Rabat – Moroccan and Israeli researchers are joining forces to excavate the remnants of Jewish life in Morocco, according to Israeli news reports.
The news comes months after the two countries jointly uncovered an abandoned mud-brick synagogue in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
“This research is a new opportunity which is sitting at the intersection of changes in the way [Israelis] are thinking about Jews from Morocco,” Orit Ouaknine-Yekutieli, a history scholar from Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev was quoted as saying in Israeli media.
She added that the mission aims to also help Israelis change their perception of “the agreement with Israel, and the relationship between Jews and Morocco itself.”
The two teams of researchers succeeded in unearthing a repository for historical and religious documents and objects.
While noting the importance of the Abraham Accords in boosting cooperation between the two countries, Yekutieli explained that she had closely cooperated with Moroccan researchers long before the countries decided to normalize diplomatic ties in 2020.
“Our research is taking advantage of this unique intersection of opportunities, but it’s also the result of years of close cooperation with friends in Morocco that was less formal until now,” she was quoted as saying.
The Israeli researcher, who is of Moroccan descent, said that “as Moroccans, we say it was the many tzaddikim [righteous Jews] and maraboutim [Islamic holy men] that are in this place that took care of the geniza and guarded our project.”
Jewish communities have been present in Morocco for over 2,000 years, with evidence of Jewish settlement dating back to the Roman era.
Following the Arab conquest of Morocco in the 7th century, Jews were able to live and practice their religion under Islamic rule, albeit as a protected minority known as dhimmis.
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