Preservation of Moroccan-Jewish heritage: HM King Mohammed VI perpetuates the strong legacy of HM Mohammed V and HM Hassan II

Casablanca, 30/01/2023 (MAP) – HM King Mohammed VI is particularly interested in preserving the Hebrew component of the national identity and the Jewish-Moroccan heritage, thus perpetuating the torch of His Grandfather, the late HM Mohammed V and His Father, the late HM Hassan II.

Several concrete actions and initiatives bear witness to this High Royal solicitude for the safeguard of the rich Jewish-Moroccan heritage. They include the enshrinement in the preamble of the Kingdom’s Constitution of the Hebraic tributary of Moroccan identity, the rehabilitation and upgrading of places of worship, shrines, neighbourhoods and cemeteries, the organisation of the Jewish community by endowing it with institutions such as the National Council of the Moroccan Jewish Community, the Commission of Moroccan Jews Abroad and the Foundation of Moroccan Jewry.

All these actions and many others, which have been widely praised by the international community, make Morocco a haven of peace that embraces universalism, by advocating inter-religious dialogue and the values of tolerance, coexistence, living together and otherness, at a time when the world is in the grip of upheavals, communitarianism and identity-based withdrawal.

And it is particularly this enlightened vision that was highly praised, this Sunday 29th January 2023 in Casablanca, on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, marked by the participation of the Minister of National Education, Chakib Benmoussa, the Secretary General of the Council of the Jewish Community of Morocco (CCIM), Serge Berdugo, the Ambassador of the United States to Morocco, Puneet Talwar and the acting head of the Israel Liaison Office in Rabat, Ambassador Alona Fisher-Kamm.

During this conclave, many testimonies were given to highlight this Royal approach which distinguishes the Kingdom as a country offering a little more discernment when the clamours of exclusion rise and the most caricatural amalgams that feed a culture of rejection and the denial of knowing how to live together are multiplied.

In this regard, Mr Talwar told M24, MAP’s 24-hour news channel, that HM King Mohammed VI continues to perpetuate the “strong legacy” of the late HM King Mohammed V and HM King Hassan II “by supporting tolerance, coexistence and religious harmony”.

For her part, Mrs Fisher-Kamm stressed, in a similar statement, that thanks to its consecration, throughout its history, of the principle of tolerance and coexistence, Morocco can today serve as a model for the “whole world” and play a “very important role in inter-religious dialogue”.

Mr Berdugo echoed this view, recalling that since the accession to the throne of His glorious ancestors, “His Majesty King Mohammed VI has established a vision of Morocco that is the envy of the world, a vision of tolerance and respect for minorities.

The wise vision and salutary actions of the Sovereign have enabled the reestablishment of links with 800,000 Moroccan Jews who were living abroad, “and who only wanted to return to Morocco, to find their roots, to recognise the places of their ancestors and to reestablish links with their fellow Muslims”, the CCIM’s General Secretary said with satisfaction.

Organised under the theme: “Mohammed V: Saviour of Moroccan Jews during the Shoah”, this commemoration was an opportunity to recall the firm position of the late HM King Mohammed V, who opposed any action by the Vichy government against Moroccans of Jewish profession, and to highlight the actions of HM King Mohammed VI for the preservation and promotion of the Jewish-Moroccan heritage.

Co-organised by the Mimouna Association, the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco and the United Nations Information Centre in Rabat, this day was also marked by the presence of the President of the National Museums Foundation (FNM), Mehdi Qotbi, the Governor of the Prefecture of Casablanca-Anfa, Aziz Dades, and several members of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities.