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Salé, Morocco

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Salé History: Salé is the twin port city of Rabat, Morocco’s capital since 1912. Salé is located on the northern bank of the Bou Regreg River on the Atlantic coast, while Rabat is located on the southern bank of the same river. It is believed that Salé’s Jewish community can be traced back to before the arrival of Islam. Both Rabat and Salé were the only ports to not be captured by Christians. Under the rule of the Marinids, the Wattasids, and the Saʿdis, Salé flourished and was recognized as a center of urban civilization. Salé received fewer Jewish refugees than other Moroccan cities during the time when Jews were fleeing persecution in Spain, Portugal, and elsewhere. Piracy and trade flourished in both Rabat and Salé during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with Jews mainly taking part in the import of weapons with the help of their coreligionists in the Netherlands. Jews also held prominent positions as ambassadors, navigating the trade and finances between Morocco and European powers. Sale was a renowned center, with it being home to many important scholars, the venerated Kabbalist Hayyim Ben Attar, and was a hub for Sabbateanism, a Jewish messianic movement driven by the Sabbatai Zevi. The importance of these two cities decreased with the events of an earthquake in 1755, a famine in 1799, and the establishment of a rival Moroccan port named Essaouira in 1764. The Alliance Israelite Universelle established a school in Salé in 1913, with resistance taking place in the beginning of its creation, but once their Chief Rabbi Raphael Anqawa gave his support, resistance diminished and support actually grew, causing the Talmud Torah schools to decline in number.¹ In 1936 there were 502 students enrolled in the AIU in Salé, and in 1951 there were 536 students.² While Rabat slowly gained prominence when it was declared the capital of Morocco in 1912, Salé remained in the shadow of its twin city. In the late eighteenth century Salé had around 2,000 Jews, by 1912, their population dropped to 1,500. By 1931, the population grew to approximately 2,300, in 1936 there were 2,600, and in 1951 there were 3,300.³ During the beginning of the twenty-first century little to no Jews could be found in Salé.

Salé, Morocco

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