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Old Jewish Cemetery in the Medina, Casablanca, Morocco
Morocco has historically been a hub for Jewish life and excellence. Jews have lived in Morocco since the antiquity period which had firmly established their place in Moroccan society.[1] As the largest city in Morocco, Casablanca naturally had a flourishing Jewish population that would unfortunately decrease post WWII due to growing antisemitism and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. There are two Jewish cemeteries in Casablanca alone, and the Old Jewish Cemetery holds the most history.
Description
Setting:
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Casablanca, Morocco sits in the old city, the Medina. Just inland of the Atlantic Ocean, it is accessed by the nearby road Boulevard de la Grande Ceinture and shares a wall with the European Ben M’Sik cemetery.[2] The International Jewish Cemetery Project reported on the Casablanca Cemetery, that "The Jewish cemetery in the mellah is open and quiet, with well-kept white stone markers in French, Hebrew and Spanish. Once a year, Casablancans celebrate a hiloula, or prayer festival, at the tomb of the Jewish saint, Eliahou.”[3] This saint is entombed at the Old Jewish Cemetery and helps to keep the site preserved and celebrated.[4]
Current day:
The cemetery can be visited by calling the number on the door. There have been preservation efforts logging the entirety of the cemetery’s names of people who have been buried there, giving descendants and others interested a chance to find family or research individuals.[5]
Casablanca, Morocco
© Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap
Sources
[1]https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-of-morocco
[2]https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2378252/jewish-cemetery
[3]http://iajgscemetery.org/africa/morocco/casablanca
[4] Cohen, Martine. 1991. “Ben-Ami (Issachar) Culte des saints et pèlerinages judéo- musulmans au Maroc.” Archives de sciences sociales des religions.
[5]http://www.cimetierejuifcasablanca.com/site/index.php
Photos courtesy of https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2378252/jewish-cemetery