MOROCCO, January 30 - Participants in a conference held Sunday in Casablanca to commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, praised the major role of HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, in the dissemination of the values of peace, tolerance and inter-faith dialogue, and the efforts of the Sovereign for the preservation of the cultural and cultic heritage of the Moroccan Jewish community and the strengthening of its influence.

The participants praised the Royal vision and the efforts made by HM the King for the preservation of the Moroccan-Jewish heritage and the institutional modernization of the structures for the management of the daily affairs of the members of the Jewish community, stressing that the enlightened vision of HM the King has helped to strengthen the ties of Moroccans of the Jewish faith living abroad with their motherland.

During this event, organized in the Beth El Synagogue, participants recalled the actions of the late Sovereigns, the late HM Mohammed V and the late HM Hassan II, for the defense and protection of Moroccan Jews against the barbarity of the Nazis during the French colonization.

On the occasion of this commemoration organized by the Mimouna Association, the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco (CCIM) and the United Nations Information Center in Rabat, president of the association, El Mehdi Boudra, emphasized the efforts of the late HM Mohammed V to protect Moroccan Jews against oppression under the Vichy regime.

He, in this sense, praised the "courage of the late HM Mohammed V, who did not yield to pressure from the Nazis," noting that the Mimouna Association, which was founded at Al Akhawayn University by a group of young Muslims, aims to raise awareness among young people to the Jewish-Moroccan cultural heritage.

For his part, Secretary general of the CCIM, Serge Berdugo recalled the colossal efforts of the late Sovereign HM Mohammed V, who opposed the aims of the Vichy regime when the Kingdom was under French and Spanish occupation.

The acting head of the Israel Liaison Office in Rabat, Alona Fisher Kamm, expressed her pride in participating in this event that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, adding that it is an opportunity to evoke this suffering in order to raise awareness about the dangers of hatred and racism.

The U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, Puneet Talwar, said that the late HM Mohammed V showed courage in the face of the Nazis to protect Moroccans of the Jewish faith during this difficult period in the history of mankind, noting that the same approach was followed by the late HM Hassan II and HM King Mohammed VI.

Nathalie Fustier, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development System in Morocco, emphasized, for her part, the eminent role of the late HM Mohammed V and HM King Mohammed VI in the protection and defense of Moroccan Jews.

Michel Kichka, an Israeli-Belgian filmmaker and scriptwriter, reviewed his drawings and writings to document this stage in the history of humanity of the victims of the Holocaust and this, from the experience of his family, his father having been one of the victims of the Holocaust.

This conference was marked by the presence of Minister of National Education, Preschool Learning and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, president of the National Museums Foundation (FNM), Mehdi Qotbi, governor of the Prefecture of Casablanca-Anfa, Aziz Dades, and several students and civil society actors.

MAP: 30 January 2023