NEH Grant to Create Digital Archive of Jewish Moroccan Documents

September 9, 2010

From College of Lewis and Clark (link to article):

Oren Kosansky, assistant professor of anthropology, has earned a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop a digital archive of Judaic Moroccan documents from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The online archive will open access to researchers with an interest in Jewish culture in Northern Africa and allow them to share ideas and information widely. Of even greater interest to the NEH, the project will offer a new model for intercultural and international collaboration in the creation of technological resources to share historical information.

Making a discovery

Kosansky’s fascination with Judiaism in Morocco dates back to his graduate work in the early 1990s. In 2005, a Fulbright research grant took him to Rabat, the capital of Morocco and former home to a large Jewish community. During his stay, Kosansky worked closely with leaders of Rabat’s major synagogue and community center. It was there that he discovered a genizah—a room or depository found in synagogues, where old religious documents that are no longer in use are kept and periodically buried.

“In Judaic tradition, documents containing references to God are forbidden from being destroyed,” Kosansky explained. “Most obviously books and papers on religious topics such as the Torah are deemed sacred and treated in a ceremonious fashion, but any item with religious or legal references—such as a wedding announcement or business contract—would also be kept.

“In this case, I found literally thousands of books and documents pertaining to virtually all facets of Jewish life in Morocco, especially as it was transformed during the 20^th century. My first thought was, ‘How can I save these materials from burial, so that they can be consulted by community members and scholars.’”

Kosansky noted that the Jewish community in Rabat once numbered in the thousands and had dwindled to fewer than 100, following a broader trend of emigration that brought the majority of Moroccan Jews to Israel, France, and other global destinations. As an anthropologist, he saw great potential for research materials that could serve many in his field.

“Written materials are very important in Judaism,” Kosansky explained. “It is a very textual culture. These documents offer great insight into a culture and a community of people that once thrived here. They offer an opportunity to investigate elements of a society that has not been fully explored by those of us in the academic field. For the Jewish community, it represents something perhaps even more valuable—an opportunity to reflect on how their traditions have been shaped by modern life, colonialism, technological change, and global networks of migration, communication, and commerce.”

With the approval of community leaders, Kosansky sorted through hundreds of sacks containing thousands of documents and determined which documents were appropriate for burial and which represented significant historical texts suitable for preservation. Synagogue leaders gave Kosansky the documents for preservation, and he donated them to the Jewish Museum in Casablanca.

The unparalleled collection contains many unique documents, including handwritten letters, unpublished manuscripts, and community records, as well as published materials in a variety of languages, including Judeo-Arabic, Hebrew, and French. The documents now held by the museum will be the focus of Kosansky’s NEH digitization project.

Building a model to bring disparate parties and countries together

In developing his project, Kosansky has faced many difficult questions and considerations. Despite his excitement about the opportunity to open the door further on North African culture, he wrestled with concerns about how to build such an archive—chief among them, how to build an equitable process that respects the legal, ethical, and social differences across several societies.

“There are so many issues up for consideration,” Kosansky said. “For example, what, if any, are the copyright issues for such old documents? And what are the copyright laws in Morocco? Are there private documents we shouldn’t digitize out of respect for some individuals or the Jewish community? Who should be consulted on such ethical considerations?”

Kosansky will begin the project while he is directing Lewis & Clark’s first overseas program in Morocco next spring. Over the next 18 months, he will be identifying experts both in the U.S. and in Morocco in diverse fields like digital archives, information access, intellectual property law, and Jewish history to address the legal issues, begin the digitization process, and have the website built.

Given the scope of the entire project, Kosansky feels the key to its success will be building a shared vision and understanding across languages and cultural differences.

While the circumstances for any future project will be unique to the people and part of the world it is happening in, NEH will be better prepared to fund and assist comparable projects based on Kosansky’s experience and the lessons he takes away.

“This is about far more than an archive,” Kosansky said. “And it will be more than a list or set of images. It will be organic in its process and in its outcomes. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to learn how to effectively bring a cross-cultural project to fruition and to develop a model for academicians and laypeople to share information and ideas about the documents that they access.”

Samy Elmaghribi - New York

When I was last in Israel, I visited a number of record stores and made a number of contacts who had Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan vinyl that they were willing to part with. I'm listening right now to some Samy Elmaghribi. The first title on this Koliphone/Zakiphon produced album is called New York. On New York, Samy sings about the boroughs and ends that line with talking about how the boroughs are well known (m3roofeen). He then lists the boroughs and ends with Brooklyn (Brookleen) to make a great rhyme and then sings about people in New York coming from many different religions (kul deen) to complete it. Great song. Great album. Very upbeat. If anyone has a full translation of New York, please let me know.

Azoulay Bros - Jaffa, Israel

Have been off the internet for a while and thus haven't posted. Will be back on the internet come this Thursday. In the meantime, I've posted some videos below. Pretty amazing.

I recently went to Israel with work. I took some personal time after the trip and went to Jaffa to the Azoulay Bros. shop to talk to them about Koliphone and of course to do some shopping. A few months ago I spoke about a fire that tore through their recording studio in the late 80s that destroyed most (if not all) of their master copies of some of the great North African Jewish musicians. They have no Koliphone or Zakiphon records for sale although they do hang some 7's around the store (see videos below).

They are working on recovering records but these records are now sold for too much money to really buy back in large quantities. They do sell some great CDs though for those interested (Cheikh Mwijo, Raymonde, Sami Elmaghribi, Line Monty, etc.).

I ended up buying some Zakiphon produced tapes (Cheikh Mwijo, Maxim Michali, Charli Elmahgribi, etc.). Really great finds.

In general, I got to know the used record scene in the Tel Aviv area. Email me if you need any recommendations.

Brill to Release Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World

Went to this event last night. The Encyclopedia is 5 volumes and has great editors (Norman Stillman and Daniel Schroeter among them). Here is a link to the Brill page for the Encyclopedia. It sounds like there are a lot of great Morocco related articles (synagogue architecture, music, small villages in the south). Schroeter mentioned an article on Ighil N'Oro which got at least a few folks in the audience excited. Brill is still working on finishing the index BUT the entire Encyclopedia will be available online at the New York Public Library through July 1, 2010.

Benchimol Hospital Update

Ynet reprinted the following and I think it gives a good overview. I wonder why there isn't the same concern for much older structures in Morocco that have either been converted to other uses or are falling into disrepair.

Jewish hospital in Tangiers torn down

Moroccan Jewish communities around the world outraged after ancient structure, which has been abandoned for 10 years, demolished before Passover, blame president of Tangiers Jewish community for current troubles, ask him to either take steps to prevent further actions or step down
Elad Benari

Moroccan Jewish communities around the world are upset after the Jewish hospital in Tangiers was torn down.

According to reports, the Benchimol Hospital in Tangiers which has been standing for more than 110 years was torn down Friday night before Passover at 2 am. “There is a law in Morocco that you cannot enter any private property between 10 pm and 6 am,” explained a concerned member of the Moroccan Jewish community in Toronto. “There was no warning about it.”

The community is now concerned that further action against Jewish institutions may be taken by the authorities in Morocco and wishes to make the public aware of the situation. Although the Tangiers Jewish community now only consists of about 40 Jews (at its peak there were 22,000 Jews in the community), there are still important Jewish landmarks in the area, such as a Jewish nursing home and two cemeteries.

“The new cemetery which is in the outskirts of Tangiers is on the highway going to Rabat. At one point it was really let gone. You could hardly go inside the cemetery because there were snakes; there were bushes in between the tombs,” said the concerned individual. “It was not maintained at all. Last year we sent e-mails and finally they got their act together and they cleaned it completely, and I do have to admit that they did a very good job. But it took years of pounding and pounding until they did it.”

The second Jewish cemetery in Tangiers is commonly known as the old cemetery, and was in operation already in the 1910s. There are many righteous individuals buried there, but it has not been maintained for the last 60-70 years. As a member of the local Moroccan Jewish community explained, the cemetery faces the port of Tangiers and the Moroccan authorities have their eyes on it. The community fears that if nothing is done, the authorities will take over that property and remove all the corpses.

Members of the Moroccan Jewish community, both in Canada and around the world, have begun to send e-mails to the president of the Tangiers Jewish community, whom they say is responsible for the current troubles, asking him to either take steps to prevent further actions or step down. “The Jewish community in Tangiers is run by Mr. Azancot. He’s the president,” explained one member of the Moroccan Jewish community in Toronto. “He was elected many years ago when the Jewish community was numerous. He’s hardly ever in Tangiers and doesn’t run things properly.”

'Main concern is Jewish cemetery'

According to the sources in the community, Azancot was given a year’s notice by the Moroccan authorities to fix up the hospital, which has been abandoned for about 10 years. The hospital has given care to Jews, Christians, and Muslims over the years. The members of the community explained that the problem arose when the president of the Jewish community went to the authorities with a plan to tear down the hospital and build an apartment building on that property. This opened up “a Pandora’s Box” as they put it, since the Moroccan authorities said that obviously, if the Jews want to build something on that property, that means they do not care about the building and it can be torn down.

They added that Azancot had no authority to decide to tear down the building since the Jewish community does not own the land. The land is owned by the Benchimol family and the deed has been deposited in the French Consulate. This means that only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France has a say on the fate of that building.

Besides bringing attention to Jewish communities worldwide, letters have been sent to Azancot by many Moroccan Jewish around the world. So far, said the sources, the e-mails have gone unanswered. Representatives of the Jewish communities in Madrid, Montreal, and Toronto have already been in contact with Azancot. Now, contact is also being made with the Canadian ambassador of Morocco.

A letter written by one of the communities here in Canada to the Moroccan ambassador in Canada said that “Morocco represents the paragon of coexistence in the Arab world. At a time when we are targeting a Jewish-Muslim reconciliation, measures such as those taken in anger in Tangiers leave us puzzled.” The letter urges the ambassador to convey the Jews’ dismay to the Moroccan authorities.

“The hospital is done and there’s nothing we can do to reconstruct the building. Our main concern is the Jewish cemetery. They can go anytime and take over. There’s a lot of tzadikim in that cemetery and that is our major concern,” said the community members. “The representative of the Jewish community has been warned already: Either do something or step down. Mr. Bardugo, who is the secretary of the entire Jewish community in Morocco, has advised him the same but unfortunately the Jewish community in Tangier does not answer to the general communities of Morocco. It’s a separate entity and has always been that way so nobody can do anything against that.”

Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life

The Ynet article uses a photo totally unrelated to the article (of the Benarrosh Synagogue) which is of course part of a bigger problem of a lack of photo documentation of sites throughout Morocco.

Diarna has provided some good photo documentation of the site and a personal touch. Read about it here.

Morocco's Oldest Jewish Hospital Demolished - Benchimol Hospital, Tangier

Article from Point of No Return:

Morocco lost one of its historic landmarks when the oldest hospital in the land, the Jewish Benchimol hospital in Tangiers, was rased overnight on 2 April. And the Jewish cemetery might be next.

Why did the demolition squads choose the dead of night and the middle of the festival of Passover to do the deed? And who ordered them in? The Moroccan newspaper Liberation, lamenting the destruction of Morocco's heritage, blames not just the local municipality for this act of historic vandalism, but the local Jewish community, which ostensibly 'sold' the pre-colonial, 110-year-old hospital in order to raise money for its poor - in spite of objections from the Fondation du Patrimoine Culturel Judeo-Marocain, whose aim is to safeguard Morocco's Jewish heritage. (Another report, however, says that the community did not own the site, which was the property of the Benchimol family, French nationals. Only the French consulate would have been able to give approval for the hospital to be torn down.)

Historian Ralph Toledano prefers to speculate that a rogue Wali is to blame, who acted without the knowledge and consent of the king. The deed was done while the few members of the tiny Jewish community were away.

"It is not just that this was a Jewish building which upsets me. All destruction of historic heritage is an irredeemable loss. A heritage cannot be reconstituted," Toledano writes. He admits that he had heard rumours that the local authorities had been wanting to demolish the building for some time. The (bizarre) aim was to turn the site into a public park, adjoining the ancient palace of Sultan Moulay Hafid. "One must never despise rumours, they often become fact."

Hence must be taken seriously a rumour that the municipality has next set its sights on the Jewish cemetery of dar el San’a, on rue du Portugal, opposite Bab America. The cemetery was an 18th century concession negotiated between the Sherifian king's representative and the Jewish community on the site of an old Portuguese fort.

The site measures more than a hectare, and commands a beautiful view over the straits. Mr Toledano is horrified at the thought that a site where venerable rabbis and community dignitaries are buried might be bulldozed. The 15th century Castille cemetery in Tetuan has a similarly breathtaking view.

Article in Liberation Magazine:
http://www.libe.ma/Responsables-de-tous-bords-respectez-le-patrimoine-national--L-hopital-Benchimol-de-Tanger-rase_a10530.html

Interesting back and forth on the demolition and other demolitions/destruction/vandalism: http://www.darnna.com/phorum/read.php?13,171291,171342
(Pay attention to situation of cemetery at Tinghrir)

More updates soon.

On Raphael Elmaleh - TelQuel Article

It's been way too long since I have posted and have lots of posts planned for 2010 but in the meantime please enjoy this article. If you are interested in having Raphy as your tour guide in Morocco, please let me know. Scroll to the bottom for the link to the article and an English translation.


Tourisme culturel. Suivez le guide!

Raphi au musée du judaïsme marocain de Casablanca. (R.R. / TELQUEL)

Organisateur de circuits touristiques et défenseur du patrimoine judéo-marocain, Raphaël Elmaleh accueille la communauté juive internationale qui vient au Maroc découvrir un pan de son histoire. Hors des quartiers juifs de Casablanca, Raphaël Elmaleh, alias Raphi, passe inaperçu. Peu connu de ses compatriotes, ce quinquagénaire aux cheveux grisonnants, tirés en queue de cheval, est pourtant le seul guide touristique juif dans le monde arabe. Raphi, né à Casablanca au

début des années 1960, aime à se définir comme un Marocain juif et non un juif marocain. Des grandes cités impériales aux petits villages berbères, il fait visiter à ses clients les synagogues, cimetières et quartiers communautaires. Ces touristes particuliers l’écoutent expliquer (en anglais, français ou en hébreu) comment les juifs sont arrivés au Maroc, pourquoi la plupart en sont partis et comment ceux qui sont restés vivent en harmonie avec la majorité musulmane. Retour aux sources Raphi adapte ses circuits au souhait de ses visiteurs. Au menu : Casablanca et son musée du judaïsme marocain, Rabat, Meknès, Fès ou Marrakech et leurs mellahs plusieurs fois centenaires. Il propose également des pèlerinages sur les tombes de rabbins enterrés dans des petits villages judéo-berbères dans le sud du pays. Certains clients d’origine marocaine demandent à être emmenés sur les traces de leurs ancêtres. Ce qui rend les circuits de Raphi spéciaux, c’est qu’ils mêlent passé et présent, démontrant que les juifs constituent toujours une communauté active au Maroc. Au programme des visites, il n’y a pas que les synagogues et les cimetières, mais également les écoles, les clubs juifs et même les commerces dits casher. “Ce que je cherche à montrer, c’est que l’histoire juive n’est pas terminée au Maroc, explique-t-il. D’ailleurs la relève est là”. Raphi emmène ses clients visiter une classe d’hébreu à l’école Neve Shalom à Casablanca. Les touristes discutent avec le professeur, observent les étudiants et évaluent même les connaissances en grammaire d’une élève tremblotante. “C’est touchant de voir comment une petite communauté juive maintient ses traditions”, commente une touriste française, visiblement émue par la visite. Le groupe entier en reparlera d’ailleurs tout au long de la journée. Quand il se met à raconter l’histoire judéo-marocaine, Raphaël Elmaleh a les yeux qui brillent. Un thème lui tient particulièrement à cœur : la cohabitation des deux communautés marocaines. “C’est la peur qui nous a chassés, et c’est la peur qui a créé la méfiance, bien que les juifs n’aient jamais été expulsés du Maroc”. Si un des touristes français retient de son voyage que “les juifs sont libres de vivre leur religion sans se cacher”, d’autres restent sceptiques. “Sans dire que cette bonne entente est artificielle, je doute qu’elle résiste demain, si la situation empire au Proche-Orient”, observe une autre touriste. Cette cohabitation, Raphi l’applique pourtant dans son entreprise même en prenant sous son aile Youssef Benjlil, un jeune du quartier Aïn Chock de Casablanca, en qui le guide voit son successeur. Leurs clients ne cachent pas leur étonnement que ce soit un musulman qui les renseigne sur l’histoire des juifs. “Je n’avais jamais rencontré un juif avant Raphi, admet de son côté Youssef, mais j’ai trouvé son travail fascinant”. Sa famille et ses amis soutiennent sa décision de poursuivre dans cette voie. “Je rêve de travailler aussi avec les étudiants marocains. Il est important qu’ils prennent connaissance de ce pan de l’histoire nationale”. Travail de mémoire Raphaël Elmaleh a justement été aux premiers rangs de l’histoire de cette communauté. Comme des millions de Marocains de confession juive, il a pris le chemin de l’exil en 1969, soit deux ans après la guerre des Six jours qui leur a laissé un véritable sentiment de malaise. Alors âgé de neuf ans, il est envoyé seul en Angleterre dans un internat religieux. Il rentrera au Maroc près de vingt ans plus tard, appelé au chevet de sa mère souffrante. Le jeune homme devient “travailleur social” au sein du Joint Distribution Committee, un organisme américain de soutien aux juifs en situation de précarité, facilitant notamment leur réinstallation en Israël. C’est à partir de là qu’il commence à s’intéresser à ses origines, voyageant, pendant huit ans, aux quatre coins du pays pour recueillir les témoignages des derniers juifs du royaume. “Je me suis tout de suite rendu compte du profond respect qui existait entre les communautés juive et berbère”, affirme-t-il. Il s’installe dans le sud et supervise les chantiers de restauration d’au moins dix synagogues. Aujourd’hui encore, il œuvre à la rénovation de deux lieux de culte à Errachidia et à Ighil-n-Ogho (région du Siroua). “C’est à la communauté juive de conserver ses trésors culturels qui se détériorent”, explique Raphi. Il a trouvé, au cours de ses voyages, plusieurs antiquités judéo-marocaines ainsi que des livres anciens. “Je n’ai jamais pensé à les envoyer à l’étranger, puisqu'ils font partie du patrimoine marocain”. En 1997, lorsque le musée du judaïsme a ouvert ses portes à Casablanca, Raphi y dépose toute sa collection. “On travaille ensemble, raconte Zhor Rehihil, conservatrice du musée. Comme il se déplace souvent, c’est lui qui nous informe des nouvelles découvertes. Raphi fait beaucoup pour la communauté et la culture juives au Maroc”. Pourtant, certains universitaires lui reprochent de ne pas être un vrai historien. Mais l’intéressé n’a jamais prétendu le contraire. Sa reconnaissance, il la tire de la satisfaction de ses clients, à qui il offre son savoir et prêche la tolérance. La tête haute, l’enfant de Casablanca conclut à la fin de chaque circuit : “Je suis fier d’être juif dans un pays musulman”. http://www.telquel-online.com/407/mag3_407.shtml English translation of Tel Quel article