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 synagogue has been the subject of rehabilitation work as part 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 the High guidelines of King Mohammed VI, 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 from the National Museums Foundation, elected officials, representatives of the Moroccan Jewish community and actors from Civil society.
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.
At the same time as the rehabilitation works of the synagogue, a committee of the Jewish community of Tangier proceeded to the financing and the realization of the works of scenography of the museum space “Beit Yehouda”, for the preservation and the promotion of the specific cultural heritage of the Judaism of the Mégorachim, established in the northern zone of the Kingdom.
In a statement to MAP on this occasion, Berdugo underlined that the inauguration of this museum space reflects the High solicitude with which King Mohammed VI, Amir Al Mouminine, surrounds the Jewish community, as well as reflecting the cultural diversity and civilization of Morocco and the interaction between the different components of Moroccan civilization, among which the Jewish heritage and culture constitute an important element.
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 touristic level, he estimated, noting that the city of Detroit has become, thanks to the royal high solicitude, an attractive destination that 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 association Al Boughaz, added that the initiative of the rehabilitation of the Synagogue Assayag 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 history of the Jewish community of the North, its habits and customs and its religious traditions.
The museum space, with an area of 260 m2, houses 3 exhibition halls, passageways around the Patio de la Synagogue and a souvenir shop. There are also plans to create a study and research center dedicated to Sephardic Judaism in northern Morocco.
SL (with MAP)
Tangier: inauguration of a museum of Jewish memory in the medina