May 2024:
The Mimouna association is taking part in the International Book Fair, which runs from May 9 to 19, 2024. This book fair is one of the biggest cultural events in Morocco, with over 240,000 participants in 2023. The book fair attracts a large and diverse audience, and represents an important opportunity for the Association Mimouna to reach out to Moroccans of all backgrounds, and promote the Jewish-Moroccan heritage to as many people as possible.
This year, the Mimouna association set up a stand representing the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, with a huge traditional Moroccan door that attracts the attention and curiosity of visitors. This initiative was a great success with participants, who rushed to our stand to discover it. We also decorated it with original street names from the mellahs of Essaouira, Rabat, Marrakech and Tangier, as well as pieces of Judaica. This set-up prompted visitors to the stand to ask many questions, including about the symbolism of the menorah in Judaism and the use of the mezuzah. For us, it was an opportunity to engage in discussion with a public that was very unfamiliar with Moroccan-Jewish customs. We also focused on the most eminent figures in Moroccan Judaism, notably the late Mister Simon Levy, a fervent patriot and defender of Morocco’s plural identity. He was also one of the first mentors of the Mimouna Association, surrounding us with his benevolence, knowledge and expertise on the subject. He was head of the only Jewish museum in the Arab-Muslim world, and shared his exhibitions with us at every one of our events.
