Oujda: Modern Jewish History

Oujda is the largest city in Eastern Morocco today and once was the home of a large Jewish community. The Grand Synagogue, the pride of the community, was built in 1930 and has served as the main synagogue in Oujda for the last 80 years. By 1936 the Jewish population stood at 2,048. In the early 1940s, the Vichy administration made life difficult for Jews in Oujda - Jews were dismissed from government work and from French schools. In the late 1940s, Oujda served as the scene of significant anti-Jewish violence and the final departure point to Israel. On June 7, 1948 a pogrom in Oujda (and Djerada) resulted in the murder of 43 Jews. By 1951 the Jewish population remained at about 2,000 persons.