Moroccan journalist, columnist and writer Jamal Amiar (63), communication consultant trainer, founder of Positive Talk recently wrote a book in French, titled, “Morocco, Israel and Moroccan Jews“, which will be released on November 24 awaiting its publication soon, in Arabic and Hebrew.
The book, in 21 chapters, reveals the mysteries of the relationship between the two countries, deliberately left silent since the sixties, and analyzes from the inside, the interaction between Morocco, Israel and Moroccan Jews on the cultural level. , diplomatic, political, religious or economic.
Several major themes are also discussed, including the Trump-Netanyahu tandem, popular Moroccan kings in Israel, Benny Gantz in Rabat, the assassination of Rabin, aliyah, but also the weak points and paradoxes of the Israel-Morocco relationship. Jamal Amiar, who studied political science in France and the United States before teaching there and working as a journalist, gave an interview to the Israeli Channel in French on the occasion of the release of his book. i24NEWS.
In his confidences to the journalist Caroline Haïat he will indicate that it has been a quarter of a century that the writer has been interested in Moroccan Judaism and Moroccan politics, “I even wrote my master’s thesis on Moroccan Jews and Moroccan politics in the late 80s ».
Also when the process of the Abraham Accords became effective, it was only natural that he thought it appropriate, ” to provide an overview of Israeli-Moroccan relations, and the history of Moroccan Jewry over the past 80 years “. he let know. For Jamal Amiar, the resumption of relations between Israel and Morocco has offered many opportunities to the two peoples who thus enrich their respective states both culturally and economically.
The author will say the media insisted throughout the text on the singularity of Jewish-Muslim coexistence in Morocco as well as on the role of Moroccan Jews in Israel who, following an integration strewn with pitfalls, ended up making a place for themselves. of choice explaining that ” it was not easy to be a Moroccan Jew in Israel in the 1950s “. The work also mentions Moroccan Jewish emigration (chapter entitled “Alya”), security and extends to business and diplomacy.
History will never have been concealed in the book and Jamal will say regarding ” I highlight the links between Moroccan Jews, Morocco and Israel. A century ago, in Essaouira, there were a few tens of thousands of inhabitants, half of whom were Jews, and there were 37 synagogues. In 1947-48, there were approximately 6 to 7 million inhabitants in Morocco, including 300,000 Jews” specifying that, “the Jewish community is present throughout the Moroccan territory » .
He will also specify in one of his extracts that“Conversely, respect for Jewish traditions in Morocco, the fact that Morocco has never asked any Jew to leave and that Moroccan Jews who have left and come back, respect for Hebrew laws with regard to Moroccan citizens of Jewish confession, the repeated declarations and the assurances provided by the kings of Morocco as to the inviolability of the rights of Moroccan Jews, participated in the defense and then in the revival of Moroccan Jewish culture”.
Ultimately, we will remember this fall “ contrary to what happened in many Arab states and even in Europe, there was never a break between the Moroccan political authority and the Moroccan Jews, there was never a split, nor of lack of confidence. It’s a straight line and it’s quite rare and unique politically. Even in the complicated moments of history, Moroccan Jews have never been neglected and the relationship has remained intact concluded Jamal Amiar. Through his words and the few snippets of his work graciously provided by i24NEWS we can only enjoy reading it.
