, is a religious meeting that marks the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Haim Pinto. He was one of the most popular Hiloulas – a Jewish scholar or teacher – as well as the leader of Essaouira.

Every year on the 26th of Elul – the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar – Jews from all over the world come on pilgrimage to pray at Rabbi Haim Pinto’s grave in the old Jewish cemetery in Essaouira.

Moroccan author Ahmed Ghayet posted a video on his Facebook page, showing hundreds of Moroccan Jews exceptionally eager to celebrate the Hiloula of Rabbi Haim Pinto. The participants in the ceremony are seen singing and dancing while holding pictures of King Mohammed VI and waving Morocco’s flag, an expression of their attachment to their motherland.

“More than 2000 pilgrims for the Hiloula of Rabbi Haim Pinto in Essaouira … The highest number ever reached!” reads the video’s caption.

Ghayet also shared a video showing the moment an EL Al Airlines’ plane carrying Israeli tourists arrived from Tel Aviv in Morocco last week.

Eyal David, Israel’s deputy head of mission in Morocco said on Twitter: “I am sure that they [the Israeli tourists] will enjoy discovering this wonderful historical city [Essaouira] that I personally adore.”

Rabbi David Hanania Pinto, Rabbi Chaim Pinto’s fifth descendant, shared a four-hour long video documenting the Jewish community commemorating the occasion with a wide range of rituals, including visiting Haim Pinto’s Synagogue and Mausoleum.

Since they re-established diplomatic ties in December 2020, Morocco and Israel have taken a series of measures to consolidate relations, including boosting the Israeli tourism market in the North African country.

Last April, more than 15,000 Israeli tourists visited Morocco to celebrate Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.