History

There have been Jews in Morocco for over 3,000 years, longer than there have been Arabs in the area. Even in the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, there are traces of a synagogue.

Today, however, most of the synagogues are as deserted as the remains of this ancient civilization. Many are still maintained by the government and the King, but most are for tourists and pilgrims, and they rarely hold services.

In 1950 there were more than a quarter of a million Jews in Morocco, but today there are maybe 2,000, and most of them are in the big urban areas of Casablanca and Marrakech. The Jewish people of Morocco have left, most for Israel, France, or Canada and the U.S. The old country, Morocco, however, remembers them. In every city you can find a mellah, an old Jewish quarter or ghetto. 

Moroccan antique shops are still stocked with Jewish handcrafts and artifacts, even menorahs and mezuzahs. It is interesting to would point out that so much of the "traditional" Moroccan culture, the artwork and the music, has its origins in the Moroccan Jewish community. 

Every tour guide in every city will say, "This is a place of respect and cooperation for every person, regardless of religion! Jews and Muslims lived here together as friends for many years." When traveling to Morocco for the first time, many people would ask if they should be worried, or they can disclose that they are Jewish, if they are likely to face anti-semitism. 

That could not have been farther from the reality. Moroccans love their Jewish history, and they are proud of it. Judaism is even protected under the Moroccan constitution (as of 2011) and the King's title of "Commander of the Faithful" explicitly refers not just to Muslims, but to Moroccan Jews and Christians as well. "All people are really one and the same, we have to get along, as Jews and Muslims did here for centuries," We feel safe and welcomed. It is so easy to be Jewish in Morocco.