(JTA) — Morocco’s Jewish community concluded an annual traveling exhibition celebrating its heritage.
The Caravan of Judeo-Moroccan Heritage arrived in Casablanca last week after traveling through Fez and Ifrane. This year was the exhibition’s fourth year, according to the Ya Biladi daily.
The roadshow brought Jewish films, artifacts and literature to each of the three cities from Feb. 24 to Feb 26 in a bid to expose non-Jewish Moroccans to the community’s customs.
This year, a special emphasis was placed on Casablanca’s Jewish museum, which is believed to be the only such institution in the Arab world, and which enjoys funding from the Moroccan government.
The caravan of several cars operated by a group of activists from the Mimouna Jewish cultural association ended its 300-mile sojourn at the museum, which last year reopened after a massive restoration.
Mimouna organized the traveling exhibition in cooperation with the Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane, near Fez. The organizers also offered free Jewish cooking sessions in stops along the route.
Serge Bardougo, secretary general of the Moroccan Jewish community, said during a speech at the museum that “the Jewish-Moroccan Diaspora maintains its unshakable ties to its country of origin.”
Some 250,000 Moroccan Jews immigrated to Israel after its establishment in 1948. Approximately 3,000 Jews currently live in Morocco,according to the European Jewish Congress.
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