Morocco opens first state-funded museum dedicated to Jewish culture in Arab world

Morocco opened the first state-funded museum dedicated to Jewish culture in an Arab-Muslim country. The Museum of Moroccan Jewish Culture in Fes, inaugurated Monday, features ritual objects, manuscripts, and exhibits on 2,500 years of Jewish history in Morocco, reflecting King Mohammed VI's vision of preserving diverse components of Moroccan identity.

Morocco opened the first state-funded museum dedicated to Jewish culture in an Arab-Muslim country on Monday. The Museum of Moroccan Jewish Culture, located in the city of Fes, is a 1,700-square-meter space that invites visitors into the heart of Moroccan Jewish life. According to Morocco's National Foundation of Museums, the collection includes ritual and everyday objects, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, archives, rare manuscripts, crafts, and traditions spanning 2,500 years of Jewish history in the country. Exhibition galleries explore communal institutions such as synagogues, Hebrew schools, and rabbinical courts, as well as life-cycle traditions. Objects on display include Torah scrolls, prayer shawls, marriage contracts, and bridal costumes. The museum was designed with involvement from the Moroccan Jewish community, represented by Serge Berdugo. Construction was initiated by King Mohammed VI during his visit to Fes in April 2019 as part of a program to rehabilitate the old medina, and was completed in March 2023. The opening was attended by Minister of Endowments Ahmed Toufiq, regional governor Khalid Aït Taleb, and other prominent figures. The Museums Foundation said the museum forms part of the king's vision of preserving and promoting all components of Moroccan identity in their diversity.