The new Museum of Moroccan Jewish Culture marks the first time an Arab Muslim country has allocated public funds to establish a museum dedicated to Jewish culture.
The move comes amid growing ties between the two nations, and a recent agreement to upgrade diplomatic relations, including opening embassies and appointing ambassadors.
The museum in the northeastern Moroccan city of Fez opened its doors on Oct. 12.
It is located in the ancient Jewish quarter or Mellah, 100 meters from the Museum of Islamic Arts, in a move meant to highlight the country’s history of coexistence between Jews and Muslims.
The 18,300 square-foot site was donated by the local Jewish community. The museum, covers 2,500 years of Moroccan-Jewish history.
The new museum pairs with the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca to offer a fuller picture of the country’s Jewish history.
Serge Berdugo is president of the Council of Moroccan Jewish Communities.
The museum’s façade has a brass inscription in four languages: Arabic, Amazigh, Hebrew and French.
Its exhibits showcase religious artifacts, rare manuscripts, historical archives and digital installations on synagogues, Hebrew schools and rabbinical courts.
Around a quarter million Jews lived in Morocco in 1948, which was once home to the largest Jewish community in North Africa, before waves of emigration to Israel, France and Canada.
About 2,000 Jews live in Morocco today, making it the largest Jewish community in the Arab world.
King Mohammed VI launched the museum project in 2019 to help revitalize the old medina, the historic walled city center, and preserve Morocco’s diverse national identity.
Israel and Morocco, which for decades maintained covert cooperation in the defense and intelligence sphere, formalized relations as part of the landmark 2020 Abraham Accords under the first Trump administration.
