Witnessing the continuous sorrowful conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, one can easily assume that the discord between Muslims and Jews is inescapable and inherent. However, it could be beneficial to reflect on the many instances and eras where these two significant cultures have peacefully, and at times even cordially, cohabited.
Bayt Dakira, also referred to as La Maison de la Mémoire, situated in Essaouira, Morocco serves as an ideal location for this reflection. André Azoulay, a Jewish Berber born in Essaouira and a seasoned economic advisor to King Muhammad VI, is the extraordinary individual who initiated this project.
Often joking that he has lived there for 3,000 years, Azoulay reminds people that Moroccan culture has deeply been shaped by Jews. Centuries before the expansion of Islam towards the far west, Jewish communities had established themselves amongst the Berbers. Following their expulsion from Al Andalus (now southern Spain) in 1492, additional Jewish adults found sanctuary in Morocco, where they resided side-by-side with their Muslim counterparts. He is the ninth Jew from Essaouira to be a high-ranking advisor to Morocco’s monarchy since the establishment of the city as a prosperous “royal port” in 1760.
The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering numerous attractions, most notably, through a large part of the 19th century, it was the only city in the Islamic world having more synagogues than mosques.
In the mid-19th century, it was home to 16,000 Jews, 6000 Muslims, and smaller European and African communities, likening it to the multicultural metropolises of Al Andalus during the previous millennium. However, barely subtle signs of this cultural diversity were noticeable to tourists even merely half a decade ago, due to substantial Jewish emigration in the late 19th century under the French Protectorate and a higher rate post-1948, when many relocated to Israel.
Essaouira exhibits a historical overlay, its depth best unravelled through the insightful guidebook, De Bab en Bab, by Hammad Berrada. This book allows us to vividly reimagine the edifice staring back at us from a worn-out street as a bustling synagogue or a dignified consulate in yesteryears. Indications of its Jewish heritage, such as the enduring mezuzah parchment on a common home that used to be a Jewish residence, are still preserved with reverence by its current Muslim inhabitants.
“As Azoulay opines, “Every rock embedded in this city has a tale to narrate, if only we might let it.”
Bayt Dakira, previously a grand residence of a Jewish trader and now housing a beautifully conserved humble synagogue, has been a voice for these silent stones. This institution, received over 88,000 guests the previous year, fervently commemorating Essaouira’s common Moroccan-Jewish heritage through displays of invaluable religious and secular artefacts along with a wealth of historical data that confronts many clichés.
Azoulay courteously corrects my identifying it as “a Jewish museum”, suggesting the term “a component of Morocco’s collective legacy” instead.
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Azoulay insists their aim being to include Jews as integral part of larger Moroccan tapestry rather than an individual cluster.
“He emphasises, ” Referring it as museum restates only the past, whereas Bayt Dakira operates as a dynamic hub for studies, honouring both present and the potential future.”
Azoulay reveals that Bayt Dakira, a central venue, welcomes hundreds of Moroccan schoolchildren on a weekly basis. Jewish and Muslim scholars often utilise its resources to revitalise the formidable yet amiable discussions, a traditional practice in the city, between the Kabbala and Sufi denominations of their shared faith.
According to Azoulay, the Atlantic Andalusian Festival witnesses a confluence of thousands of Muslims and Jews (comprising a sizable contingent of Moroccan-Israelis) each year, intending to bring together different cultures through the medium of music.
Facing the ongoing discord in the Middle East and the proliferating strife amidst varied global communities, he concludes, ” Our endeavour is to keep this cross-cultural spirit alive”.
The ideas reverberate King Muhammed V’s assertion – the grandfather of the reigning king – addressed to Jews in Morocco back in 1956, the independence year, and conspicuously featured in Bayt Dakira: “All Moroccans, be they Muslims or Jews, inhabit the same land… I acknowledge that your Muslim fellows and siblings participate in your celebrations and that our celebrations are also yours”.
Given this backdrop, seldom mirrored in our gradually dismal world today, Bayt Dakira stands as a diminutive yet potentially meaningful symbol of hope.
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