Medina of Tangier: a museum of Jewish memory opens its doors

Inauguration of a museum of Jewish memory in the medina of Tangier. Credit: MAP

The museum space of Jewish memory Beit Yehouda, in the medina of Tangier, was inaugurated on Friday, crowning the project of rehabilitation of the building of the Assayag synagogue.

This building has been the subject of work within the framework of the Program for the rehabilitation and enhancement of the medina of Tangier and the restoration of all the places of worship which constitute spaces with a strong civilizational impact, carried out, in accordance with royal guidelines. , by the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the North (APDN) in partnership with the wilaya of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication.

The inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of the Wali of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Mohamed Mhidia, the President of the Regional Council, Omar Moro, the Secretary General of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, Serge Berdugo, the governor of the province of Fahs-Anjra, Abdelkhalek Marzouki, the director general of the APDN, Mounir El Bouyoussfi, executives of the National Foundation of Museums (FNM), elected officials, representatives of the Jewish community of Morocco and civil society actors.

The project focused on the reconstruction of the building of the synagogue abandoned for more than 60 years and which threatened to collapse at any moment. The rehabilitation work rebuilt the synagogue identically in full respect of its components dating back more than a century and required an overall budget of 2 million dirhams (MDH), financed by the Department of Culture.

Alongside the rehabilitation work, a committee of the Jewish community of Tangier financed and carried out the scenography work of the Beit Yehouda museum space, for the preservation and promotion of the specific cultural heritage of Jews from the peninsula. Iberian, established in the northern area of ​​the Kingdom.

This space, with an area of ​​260 m², houses three exhibition halls, passageways around the patio of the synagogue and a souvenir shop. There are also plans to create a study and research center dedicated to Sephardic Judaism in northern Morocco.

This synagogue and its museum space, a real civilizational bridge linking the present to the past, contributes to reinforcing the added value of the city of Tangier on the cultural and tourist level, declared Berdugo, noting that the city of Detroit has become an attractive destination which sheds light on the diversity of cultures of Morocco and its spiritual and religious heritage.

For his part, Rachid Tafersiti, a researcher specializing in the history of Tangier, noted that the opening of this museum of Jewish memory enriches the various components of Moroccan civilization in the northern region, in addition to highlighting the particularities of the Jewish community in the region.

Tafersiti, president of the Al Boughaz association, added that the initiative of the rehabilitation of the Assayag synagogue reinforces the cultural importance of Tangier and allows the inhabitants of the city and its visitors to know closely the Moroccan Jewish heritage and the culture. history of the Jewish community of the North, its habits and customs and its religious traditions.

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Medina of Tangier: a museum of Jewish memory opens its doors – Le Desk