November 3, 2017 — New York
A delegation of ACCESS leaders, AJC’s young leadership program, from the United States, Brazil, and Israel returned this week from a mission to Morocco where they met with government officials, business executives, and civil society activists. The ACCESS mission culminated with an interfaith seminar, in partnership with Association Mimouna, a nongovernmental organization of young Moroccan Muslims dedicated to preserving the Kingdom’s Jewish history while educating future Moroccan leaders on the importance of understanding and celebrating their country’s Jewish heritage.
The delegation was led by Alexis Frankel, AJC ACCESS Director; Rabbi David Rosen, AJC International Director of Interreligious Affairs; and Benjamin Rogers, AJC Assistant Director for Policy. The group met with senior Moroccan officials, including Nizar Baraka, former Minister of Finance and Economy, current President of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council, and recently appointed Secretary General of the Independence Party; Mbarka Bouaida, State Secretary for Agriculture and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; and Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, former mayor of Marrakech and current President of the Authenticity and Modernity Party’s National Council. In addition, the delegation held meetings at Parliament with several young Moroccan legislators.
“AJC ACCESS convenes and empowers young Jewish leaders around the world through our global network to shape conversations and have an impact on critical issues,” said Frankel. “As young leaders, we believe very passionately in the urgency and importance of both shaping the conversations and creating a positive vision, for the present and future of Muslim-Jewish relations – in our communities and globally.”
The group began its visit with a meeting in Casablanca with Ambassador Serge Berdugo, Secretary General of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, an AJC international partner, and met in Marrakech with Jacky Kadosh, president of that region’s Jewish community. Once home to a sizable Jewish community, now numbering no more than 5,000, Morocco has made a significant investment in preserving and restoring synagogues and Jewish cemeteries. The “Hebraic” roots of the country are identified in the 2011 constitution.
In the city of Essaouira, the delegation convened an interfaith seminar which gathered over 40 young Moroccan leaders representing a cross-section from civil society, the political sphere, and nongovernmental organizations. The seminar was opened by Royal Counselor André Azoulay, a prominent member of the Jewish community and a longtime advisor to King Mohammed VI. AJC and Mimouna members engaged in in-depth and constructive conversations about Muslim-Jewish relations and best practices in the field.
“Life hasn’t always been perfect between Muslims and Jews, but today it is more necessary than ever to hold up everything good that has transpired between us,” said Rabbi Rosen. “People assume that religion is part of the problem, but the answer will never be to avoid religion. Religion needs to be part of the solution.”
