Sunday, November 6, 2011

Morocco with Rochele Abraham


The following summary to our wonderful Moroccan trip was written by one of our co-travelers; Rochele Abraham of London, England. We decided to include her summary, as she took detailed notes of all the historic Jewish sites that we visited. Rochele graciously agreed to allow us to include her diary of the trip in our blog.

Sunday November 6th, 3.30am
We started our trip bleary eyed but raring to go, alighting the bus to head to Gatwick
airport. 

Shacharit elicited some raised eyebrows from gate 58 staff, but proceeded without any further hitches. The flight was smooth and we arrived to a sunny welcome in Morocco! After an extra long passport control, we met our guide Rafi and helper -‐ Felahi?! Felafel?! Mohammad?!  who greeted us with a bottle of water, the first of many!

The bus travelled through the mellah (or is it medina?!) of Marrakech before stopping at the Bet El synagogue. The synagogue is the first one built outside the mellah. The heichal is 250 years old. Chief Rabbi Kadosh joined us for Mincha and spoke about the role played by himself and his late father in the city of Marrakech. 

They are careful to keep the Torah scrolls under lock and key even though they are not usable because the locals have taken many scrolls, cut them up and sold them in the market. In light of this, Rabbi Kadosh's father buried many of the scrolls  collected from the now defunct 42 local synagogues. We also met the emeritus shochet and mohel Rabbi Gabbay.

There are 140 Jews left from the 28,000 that there used to be. The large succah there was decorated with hanging etrogim that gave off a most beautiful fragrance. 

At lunch in the courtyard we introduced ourselves and were amazed how we hail from all four corners of the world!

We continued our drive to Casablanca to visit the only Jewish museum in Islamic world. Kol hakavod to our guide Rafi for single handedly pioneering such a monumental task. 

A bus tour of the city ended at the Bet El synagogue where Odette was danced in under a talit as a commemoration of her wedding that took place at this very spot! We prayed Arbit in this synagogue that was built in 1949 by Algerian Jews. The Jews make up less
than a half percent of the 81⁄2million population. However, there was zero percent intermarriage. 

We moved on, and posed for a group photo outside the second biggest mosque in the world, before heading to the club for a typically Moroccan buffet supper. By the time we arrived at the Kenzi Tower Hotel, we were ready to fall in to bed!

Monday November 7th, 6.45am
Another early start -‐ for those who were able -‐ with Shacharit at the Nvei Shalom synagogue in the complex of the functioning Nvei Shalom school. Breakfast was beautifully laid out by Rabbi Sebbag's wife. Rabbi Sebbag, the Rabbi of the community encouraged us to be proud of our Judaism and he can talk. He had a miraculous recovery from being hit with an axe by a drunken Moroccan.

At the cemetery in Casablanca we all shared a very moving experience with Mr Fhima as he told us the story surrounding his father's death and then recited Kaddish with a minyan at his father's grave for the first time! 

We also visited the grandparents of Rejane. Buried there too is Rabbi Chaim Pinto.

We continued on to the street of the 7 synagogues, side stepping the various parts of the lamb that were being slaughtered at every street corner, due to the Eid festival. Most notably were the Ben Harroch synagogue and the Aim Habanim synagogue where Mr Fhima had celebrated his Bar Mitzva. The names of the synagogues have been painted over since the bombing in 2003.

Next, we travelled to Rabat to visit the Mausoleum of King Mohammad V. Tzvi explained that whilst the king refused to give over a list of names of Jews during WWII, it is not to be assumed that the king always protected his Jewish residents.

On to the mellah of Rabat. Mellah means salt. The Jewish quarter is called mellah as the Jews were the salt traders. It is interesting to note that the Jewish Quarter is always near the king's palace. The king trusted the Jews so he gave them the salt trade, and thus benefitted by having them close by. Another reason is that, officially, the king would be able to protect the Jews if they were near him. The Jews did have to pay an extra tax for this privilege though.

Rabbi Hadad opened the Shalom Ezawi synagogue for us where we davened Mincha. Who knows when the last time was that this synagogue had a minyan?! There used to be
26,000 Jews living in this area, and now there are only two families that live here in the old Jewish quarter. The etrog and pomegranate tree growing in the courtyard of the synagogue is typical of the climate.

We enjoyed lunch (banana anyone?) en route to Meknes. Those not too tired, got off the bus to take a photo of the famous Bab El-Khemis gate. At the Aim Habanim synagogue and Talmud Torah school in Meknes, Jack, a local Jew, explained that this area is very poor and the synagogue served as a soup kitchen for the poor people. 

We danced with Jack who was delighted to sing sefaradi songs with us. In the old cemetery, we visited the grave of Rabbi Refoel Hamalach, a great scholar and miracle worker. Many of the graves do not have names on as when a local was commissioned to clean up the cemetery, he painted over the tombstones. Also, many of those buried here are children who died from illness that was rampant in the Jewish quarter. These children were buried quickly so that the epidemic should not spread further and thus there was not the time to give each one an individual tombstone. This cemetery is 700 years old and is in a terrible state. 

Mr Woolf pointed out how relevant the passuk, "shualim hilchu bo" - "Foxes will walk on it" is. This passuk is written in reference to the Temple where wolves walked freely amongst the rubble of the Temple. Here, sheep were jumping over gravestones!

The Bab Mansour gate was our last stop in Meknes and we took a few pictures before journeying on to Fez.

Once in Fez we proceeded to the Reuben Bensadoun synagogue where we prayed Arbit. It was built in 1929 but does not have a regular minyan today. Tzvi illustrated for us the pride and esteem in which Moroccan Jewry held their synagagues. The houses that the Jews lived in were far from palatial, yet the synagogues were made of the finest materials and decorated ornately. They realised that reverence to their places of worship would be their link to the continuity of Judaism. The Maimonides club was closed so we could not visit it (nisht geferlach!).

After checking in at the Ramada hotel, we sat down to supper and celebrated Florence Asher's birthday with what (we hope) was 'Happy Birthday' in Arabic. For those who were  energetic enough, there was the opportunity to stroll along the boulevard (garden?!) and take in the atmosphere of modern Fez.

Tuesday November 8th, 6.45am
Tuesday dawned bright and early with davening at the Reuben Bensadoun synagogue. There are only 140 Jews left in Fez compared to the 30,000 Jews that were there originally. None live now in the Jewish quarter. After breakfast we were whisked onto the coach and taken to the mellah, the old Jewish quarter. We saw marks in the doorposts where the Jews had removed their mezuzot before they left the country.

The 17th century Ibn Danan synagogue has been restored by the family, so we sat
inside while Rabbi Garson regaled us with the story of Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Danan and how he came back from studying in Israel to lead the community of Fez. The king of Morocco would come every Yom Kippur to the synagogue for Ne'ilah and and stand there with his eyes closed right through the whole prayer. 

On the floor a tile can be removed to reveal a mikveh in the basement. A metal pipe went from the ceiling to half way down inside the synagogue, and rainwater was collected for the mikveh. Rainwater was collected also for making matza, and next door the synagogue was a matza oven.

Our next stop was the old cemetery that dates back 700 years, but is still in use today. It has 7 layers of buried remains. Note how the tombs face different directions as the entrance to the cemetery changed over time. After visiting the gravesite of Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Danan, Tzvi taught us to celebrate the life of those departed, and to be inspired to make our mark too in this world. 

Rabbi Garson then spoke very movingly about the righteous Sulieka who gave up her life 'al kiddush Hashem' - to sanctify G-d's name as she would not betray G-‐d by converting to Islam. She suffered a terrible death, but was still so particular to retain her modesty. We must live al Kiddush HaShem Rabbi Garson implored - possibly a much harder task. In a very emotionally charged atmosphere we sang at Sulieka's grave and lit candles whilst praying individual requests. 

We also had the opportunity to pray at Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Attar's grave. He was kidnapped and offered back to the Jews at a very high ransom. The people were not able to amass such an exorbitant amount in the 24 hours they were given, so Rabbi Yehuda was thrown into the lions den. But he was totally unharmed by the lions, and thus gained the respect of the king.

Moving on, we stopped at King Mohammed IV's palace, admiring the hand crafted bronze gates. The seven doors symbolise the seven days of creation and the six gates to heaven with the seventh leading to paradise.

The Medina was our next destination. Tripping over the unevenly paved alleyways, we really got a feel of Moroccan life. We saw the home of the Rambam - supposedly - commemorated merely with a plaque.

Travelling through the labyrinth that is the medina, we visited a metal artisan, caftan crafters, leather finery and silk and wool weavers. At each stop we were educated as to how their craft was plied, and enjoyed a wonderful experience bargaining and haggling for their
wares. Tzvi illuminated for us what a privilege it is for us to see a tannery - this bringing alive the many mishnaot that deal with tanners. 

We also made a stop at the University of Fez - oldest in the world, which was built by a woman named Fatima al-‐Fihri in the 9th century.

A most memorable coach journey led us up, around and through the Atlas mountains to reach our hotel for the night. The villages in the mountains where the Berbers live used to be home to 18 Jewish villages. The Jews reached here after they left Israel, from the time of the destruction of the second Temple. We witnessed a most beautiful sunset on the way, and passed the time hearing renditions from Zak and breaking out into peals of laughter from the entertaining jokes. For those who held out, a hot supper was served in the quaint Le Tazarkount Hotel.


Wednesday November 9th,  7.30am.
Another early start, to drive to Marrakech. We sniffed and smelled the spices as we experienced the mellah. Only 4 Jews live there now. We saw the Fundunk - the free guesthouse where Jews from the mountains could stay when they came to trade. Although there are a few Jewish owned shops in the mellah today, they were closed due to the Eid.
In the El Azama synagogue - which is still in use today - Rabbi Garson summed up the trip by asking us to take the lesson with us of being proud of our Judaism.

Then came decision time. We split into two groups, one going off to the Medina to relax and shop. The other group went back on the coach - destination Ourika! Travelling through the exquisite Atlas mountains, we headed towards the grave of Rabbi Shlomo Ben Lhans. Ben Lhans means son of the snake. It is said that after contesting the king's decision to raise the Jews tax, Rabbi Shlomo was thrown down a well. 

After 3 days he was found eating apples brought to him by a snake. He was taken out of the well and gained the king's trust. There is one last Jew who lives by the grave and keeps watch over it. It is told that Rabbi Shlomo appeared to him in a dream telling him not to leave the area until he tells him to. Many (but not all!) of us sat next to Hananiyah Alfassi and
were blessed by him. 

The men then broke out into song and danced around the grave. We then gave Hananiyah the opportunity to hear a Mincha with a minyan, after which we boarded the bus - whilst being accosted by jewelry hagglers - to rejoin the other group in Jemaa el-Fnaa Square. 

The square is famous for magicians, acrobats, snake charmers and the like.

Supper was kindly cooked for us by Mrs Ohayon and awaited us in the Bet El synagogue - where we had started out. We had come full circle! 

It was time to show our thanks and appreciation to those who made this trip possible; Rafi our guide par excellence (keinaina hoori!), Tzvi Sperber and Rabbi Garson - who both educated, uplifted and inspired us on the 4 memorable days in Morocco.

Thank you

Friday, November 4, 2011

Morocco Day 4 - Nov 2011


Day 4

  We are now actually on our easyjet flight back to Israel from London having arrived very late last night back in London from Marrakesh. 

It was a wonderful trip packed with early morning to late night information and visits to Moroccan Jewry and its holy places. 

On Wednesday the last day of our visit, it was another very early start with a 6 am minyan in the lobby of our hotel in the mountain village of Beni Mallal/Afouer. We were on the road by 7:30 heading back to Marrakech. (sounds like an old Crosby Stills & Nash tune). 







On arrival in Marrakesh we headed straight to the Mellah and visited a 250 year old shul in the old Jewish Quarter. 








It is most interesting to see the reaction of many in the group to the concept of a Jewish Quarter. Many assumed it to be a ghetto. But in fact it was not the same. The king wanted the Jews close to the palace as they were traders and therefore he secured an area within the city walls where they could live securely. Whilst the walls of the city were closed at night, it was not a forced closure on the Jews. 

This particular shul has now been restored partially with the assistance of a Canadian Morrocan family and is a historical site. Because the government wants to protect the Jews and make tourism secure, this synagogue had two full time uniformed police officers assigned to it at all times. 

The courtyard of the shul has apartments surrounding it which are occupied at no charge by students from USA and uk who come to study Moroccan Jewish history. One of the apartments is occupied by the ou mashgiach in Morocco. 






What was amazing was that as we walked the narrow alleyways leading to the shul, we passed numerous residents of the Mellah who were dressed in Arab dress and who almost all greeted us with Boker Tov or Mah Shlomchem. None of us wore kippot as we walked thru these types of areas during our entire visit. Our guide said that he did not want to draw any attention to our group, so he asked all the men to wear hats. Nevertheless almost every local knows Raphy Elmaleh (a real character) and as such when they see him they know the group is Jewish and we get greeted properly. Last year he guided over 27 groups on tours of Morocco, which means that he spent over 50% of the year on the road in various parts of Morocco. 

Rabbi Garson spoke in the shul about some of the origins of the Jews of morocco. There were two waves of Jews coming to settle in Morocco. The first was following the churban of the second Temple and the second was in the years following the inquisition in 1492. So Moroccan Jewry is very old. Some of those who came were Marannos and later there were Jews who converted to Islam despite the well known strength of the Jewish traditions of moroccan Jewry. As a result you do find arabs today with names like "ibn Cohen" , a clear indication that this Arab came from Jewish stock. Rabbi Garson related a story about his father, my cousin Mo Garson who met a spanish non Jew at a business meeting and told him that based on his family name, it was clear that his family had Jewish roots. The next day this man called Mo and told him that he had gone home and asked his grandmother who admitted to him that they were in fact of Jewish Spanish descent. 


By this time it was early afternoon and we were all given a choice of driving a few hours into the mountains to see the last Jew in the Atlas Mountains or to spend our few remaining hours there at the casbah, the enormous colorful market area of Marrakech. Half the group went to the mountains and half the group chose the market. 

Here is the story of the last Jew. Up in the mountains there were numerous Jewish villages in ancient times. They lived among the tribal people of the area, the Berbers. Gradually they all either moved or died out. There are many tzaddikim or baalei mofes buried there. This Jew lived near the kever of a famous tzaddik. And he soon became the last Jew in the area. But he decided to remain as he felt that someone had to stay and care for the kever of this tzaddik. 

When he got married his wife convinced him to make Aliya and they moved to Israel . On arrival in Israel he became deathly ill and to him this was a sign from the tzaddik that he must return. He did and some years later his wife died but because he has never had a dream or a vision from the tzaddik that he can leave, he remains. The group who went said that it was an amazing trip. In the middle of nowhere. they went to pray at the kever of this tzaddik and to also receive a Berachah from the Jew who has spent his life as the carer of the tzaddik. 



Those of us who remained behind toured and shopped in the market. We love markets and have been to many in all parts of the world; Mexico, Australia, hong kong, and in all parts of Europe to name some of them. This clearly surpasses all of them. In the large square in front of the market there are various tribesmen with their performing monkeys, snake charmers, story tellers, appliers of henna, fortune tellers etc. They have not banned motor bikes or bicycles or horse and buggies from the square so you must always keep an ear open for 'balak' which means watch out or you will be run over by a speeding cyclist. 

In the casbah there are many herbalists and spice merchants. We attended a talk and explanation by one of the herbalists/spice merchants who explained all the benefits of the various herbs that will cure various aches and ailments from insomnia to snoring to sore joints to Mosquitos etc. Needless to say he walked away with a lot of our Moroccan dirhams. 

We also bought some of the Moroccan slippers (likely to be used on Purim), a tagine which Fran will now use to make a gourmet couscous and Moroccan chicken, some Ras al Channout, which is the patented spice mixture of a particular spice merchant etc etc










The colors were amazing and the market gave us a real sense of how people traded in ancient morocco. 

We haggled with everyone and by the time we left we were getting quite good at paying about 20 -30% of asking price. 



We also hired a local to give us a horse and buggy ride around the area and the cost was about a tenth of a similar Central Park ride split amongst the 6 of the passengers. 

From there we were off to the community centre where we had davened our first mincha 4 days earlier for our closing dinner and we were off to the airport. 









All in all an amazing trip. 



Our Leaders, Tzvi Sperber and Rabbi Raphy Garson

Note that in the Moroccan daily paper, the Hebrew date is given

The Group Picture






Thursday, November 3, 2011

Morocco Day 3 - Nov 2011


Day 3

We were up this AM at 6:30 for Shacharit which we davened together with 11 local Fes Jews in the one remaining most beautiful shul. - just remember that Fes has a total of 150 Jews of which about 60 are men which means that close to 20% of the male population of Fes came to shul this morning - amazing!!!

Fes once had over 34000 Jews and 28 Shuls 

The local Rav began the tefillah by reciting out loud numerous Tehillim and the entire karbanot baal peh with the sefaradic nussach

The davening took very long but it was most meaningful to be able to connect with some of the remaining Jews of Fes. At the end of the tefillah, rabbi Garson spoke to them and told them that their dedication was an inspiration to all of us. The local Rav then blessed all of us. 

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove to the Mellah of Fes and did a walking tour of the old Jewish quarter. We saw many old doorways with the old indentation where mezuzot once sat. 



We visited the shul of Rav Danan, one of the famous past tzaddikim of Fes and after a tour of the shul and mikveh, heard from Rabbi Garson about the life of Rav Danan. 







We then walked around the corner to the old Jewish cemetery where Rav Danan, Sulika Hatzadeket, and Rav Chaim Ibn Attar (the Gur Aryeh...famous story of the lion's den) are all buried. 






Sulika is called the Rachel Imeinu of Moroccan Jewry because of her death al kiddush Hashem... today was the yartzeit of Rachel Imeinu. 






Many people come from all over the world to pray at the kever of Sulika. Rav Garson and Zvi Sperber both spoke emotionally about the power of tefillah at kivrot tzaddikim and we all joined together to sing Mizmot lDavid and eishet chayil. It was a very emotional experience

A few words of definition. the Mella was the site of the Jewish quarter which was always next to the king's palace. The word comes from the Hebrew word for salt as the Jews were salt traders. The king gave them protection and there were laws forbidding shops from being open in the Mellah on Shabbos. The Medinah on the other hand describes the area within the old city walls.







From there we went into the Medina or the walls of the old city. The old city of Fes is very old with thousands of narrow alleyways. You can very easily get lost without a guide. Our guide took us into some of the artisans who have made the bazaar popular.





 We visited a silversmith, a weaver, and a tannery. As you enter the tannery, they hand you some mint leaves that you smell to overcome the stench of the tannery. As in the Mishneh the tannery is on the eastern side of the city, which is where the poor people live. We have amazing pictures of the whole process









In each of these artisan shops, the art of bargaining is seen to the fullest. They ask for a price, you offer a quarter of asking and end up somewhere between a quarter and a half. 

We spent a few hours in the alleyways and then began the long trek thru the mountains to Afouer which is high in the Middle Atlas Mountains. We have a two to three hour drive back to Marrakesh for our last day here tomorrow






It has been a very bittersweet trip. On the one hand we have learned about the richness of Morroccan Jewry, the warm traditions, the amazing Shuls, the famous tzaddikim and baalei mofes, and the pride that they have had in their culture. On the other hand we have seen how it is quickly disappearing, and how there are but a handful of Jews in places like Meknes, Fes, and Marrakesh that were once major centers of Jewish culture and learning. It has truly been a rollercoaster of emotions.