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Postcard from Morocco

JL;DR SUMMARY Beth El synagogue in Casablanca, once a vibrant center of Jewish life in Morocco, highlights the decline of this historic Jewish community amid changing circumstances and recent developments, such as the Abraham Accords. 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

Abraham AccordsMoroccan Jewish CommunityJewish HeritageCasablancaBeth El SynagogueMoroccan GovernmentIsraeli TourismRabbi PintoJewish DeclinePostcolonial Challenges

Places mentioned

Casablanca, Morocco
"Two Parisian men are sitting in the Beth El synagogue on the edge of the old Jewish Quarter of Casablanca."
Rabat, Morocco
"Rabbi Pinto has moved to the capital, Rabat, where he styles himself as the Av Beth Dinpresident of the rabbinical courts of Morocco."
Tangier, Tangier-Assilah, Morocco
"Just this August, another synagogue-cum-museum reopened in the Casbah of Tangier, in a tiny street near two others (in Tangier, wealthy Jewish families liked to each have their own synagogue)."
Marrakesh, Marrakech, Morocco
"Kobi Yifrach, an Israeli who emigrated to Morocco with his wife and daughter to learn about his parents heritage, put his misgivings about the city in a different way."
Meknes, Meknès, Morocco
"Were in the last few years of having any Jews at all in the smaller communities, like Meknes, Rabat, and Tangier."

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Cairo Item ID 48166
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Retrieved 2025-04-03 05:32:09 UTC
Curated 2025-04-03 08:35:26 UTC