Opening of the Museum of Moroccan Jewish Culture in Fez
A space opens its doors to the public to document 2,500 years of shared memory
By ElYajizi Foyad
Today, Monday, October 12, the Museum of Moroccan Jewish Culture opened in the heart of the Mellah district in Morocco’s scientific capital.
The cultural and heritage event documents more than 2,500 years of Jewish presence in Morocco and the community’s interaction with the various components of Moroccan society.
The opening, overseen by Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq, is organized by the National Museums Foundation in partnership with the Moroccan Jewish Cultural Heritage Foundation.
It adds a new museum institution to the cultural landscape and urban memory of the city of Fez.
This space of memory and heritage is located in the historic Mellah district, near the Jewish cemetery, on land provided by the Jewish community of Fez.
The building was designed in harmony with the architectural character of the old city, incorporating zellige tilework, carved plaster, painted wood, and other elements of traditional Moroccan craftsmanship.
The museum space covers a total area exceeding 1,700 square meters, of which approximately 1,200 square meters are dedicated to exhibition areas. It offers a permanent itinerary that examines Moroccan Jewish culture from historical, religious, social, and anthropological perspectives.
It is a journey spanning centuries, in which the museum displays collections, documents, manuscripts, archives, ritual objects, clothing, jewelry, and everyday-life tools that recount chapters in the history of the Jewish communities that lived in Morocco’s various cities and regions.
This cultural landmark tells the story of more than 2,500 years of Jewish existence in Morocco, affirming the shared dimension of the national memory and the role of Moroccan Jewish heritage in shaping the Kingdom’s cultural identity across the centuries.
It is indeed a cultural and institutional symbol.
The museum, launched at the initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, in 2019 and funded with public money, is the first museum financed by public funds in an Arab or Muslim country known to the world for its tolerance, coexistence, and openness to be entirely dedicated to Jewish culture, according to Moroccan media reports.
With this opening, Fez strengthens its position as a space for preserving memory and heritage, and offers an institutional model for documenting Morocco’s cultural diversity, at a time when the Kingdom seeks to consolidate the values of coexistence and preserve the multiple components of its heritage.
