From Essaouira to Latin America: Reviving the Moroccan Jewish Diaspora’s rich history

The ancient, picturesque port city of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) in western Morocco is steeped in Jewish history. 

The community dates back to the 1760s, when the sultan of Morocco Mohamed ben Abdallah invited 10 Jewish families to settle there to build up the town as a main port city, controlling trade from European cities. 

This June, the city played host to a remarkable event: the inaugural Sephardic Moroccan Jewish Latin American Forum hosted by the Mimouna Association, organized under the DAKIRA initiative, a USAID-funded project. After multiple postponements due to geopolitical tensions and the tumultuous events of Oct. 7, the forum finally convened, bringing together a vibrant tapestry of Jewish scholars, community leaders, and historians from across the globe.

Set in the kasbah area of the old medina, at Bayt Dakira (The House of Memory) – a short walk from the mellah, or old Jewish Quarter – the event brought together participants from the United States, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Israel, who enriched the discussions with their diverse perspectives and experiences. This mosaic of voices provided a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of Latin American Jewish communities.

One of the notable attendees to travel to Essaouira from London was Jacob Marrache, founder of the Moroccan genealogy organization Adafina. The choice of name, he said, reflects a deep connection to Sephardi culinary traditions. “Adafina is the Sephardi Moroccan name for the Shabbat cholent [stew],” Marrache told The Magazine. “For Ashkenazim, it is cholent. For Israelis, it is hamin. In the south of Morocco, they call in dfina or skhina; whereas in the north, the Jews call it adafina – as well as in Gibraltar (a British colony in the south of Spain, directly opposite Morocco across the straits).

“For me, it is important to delve into the past of Morocco and understand who were these Jewish people who once lived here, and what happened there, and expose that history,” Marrache said.

One of the forum’s highlights was its heartfelt tribute to the Moroccan Jewish community, particularly those from northern Morocco who migrated to Latin America in the early 19th century. The event celebrated the enduring legacy of these early immigrants, emphasizing the strong cultural and historical ties between Morocco and its diaspora.

“On the first day, at the end of a panel, the audience asked Vanessa Paloma Elbaz, senior research associate at Cambridge University’s Faculty of Music, to sing us a song in Haketia [the Judeo-Spanish of Morocco, similar to the Ladino of the Ottoman Empire but with a Moroccan twist],” Marrache related.

In true Moroccan style, the flair and passion of the diaspora community came to the fore, as participants could not help but celebrate and rejoice in their shared cultural heritage. 

“Everybody loved it, and later that day Rabbi Abraham Tobal, chief rabbi of the Damasco community in Mexico, Monte Sinai, decided to sing the song ‘Cuando el Rey Nimrod.’” The song, once believed to have medieval origins, dates back to the 18th-century Ottoman Empire, when it was popular with the Sephardi communities of the Mediterranean Basin. In Tangiers, around 1890, someone adapted the song, shortening its lyrics and composing a new melody. This newer version, with a noticeable flamenco twist, has become arguably the most popular song in the Sephardi repertoire, and interpretations can be found by Ladino singers such as Yehoram Gaon. 

“As Sephardim and even a number of Ashkenazim from Latin communities, the majority of us knew the song, and we all sang it together. It was a really beautiful moment, and it felt like even though we are all from different communities, we have this shared Sephardi Moroccan heritage that we can tap into at any moment and relate to each other on a deep, personal level. I believe this song would evoke a lot of emotions for many Sephardim as it does for me, reminding me of home and my childhood,” Marrache said.

The forum facilitated robust discussions on a wide array of topics, touching on the historical migration patterns of Jews to Latin America, the cultural and religious influences of those communities, and the challenges and opportunities faced, such as the preservation of their heritage. These exchanges culminated in a collective commitment to strengthen bonds between Jewish communities across Latin America and their historical roots in Morocco. 

One of the highlights consisted of Jewish students from Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, as well as Yana Naftalieva, president of the World Union of Jewish Students, who spoke to the attendees about what it was like for Jews in Latin America – the challenges they faced on campus with antisemitism, and their resolve and hard work in fighting for a better future for Jews in Latin America. 

The forum also granted three prizes, celebrating the achievements of distinguished individuals. Fernando Lottenberg, the Organization of American States (OAS) commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, was honored for his tireless work. Rabbi Messoud Asher Zrihan, chief rabbi of the Sephardi Jewish community in Mexico, was recognized for his profound educational and spiritual leadership. And Rabbi Abraham Tobal, chief rabbi of Alianza Monte Sinai in Mexico, was awarded for his dedication to interreligious dialogue and social justice.

Preserving Sephardi Latin American heritage

MARRACHE TOOK part in a panel discussion titled “Preservation of Jewish Latin American Heritage: Sephardic Connection,” along with Jason Guberman, executive director of the American Sephardi Federation, and Laziza Dalil, director of communications of the Mimouna Association. Vanessa Paloma Elbaz was the facilitator.

“I spoke about preserving Moroccan Jewish heritage, starting with the basics: Speaking to the elders and documenting their oral history, their stories, and their family trees, as well as working to preserve our historic cemeteries in Morocco,” Marrache told the Magazine. 

“Not only repair the cemeteries but also make sure they can be studied and make the names and dates on the tombs accessible. I also spoke about Jewish community records and what has happened to them, where the surviving ones can be found, and the work we need to do to digitize them and make them accessible, as they are generally written in a Sephardi cursive script known as Soletreo [in Hebrew hatzi komus, and in Arabic ma’alak]. The language is usually Hebrew, with touches of Aramaic, Arabic, or Spanish.

Marrache also had a special gift for Bayt Dakira, which he presented at the forum. He had been working on a significant project for the past two years, involving beit din (rabbinic court) ledger books from Essaouira dating from 1919 to the 1960s. These ledgers, detailing marriages, engagements, dowries, and more, are now being transcribed and translated to make them accessible to researchers and descendants.

“As the ledgers are written in Soletreo, they are not very accessible to researchers or descendants of the community who might want to learn more about their ancestors,” Marrache explained. “Therefore, I decided to begin transcribing and translating the ledgers. I completed the first book, which covers the years 1919-1923 and includes about 500 marriages and engagements, with a number of other financial contracts. 

“At the end of our panel discussion, I presented a printed book of the original images of the ledger, along with the translation. This was a collaboration between myself under my brand Adafina – Jewish Genealogy in Morocco and the Mimouna Association, who worked on the graphics and printed the book. I presented a copy to the director of Bayt Dakira, Ghita Rabouli, in an effort to repatriate the tangible heritage of Moroccan Jews to their home communities and make them accessible,” he said.

JEWISH MIGRATION to Latin America has a storied past. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Sephardi Jews fleeing persecution on the Iberian Peninsula sought refuge in the New World, establishing roots in Brazil, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw significant waves of immigrants from Europe and the Middle East, including many Moroccan Jews. These communities flourished in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, preserving their unique cultural and religious identities, while contributing immensely to their new homelands.

“Around the 1820s, Moroccan Jews started going over to Brazil, to Belém, and later to the Amazon,” Marrache explained. “From the 1880s, lots of young Jewish men in the north of Morocco, for example, Tangier, started going to the Amazon because of the rubber boom, and they decided to try and make their fortunes. Some did. Some didn’t manage. Obviously, some died in the Amazon because it was so difficult for them.”

The migration from the 1820s up to the 1960s more or less, to Central and South America, established communities in Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, and Mexico, and a lot of them are still there today, in their fourth or fifth generation. Their synagogues mostly still follow the Moroccan Sephardi liturgical rite in prayer, and some still have traces of the various original languages.

The Sephardic Moroccan Jewish Latin American Forum concluded with a renewed commitment to maintaining and nurturing the connections between Latin American Jewish communities and their Moroccan roots. It also underscored the community’s commitment to preserving their unique traditions and stories, even as they have integrated into broader societies over time. 

Through shared experiences and cultural exchange, they continue to honor their past and fortify their identity, and the group that gathered in Essaouira serves as a testament to their dedication to preserve (and build onto) the Moroccan Jewish story, keeping history alive, and ensuring that future generations remain connected to their roots while contributing to the vibrant tapestry of Latin American life. ■