Jews and Muslims unite in prayer

Safi – It’s an uncommon sight for an Arab country: hundreds of joyous Jewish pilgrims gathering without fear around a rabbi’s tomb, greeted by local Muslim officials who share a prayer with them at a synagogue.

Yet most of the 400 Jews who converged on the Moroccan coastal town of Safi – some from nearby cities, others from as far as France or Israel – at a weekend pilgrimage said they felt welcome here. While religious tensions flare in Jerusalem and beyond, in Morocco, Jews and Muslims said they nurture a legacy of tolerance and maintain common sanctuaries where adherents of both religions prayed.Decades of emigration to Israel by Morocco’s Jews and terrorist bombings in Casablanca that targeted Jewish sites had not diminished the draw of these annual pilgrimages.During the festival that began on Friday, visitors prayed and feasted around the shrine of Abraham Ben Zmirro, a rabbi reputed to have fled persecution in Spain in the 15th century and then lived in Safi, where he was buried with six siblings.A half-Jewish, half-Muslim band played local tunes during a banquet, including a song in French, Arabic and Hebrew with the line: “There is only one God, you worship Him sitting down and I while standing up.”The pilgrims were joined on Sunday by Aaron Monsenego, the great rabbi of Morocco, who prayed alongside the regional governor and several other Muslim officials at the shrine’s synagogue for the good health of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and his family.”It’s very important for us to pray altogether,” Monsenego said.Regional governor Larbi Hassan Sebbari said, “We’re also very proud of it: it gives a lesson to other countries of what we do together without any taboo.”While several Arab states refused to recognise the Jewish state’s right to exist, rejected Israeli visitors and ignored the remnants of their local Jewish heritage, Moroccans insisted it was not the case in this moderate Muslim nation and US ally.Once home to some 300 000 Jews, Morocco hosted the Arab world’s only Jewish museum, funded Jewish institutions and frequently held events to celebrate Judeo-Moroccan heritage.Still, the Jewish population here had dwindled to about 4 000 – most in Casablanca.Economics, feared of living in an Arab state and sporadic discrimination drove hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews to Israel, Europe or America over the past few decades.Many left in 1948 after the state of Israel was created, or in 1956 when Morocco won independence from France.Other waves followed after the Israeli-Arab conflicts of 1967 and 1973 caused riots in some Moroccan towns.Jewish leaders who stayed said they practised their religion freely and that synagogues were well protected by police, especially since the 2003 bombings in Casablanca.Despite the bombings, Casablanca still boasted 32 active synagogues.Nampa-APWhile religious tensions flare in Jerusalem and beyond, in Morocco, Jews and Muslims said they nurture a legacy of tolerance and maintain common sanctuaries where adherents of both religions prayed.Decades of emigration to Israel by Morocco’s Jews and terrorist bombings in Casablanca that targeted Jewish sites had not diminished the draw of these annual pilgrimages.During the festival that began on Friday, visitors prayed and feasted around the shrine of Abraham Ben Zmirro, a rabbi reputed to have fled persecution in Spain in the 15th century and then lived in Safi, where he was buried with six siblings.A half-Jewish, half-Muslim band played local tunes during a banquet, including a song in French, Arabic and Hebrew with the line: “There is only one God, you worship Him sitting down and I while standing up.”The pilgrims were joined on Sunday by Aaron Monsenego, the great rabbi of Morocco, who prayed alongside the regional governor and several other Muslim officials at the shrine’s synagogue for the good health of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and his family.”It’s very important for us to pray altogether,” Monsenego said.Regional governor Larbi Hassan Sebbari said, “We’re also very proud of it: it gives a lesson to other countries of what we do together without any taboo.”While several Arab states refused to recognise the Jewish state’s right to exist, rejected Israeli visitors and ignored the remnants of their local Jewish heritage, Moroccans insisted it was not the case in this moderate Muslim nation and US ally.Once home to some 300 000 Jews, Morocco hosted the Arab world’s only Jewish museum, funded Jewish institutions and frequently held events to celebrate Judeo-Moroccan heritage.Still, the Jewish population here had dwindled to about 4 000 – most in Casablanca.Economics, feared of living in an Arab state and sporadic discrimination drove hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews to Israel, Europe or America over the past few decades.Many left in 1948 after the state of Israel was created, or in 1956 when Morocco won independence from France.Other waves followed after the Israeli-Arab conflicts of 1967 and 1973 caused riots in some Moroccan towns.Jewish leaders who stayed said they practised their religion freely and that synagogues were well protected by police, especially since the 2003 bombings in Casablanca.Despite the bombings, Casablanca still boasted 32 active synagogues.Nampa-AP