Hundreds of Jewish heritage sites in Morocco to be restored

The initiative will oversee the renovation of hundreds of synagogues, Jewish heritage cites and cemeteries.

By World Israel News staff

Hundreds of historical Jewish sights are set to be restored in Morocco as part of a new initiative introduced by King Mohammed VI, Israel Hayom reported.

The move comes as Rabat and Jerusalem celebrate one year since the signing of a normalization agreement between the two countries. Earlier this year diplomatic ties were restored as part of the Abraham accords.

The initiative will oversee the renovation of hundreds of synagogues, Jewish heritage cites and cemeteries, including a Fes city cemetery home to over 13,000 graves, according to Israel Hayom. Moreover, original names of some Jewish neighborhoods will be restored.

Many actions have already been taken to strengthen Jewish heritage in Morocco, including opening Jewish museums, in addition to efforts made to strengthen ties with Israel.

Israel and Morocco recently signed a historic defense agreement in November, universities in the respective countries have been collaborating, and trade agreements have been created. In July, direct flights between the two were officially launched.

While Morocco is only home to an estimated 2,750 Jews, Israel inversely has the highest number of Jews with Moroccan decent which is estimated to be just shy of 475,000, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.