Morocco’s Jews live alongside Muslims amid Gaza war
Centuries-old Jewish community balances heritage and coexistence amid Gaza conflict and rising political tensions
RABAT, Morocco (MNTV) — Morocco’s Jewish community, among the oldest in the Arab world, continues to live alongside the country’s Muslim majority, drawing on centuries of shared history even as the war in Gaza has heightened anxieties and sharpened political debate.
Judaism’s presence in Morocco dates back to antiquity and is reflected today in institutions such as the Jewish Museum in Casablanca, the only museum of its kind in the Arab world.
The museum houses photographs, manuscripts, Torah scrolls, and everyday objects that document Jewish life in the early 20th century, when the community numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
When Israel was established in 1948, an estimated 300,000 Jews lived in Morocco. Most emigrated in the decades that followed, amid regional upheaval and episodes of violence such as the pogroms in Oujda and Jerada.
Today, between 3,000 and 5,000 Jews remain, largely concentrated in Casablanca, while roughly one million Israelis trace their family origins to Morocco.
Despite their small numbers, Jewish life remains visible in several Moroccan cities. Synagogues, kosher restaurants, and cemeteries in Casablanca, Marrakesh, Meknes, and Essaouira stand as reminders of a community that has endured through shifting political and social landscapes.
Morocco formally recognized Jewish culture as an integral component of national identity in its 2011 constitution, a move historians say acknowledged the country’s plural foundations.
Jewish history in Morocco is closely intertwined with Amazigh heritage and was further shaped by waves of Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Spain after the 15th-century Reconquista.
Relations between communities have not always been free of tension. Past pogroms and the 2003 Casablanca suicide bombings targeting Western and Jewish-linked institutions remain part of the collective memory. Nevertheless, many Moroccans continue to describe coexistence between Muslims and Jews as a defining feature of daily life.
That coexistence has come under strain since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
Israeli tourism has declined sharply, direct flights have been suspended, and isolated incidents of anti-Jewish graffiti have been reported, though authorities say there have been no confirmed attacks on Jewish citizens.
Within the Jewish community, responses to the current climate vary. Some have chosen discretion, others express concern, while a number of Jewish activists have publicly aligned themselves with pro-Palestinian causes.
The death of veteran activist Sion Asidon, whose funeral combined Jewish and Palestinian symbols, underscored the complex intersection of identity, politics, and solidarity.
As public opposition to normalization with Israel has grown since the Gaza war, Morocco’s Jews find themselves navigating a sensitive political environment.
While criticism of Israel has intensified across society, community representatives maintain that Morocco’s long tradition of coexistence remains intact, rooted in a shared history that many believe can withstand the current crisis.
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