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Synagogue at Arazane, Morocco

Arazane, Morocco

Arazane, a town outside Taroudant, was first rediscovered in the late 1980s. At that time, it was still looked after by Harim, a local Amazigh (Berber), who kept the building’s key safe for decades. Inside the synagogue was a pile of hay, as well as Hebrew writing and an old ark for holding Torah scrolls.

Description

Video: Raphy Elmaleh goes inside the locked compound surrounding the synagogue. He shows the unusual key and door lock that secure the synagogue, and he explains how he restored the sanctuary and the mikveh . He also introduces viewers to Harim, the old guardian, who still remembers the Hebrew prayers of his Jewish neighbors 45 years after they left.

    Arazane - Restored Synagogue in Southern Morocco 

Harim recalls the names of Jews who lived next to the synagogue, pointing out the rubble of their former homes. At the end of the clip, Elmaleh drives alongside the town’s Jewish cemetery, which is today used as farmland, and he recounts the story of how he handled one extremist in Arazane, who tried to stop the restoration of the synagogue.

Synagogue at Arazane, Morocco

Arazane, Morocco

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