Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08CASABLANCA200
2008-10-23 17:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Casablanca
Cable title:  

THE JEWS OF CASABLANCA

Tags:  KIRF MO PHUM PGOV PREL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHCL #0200/01 2971715
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 231715Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL CASABLANCA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8177
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 2998
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0982
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0913
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 3822
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0661
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 8428
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0429
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0136
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 2120
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 4713
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).

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