jewish heritage tour

Arrival at Casablanca Mohammed V airport, welcome, and assistance. Orientation tour of Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco. We will visit the Habbous quarter, the United Nations square, the exterior of the Royal Palace and an interior visit of the Hassan II mosque, one of the Islamic world’s greatest and stunning monuments. Casablanca is home to the largest Jewish community in Morocco and has numerous congregations, active communal institutions, and many highly recommended kosher restaurants. Visit of the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) with its temples and synagogues such as Beth-El, Em Habanim, and Neve Shalom.

After breakfast, departure to Rabat and Sale. Visit the Chellah and Kasbah of Oudayas located next to the Medina within the ramparts of the old city. The Mellah, with its narrow lanes and colorful courtyards, is now the home of a few Jewish families. Continue to Sale, the twin city of Rabat and the birthplace of Rabbi Hayyim Ben Moses Attar, the famous 18th-century scholar, and kabbalist, known throughout the Jewish world for his Bible commentary, the “Or Ha-Hayyim”. Return to Rabat for dinner and overnight stay.

Departure to Meknes (the Moroccan Versailles), which was founded at the end of the 17th century by Moulay Ismail, where Hebraic epitaphs dating from the Christian era evidence the Jewish presence, and Greek inscriptions still appear in local Synagogues. It’s a place of pilgrimage where the tomb of Rabbi David Benmidan, “The Patron of Meknes” is located. The crowded old Mellah, known for its historic Jewish street names is not to be missed. There is also the new Mellah, which harbours eleven Synagogues, eight of which are still in use. Highlights will also include Bab El Mansour, the Hedim square and the mosque of Moulay Ismail. Continue to Fes via Volubilis, well-preserved remains of a Roman city. Check-in at the hotel and overnight stay.

Fes is among the best-known cities in medieval Jewish history. Indeed, it was once the home of one of the most influential Talmudic scholars of all times, Rabbi Isaac Alfasi, as well as of Maimonides in the years 1160 to 1165. Highlights will also include the Mellah with all its Synagogues. Optional visit of Bhalil featuring the cemetery of Safroud where Rabbi Lahou Harroch and Rabbi Raphael Moshe Elbaz are buried. Return to the hotel in Fes for the overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure to Erfoud via Azrou and Ifrane. It is said that Ifrane was the capital of a Jewish Kingdom in the distant past. Not to be missed: the village’s only Synagogue and the cemetery have been a center of pilgrimage for Moroccan Jews for centuries. Stop in Midelt and continuation to Erfoud. From there, a driver with a land rover will take you to witness the sunset and enjoy a bivouac at Merzouga dunes. Berber dinner, overnight stay in tents or return back to Erfoud for accommodation at the hotel.

After another breathtaking view of the sunrise, we return to Erfoud for an orientation tour and continue to the Todra Gorges known for their impressive bare escarpments. Continue to Tineghir and visit its Mellah gateway and the ancient and colorful Jewish quarter. Departure to Ouarzazate via El Kelaa Des M’Gouna and visit of Tiliit (5 miles from El Kelaa Des M’Gouna), known as the ancient city of the Jews of the Dades. The fortress of Tiliit has been the center of a Jewish region ruled by the Spanish-Jewish family of Perez from the end of the 15th century until the reign of Moulay Ismail in 1672. Continue to Ouarzazate, check-in and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure to Marrakech via the Tiz-in-Tichka pass (2260m) and Taddert. In the afternoon, sightseeing tour of Marrakech. The Saadian dynasty made Marrakech their capital and converted the El Badii Palace to a Mellah, which became home of a thriving community of native and Spanish Jews, famed for their rabbinical schools and scholars. Visit the Rabbi Hanania Hacohen cemetery, which is also the burial place of Rabbi Mordekhai Ben Attar and Rabbi Pinhas Hacohen Azough known as the “Patron of Marrakech”. Return to the hotel and overnight stay.

This day will be devoted to the sightseeing of Marrakech, the second oldest imperial city known as the “Pearl of the South” and home to the Saadian tombs, the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the Menara Garden. Return to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon, exploration of the souks and the world’s famous Djemaa El Fna place, which offers various entertainments such as storytellers, acrobats, snake-charmers, magicians, etc. Optional: In the afternoon, excursion to the Ourika valley, the site of the famous tomb of Rabbi Salomon Bel Hens.

This is your free day of leisure.

Departure to Marrakech Menara airport. Or Casablanca airport.