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A Mourner’s Prayer in Morocco

JL;DR SUMMARY In an evocative personal narrative, the author recounts a journey to Morocco in 1998, where an unexpected encounter in Marrakesh's Jewish quarter fosters a profound spiritual connection through the recitation of Kaddish by a local rabbi. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

IdentityDiasporaTraumaConnectionMourningCultural HeritageReconciliationKaddishJewish Muslim RelationsMoroccan Jewry

Places mentioned

Casablanca, Morocco
"On a main street, somewhere in Casablanca, on the faade of a yellowish building blanketed by the sun, I saw a plaque that read:"
Marrakesh, Marrakech, Morocco
"Bill and I headed south to Marrakesh. We wandered around the ancient city, enjoying the gorgeous sun-soaked morning."
New York City, New York, United States
"I have only heard the Kaddish in New York City. No one I knew ever died outside New York, my home, my place of deep connection, trauma, and history."

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Cairo Item ID 49076
Cairo Source ID 7
Retrieved 2025-04-11 05:30:38 UTC
Curated 2025-04-11 08:31:33 UTC