Day-to-day life of Moroccan Jews

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

LONDON - A major exhibition of photographs depicting the day-to-day life of Moroccan Jewry and highlighting

Social and cultural coexistence

Major photographs exhibition depicting life of Moroccan Jewry opens in London, highlights coexistence.

the climate of coexistence that has always prevailed in Morocco opened, on Wednesday in London, by the ambassador of Morocco to Great Britain Chrifa Lalla Joumala Alaoui.

The opening ceremony was marked by an important message addressed to the participants in the exposition by king Mohammed VI, in which he said that "this exhibition attests fervently and passionately to a historical, social and cultural reality which my country - its King and people alike - has always proudly and purposefully endorsed, and always will."

"As Commander of the Faithful, I am particularly keen to follow in the footsteps of my revered ancestors, along the wise path they charted, ensuring that the rights and freedoms of my loyal subjects - Muslims and Jews alike - are protected on an equal footing, and that all the expressions and distinctive features of their heritage are properly safeguarded,” the Monarch said in the message, which was read out by the King’s advisor André Azoulay.

“The Kingdom of Morocco boasts a richly diverse, multi-faceted history, successfully forged together by its people, who have managed, over the centuries, to build a deeply-rooted nation based on a commitment to lofty values and to a longstanding tradition of respect for the Other, and for everyone’s sensitivities,” the Sovereign added.

The exhibition, held at the Jewish Museum in London from November 11 to March 6, includes a rich collection of photographs taken during the 40s and 50s by Elias Harrus, a Moroccan Jewish, where he portrays the daily life of Jews in the Atlas and Southern Morocco.

Organized in partnership with the Moroccan-British Society, chaired by Chrifa Lalla Joumala Alaoui, the exhibition reveals a social and cultural coexistence of nearly 2000 years old between Jewish and Muslim communities in Morocco.