Archive for September, 2008
Friday, September 26th, 2008
Essaouira and the Hiloulah of Rabbi Chaim Pinto
Every year, Jews from all over the world travel to various Moroccan cities for hilouloth, celebrations commemorating tzadikim, or famous, wise Jewish scholars and Rabbis from the past. Dozens of these occur a year, and as part of my research on the history and culture of Jewish Moroccans, it was only natural for me to [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Meknes
When visiting Meknes with my family a few weeks ago, we befriended one Jewish man who works at the ancient synagogue in the mellah, granting access to tourists, answering their questions and maintaining the building. He invited me to stay at his house when I returned to Meknes, and acted as my guide and Jewish [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Tangier
I ventured to Tangier with few expectations; I had one contact there, my trusty brochure of the Moroccan Jewish Community and a reservation at a hotel across the street from the only functioning synagogue, in a city that used to be home to 27,000 Jews and 25 synagogues (many of which were located in [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Chefchaouen
Tucked away at the base of the Rif Mountains in the north of Morocco is a picturesque little tourist town called Chefchaouen. After hearing my friend Marc rave about it after his Watson year and passing through it for an hour with my family, I knew that I must return during my month of [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Morocco by Ceci
Thursday, September 4th, 2008
My First Hammam Experience
One of the must-do “cultural experiences” while in Morocco, or the Middle East in general, is to get cleansed in a hammam. Before actually going, all Mommy, Anat and I knew was that we were going to a communal shower and maybe a woman would clean us. While that is true, we were in for [...]
