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Em Habbanim School, Fez, Morocco
Em Habanim School, Fez, Morocco
Description
Fez History: The Jewish community of Fez can be traced back to the founding of the city itself, during the late 8th century and early 9th century. Based on early jizya (capitation tax) records, it can be seen that the Jewish population was significant in size and importance. Jewish life in Fez was in flux, in terms of stability and growth. During the Almoravid dynasty in 1075, Jews’ dhimmi (protected) status was upheld causing protection for the community, however, during the Almohad dynasty from 1145-1248, this status was ignored. With the next dynasty, the Marinid dynasty, Jews benefited from this rule, but with the prosperity the Jews who worked in the courts obtained, it in turn caused anti-Jewish beliefs and violence, such as the riot of 1276. With the increase of Jews fleeing persecution in the Iberian peninsula during the late 14th century and 15th century, many migrated to Morocco, leading to the creation of the first mellah (an established Jewish quarter, named after the salt marsh area in Fez1) in Fez, and all of Morocco. The mellah was adjacent to the royal palace in Fas Jadid.2 In 1912, Morocco fell under the French protectorate, which led to the Fez Riots of 1912. Three days of violence occurred, including the invasion and pillaging of the mellah due to the French commander believing that the Jews were supporting the Fez insurgents. At its end, fifty-one Jews died and seventy-two Jews were wounded.3 The Jewish population in 1912 was between 10,000-12,000, growing to 15,000-18,000 in 1947, and then dropping to 13,000 in 1952 and 8,600 in 1960.4
Em Habanim History: The main form of education for Jewish youth in Morocco were traditional one room schools where every age group was taught together.5 Their education system began to transform starting in 1862 when the Alliance Israelite Universelle (AIU) established their first school in Tetouan, Morocco. The AIU was a philanthropic French Jewish organization that established schools throughout the Middle East and North Africa, with the intent of combating antisemitism, as well as emancipating, modernizing, westernizing, and “regenerating” Jews through education.6 Another transformation began in 1912 with the creation of Em Habanim, a new school system with free tuition, created by Rabbi Ze’ev Wolf Halperin. Halperin became associated with a religious Zionist Mizrahi movement, which caused him to want to support the needs of North African Jewry. He advocated for the consolidation of the one-room schools into one large building, by pleading to the women of the community. To support Halperin’s cause, these women founded the Em Habanim school (“Em” was named after the two main women who founded it, Esther Assaraf and Myriam Attia). The Em Habanim curriculum was far more centered on Jewishness and Moroccanness causing them to be seen as the rival of the AIU due to the latter’s large focus on Frenchness. Em Habanim continued to flourish, causing more women to volunteer, more children to enroll, and more generous donors to show their support. A new building was built in 1927, which was nicely furnished and allowed the organization to provide the children not only with education, but also food and clothing if need be. Em Habanim in Fez inspired other cities to have their own branch, such as Meknes, Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Sefrou.7
Sources
[1] Emily Gottreich, “Mallāḥ,” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 20 July 2021.
[2] Joseph Tedghi, “Fez,” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 20 July 2021.
[3] Mohammed Kenbib, “Fez Riots (1912),” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 20 July 2021.
[4] Tedghi, “Fez."
[5] Joseph Tedghi, “Em Habanim,” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 20 July 2021.
[6] Aron Rodrigue, “Alliance Israélite Universelle Network,” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 20 July 2021.
[7] Tedghi, “Em Habanim.”