the Jewish Museum of Casablanca is the symbol of the Moroccan exception. Founded by the Moroccan Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in 1997, this institution is the only museum institution in the Arab world dedicated to Jewish heritage. Its curator is an Arab Muslim woman, Zhour Rhihel.
The museum, the first of its kind in Casablanca, is located in the famous Oasis district, in a villa owned by a Jewish personality who has made it an orphanage for Jewish children. It was founded on the initiative of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco. This project is the result of an idea that has been approved by a number of leaders within the Council, including the late Simon Lévy, who was its director until his death in 2011, as well as Jacques Tolédano, who succeeded him in the same position, Boris Tolédano, Secretary General of the Council, and Serge Berdugo, who currently holds the same position.
The museum, whose aim is to preserve the Moroccan Jewish heritage, includes paintings, traditional costumes, jewelry, ancient books, photographs and sculptures that bear witness to 2000 years of Jewish presence in Morocco.
Spread over 600 square meters, the museum presents various aspects of the family and religious life of Moroccan Jews and the various works they have carried out, from sewing to the manufacture of the “Charbil” (slippers). It also includes spaces representing Jewish religious services.
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