In the Moroccan coastal town of Safi, hundreds of Jewish pilgrims have gathered around a rabbi's tomb, greeted by local Muslim officials who shared a prayer with them at a synagogue. The 400 Jews who converged on Safi - some from nearby cities, others from as far as France or Israel - at a weekend pilgrimage said they were well received. During the festival, visitors prayed and feasted around the shrine of Abraham Ben Zmirro, a rabbi reputed to have fled persecution in Spain in the 15th century and then lived in Safi, where he is buried together with his six siblings.
The news agency 'Associated Press' reports that a half-Jewish, half-Muslim band played local tunes during a banquet, including a song in French, Arabic and Hebrew with the line: "There is only one God, you worship Him sitting down and I while standing up." The pilgrims were joined by Aaron Monsenego, the chief rabbi of Morocco, who prayed alongside the regional governor and several other Muslim officials at the shrine's synagogue for the good health of Morocco's King Mohammed VI and his family. "It's very important for us to pray altogether," Monsenego told AP.
Once home to around 300,000 Jews, an estimated 4,000 remain in Morocco today, most of them living in the city of Casablanca. The country has the only Jewish museum in the Arab world and funds Jewish institutions. Morocco also frequently holds events to celebrate Jewish heritage.
