THE JEWS OF CASABLANCA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CASABLANCA 000200 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, DRL/RF E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2018 TAGS: KIRF MO PHUM PGOV PREL SUBJECT: THE JEWS OF CASABLANCA REF: A. 06 CASABANCA 1330 ¶B. 07 CASABLANCA 168 Classified By: CG Elisabeth Millard for reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Morocco is the only Arab country that promotes and protects its indigenous Jewish minority while fostering ties with the state of Israel and with Israeli citizens of Moroccan descent. Notwithstanding the unwavering support of King Mohammed VI, the Jewish community of Morocco continues to dwindle as young Jews, like their Muslim compatriots, seek greater economic, social, and educational opportunities abroad making the long-term future of a Moroccan Jewish community uncertain. Although the government has increasingly promoted the Jews as an integral part of Moroccan society, the Jewish community remains apprehensive. It was the target of terrorist attacks in 2003 by radical Islamists and remains subject to threats and resentment. END SUMMARY. A VISIT TO THE COMMUNITY DURING THE HIGH HOLY DAYS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) In the lead up to the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur, Consul General Elisabeth Millard and poloff met with leaders of the Jewish community and toured a synagogue, schools, a hospital and a Jewish museum. The visit offered the opportunity to hear from a wide range of Jewish leaders on the current state of the Jewish community in Casablanca. ¶3. (U) The Jewish community in Morocco is estimated to be between two and four thousand people with approximately three thousand in Casablanca. Smaller communities remain in the former imperial cities of Rabat, Marrakech, Fes, Meknes. In Casablanca there are more than a dozen synagogues in operation and six Jewish schools with around five hundred Jewish students in total. The day began with a visit to the Neveh Shalom, a K-12 French-language school directed by Jacques Sebbag. The Jewish schools are divided between those attended exclusively by Jewish students and semi-private ones that also open to enrollment by Muslim students and are partially financed by the state. Entrance to the mixed Israel Union School in Casablanca is highly sought after since it is perceived to be superior to traditional public schools and is attended by the children of the political and business elite. 4 (U) The CG also visited a private hospital and pharmacy which provides free or subsidized health care to the Jewish community largely with funds from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. A quick tour of the most prominent synagogue in Casablanca was followed by lunch at a Jewish social club which was one of the targets of the April 2003 bombings by Islamic terrorists. The day concluded with a visit to the Arab world,s only Jewish museum and an overview of the history of Moroccan Jews by the museum,s curator Simon Levy. Nothing Wrong Here -------------- ¶5. (U) Serge Berdugo, Ambassador at Large and head of the National Council of Jewish Communities, stressed repeatedly in a meeting with poloff the harmonious nature of inter-religious relations and cited numerous examples of actions including Mohammed VI granting medals of appreciation to David Messas, the principal Rabbi of Paris, and Yehuda Lankry, Israel,s former ambassador to France and the UN who is of Moroccan origin, during this year's Throne Day ceremony in July. According to Berdugo, "The palace considers the Jewish community to be an important symbol of Morocco and an integral part of the nation and has repeatedly shown its commitment to protecting them and treating them equally as Moroccan citizens." ¶6. (U) Moroccans are the largest Sephardic group in Israel and are estimated by Berdugo to number around six hundred thousand. These Moroccan Israelis have helped to foster a close relationship with the Moroccan state and some forty thousand Israeli tourists visit Morocco every year. ¶7. (U) Most recently emboffs attended a conference which is part of the festivities marking 1200th year anniversary of the city of Fes entitled, "Contemporary Moroccan Judaism and the Morocco of Tomorrow". The event celebrated the contributions of Jews in Moroccan history and was attended by the Grand Wali of Casablanca, academics, and leaders of the Jewish community in Morocco, and the Diaspora from Europe, especially Israel. ¶8. (U) In a recent meeting between the CG and Mohammed Faouzi, the governor of Anfa, the Casablanca neighborhood with largest concentrations of Jews, he spoke proudly of the number of synagogues in his area of responsibility and the excellent relations between himself and the Jewish community. It is also worth noting that French-language newspaper Le Matin, considered the semi-official mouthpiece of the Palace, prints the date on every newspaper using the Gregorian, Islamic and Hebrew calendar. ¶9. (C) Berdugo insists that relations with the rest of the Moroccan community are excellent and to illustrate his point recounted how the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD) invited him to attend their annual party Congress in ¶2005. Despite declining their invitation, he continued, the PJD published their invitation on the front page of their newspaper to spread the message of tolerance and inclusiveness. These remarks are in stark contrast to previous comments Berdugo has made in private conversations concerning his anxiety over the PJD and their Islamist agenda. (Refs A & B) ¶10. (U) Another indication of the tolerance toward Jewish life is demonstrated by the special status long granted to Jewish courts in dealing with family status matters. Family status law in Morocco is based on Islamic Sharia law for Muslims and Jewish Rabbinical law for the Jews. All marriages, divorces, custody and inheritance issues for the Jewish community are decided by rabbinical judges, four of whom are in Casablanca with one each in Tangiers and Marrakech. The judges are appointed by the Ministry of Justice and are employees of the state. A Dwindling Community -------------- ¶11. (U) Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish community of Morocco was estimated to be around 350,000. Moroccan Jews began leaving the country in waves following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, independence from the French in 1956 and the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars. Many of the Jewish leaders expressed their concern that the biggest danger to the community today is demographic. Many went for economic opportunities, but others moved after anti-Jewish/Israeli incidents. According to Jacques Sebbag, director of the Neveh Shalom school, upwards of 80 percent of Jewish high school graduates leave Morocco to pursue higher education abroad primarily in Canada, France and Israel. Most of these young people remain abroad to pursue romantic, professional and economic opportunities that do not exist in Morocco and are reluctant to return. Threats under the Surface -------------- ¶12. (C) Discrimination and resentment are just under the surface but an ever present fact of life for Jews in Morocco, claims Jacques Sebbag. Sebbag was attacked on the street by a man with an ax and was struck repeatedly in face in April of ¶2004. He recounts how the man, who was apprehended shortly after the attack, admitted that he targeted Sebbag because he was a well known Jew in the area and was upset by recent developments in the Palestinian territories. Since 2002 there have been a number of other attacks against Jews and their institutions. In September 2003 there were two unsolved killings of Jewish Moroccans in Meknes and Casablanca that are believed to have been religiously motivated. Furthermore, the Casablanca bombings in April of 2003 which killed 41 people were perpetrated by Islamist extremists and three of the five bombs targeted Jewish owned or frequented establishments. ¶13. (C) "You see it in small ways," Sebbag continued, "People are surprised when they learn I am a Jew and they often ask me, Why don,t you return to your country?, But this is my country, I,m Moroccan!" Sebbag said he refused to speak with journalists after his attack because he did not want to contribute to a negative image of Morocco and the king, who he believes has been supportive of the Jews. "The problem is not the government, they have been unequivocally supportive. The problem is the younger generation or Moroccans who have not grown up with Jews and have been influenced by Arabic satellite programs. They believe that the Jews are somehow foreigners in Morocco rather than a part of the society." ¶14. (SBU) COMMENT: The government of Morocco,s steadfast and visible support for its Jewish community and the strong ties with its migrants in Israel is clearly the exception in the Arab world and is something that Moroccans are rightfully proud of. Still, there is clearly a threat to the Jews from a fringe element of Islamists and from a generation that remains ignorant about the Jewish community in Morocco. The most important question, however, remains how the Jewish community will be able to convince young people to stay in Morocco rather than pursue opportunities abroad. It is not clear whether the return of a few individuals, drawn by recent economic opportunities may provide any demographic counterweight. END COMMENT. MILLARD