I AM AN AUSTRALIAN JEW AND I LOVE MOROCCO
Jews have been present in Morocco for at least 2000 years and lived with the native Amazigh (Berber) people . There was even a Berber Jewish community which is now scattered to Israel (mainly) and France. DIHYA al KAHINA the warrior queen of the Berbers who fought against the Arab conquest of Morocco is thought to have been Jewish. I have had the chance to visit many of the areas of jewish interest in Morocco, mainly in South Morocco, my favourite being Essaouira and the memory of that great Rabbi, Haim Pinto.
All the people I met in Morocco during my travels ( four times in 2023 and many more in 2024 to come) were friendly and harboured no ill feelings towards Jews, moroccan or otherwise.
Imagine my surprise when a friend of mine from northeastern Morocco on the border with Algeria wrote to say that the last jew of Oujda had passed away. She was more than 80 years old and her name was Nina Kohen. She had lived in the old Mellah and was highly respected for her prowess as a healer of children and women’s ailments.
Since this city borders the spanish enclave of Melilla where there are 1200 jews, our beloved Hnina may have received a jewish burial and prayers said (Kaddish). In any case I decided to light candles and say the jewish prayer for the dead, the Kaddish. This prayer which originated in the 13th Century is in Aramaic.
The jewish-moslem coexistence in Morocco is exemplary and a fine example of genuinely felt brotherhood. I have experienced this warmth on my many visits.
The present king, Mohammed VI has retained his father Hassan II’s economic adviser, Andre Azoulay, who is a Jew from Essaouira.
Mohammed VI advanced the rights of ethnic groups and minorities. In 2001, he created the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture. In 2011, he pushed through a new constitution approved by voters. The constitution calls Morocco "A sovereign Moslem State, committed to the ideals of openness, moderation, tolerance and dialogue to foster mutual understanding among all civilizations; A Nation whose unity is based on the fully endorsed diversity of its constituents: Arabic, Amazigh, Hassani, Sub-Saharan, African, Andalusian, Jewish and Mediterranean components." For the first time, it made Tamazight, the language of the Amazigh people, an official state language
Photos: a jewish motif lamp from an roman archeological site, Volubilis. 2. grave of a rabbi at Rissani, dessert town home to the first Alaouite ruler, Moulay Rachid.3. King HassanII of Morocco recieving itzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres in Morocco. 4. Jewish cemetery of Oujda where they may have put Hnini Kohen the last jew to rest 5. Map of Morocco showing the location of Oujda on the border with Algerie. 6. King Mohammed VI re inaugurating a synagogue in Casablanca 7. Remnants of an old synagogue in Oujda. 8. King Mohammed VI at the jewish Muslim cultural centre in Essaouira which includes an old family synagogue. 9. I said Kaddish for Hnina Kohen of blessed memory, traditional healer of Oujda, Morocco. The kippah on the left is from Cochin India, the one on the right made by Druze people in the Carmel region in Israel
the order of the photos were reversed when i uploaded them, so in the following the order is 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Kaddish for Hnina Kohen of Oujda, Morocco
