In order to mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, “Beith El” Synagogue in the city of Casablanca held a special ceremony on 29th December, 2023, that was attended by several Moroccan and foreign personalities, including the Secretary General of the Council of the Jewish Community of Morocco (CCIM), Serge BERDUGO, US ambassador in Morocco, Puneet TALWAR, and the head of Israel’s mission in Morocco, Alona FISHER-KAMM.

During this gathering, which was co-organized by the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, the Mimouna Association, and the United Nations Information Center, the US ambassador to Morocco said that King Mohammed VI continues to preserve the « strong legacy of his predecessors: the late HM King Mohammed V and HM King Hassan II, “by supporting tolerance, coexistence and religious harmony ».

For her part, the head of Israel’s Liaison Office in Rabat stressed, in a similar statement, that « thanks to its consecration, throughout its history, of the principle of tolerance and coexistence, Morocco can today serve as a model to the whole world, and play a very important role in interreligious dialogue ».

It is to be accentuated, in this vein, that all participants in the commemoration of the Holocaust International Day in Morocco praised the role of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in perpetuating the action of His grandfather, His Late Majesty King Mohammed V, and His late father His Majesty King Hassan II, in favor of the protection of Moroccan Jewish heritage. A Royal approach that distinguishes the Kingdom of Morocco as a model country of tolerance and respect for minorities.

This commemoration falls into the continuity of the high consideration of the Kings of Morocco upon the Moroccan Hebrew component and the preservation of the Jewish-Moroccan heritage, through multiple actions. In fact, several actions and concrete initiatives are witnesses of this High Royal solicitude for the safeguarding of the rich Jewish-Moroccan heritage. For instance:

1/ the consecration in the preamble of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Hebrew tributary of the Moroccan identity; 2/ the rehabilitation and upgrading of places of Jewish worship, shrines, neighborhoods and cemeteries; 3/ the organization of the Jewish community by providing it with institutions such as « the National Council of the Moroccan Jewish Community », « the Commission of Moroccan Jews Abroad » and « the Foundation of Moroccan Judaism ».

It is to be reminded, in this context, that in December, 2022, Israeli President, Isaac HERZOG, has thanked Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for his country’s provision of « safe haven » for Jews during the Shoah. President HERZOG expressed Israel’s gratitude to the king « as well as the late kings and the people of Morocco who, for generations, have acted to protect the security, welfare and cultural heritage of the kingdom’s Jewish community ».