A Journey of Rediscovery
Despite the fact that my husband Richard and I have called San Mateo home for the past 46 years, our origins lie in the heart of Indiana. Little did we know that Morocco, a country seemingly far removed from our Midwestern roots, would serve as the backdrop for a profound reconnection with our Jewish heritage. Our recent 12-day Jewish heritage tour of Morocco in May opened our eyes to a vibrant history that we had only glimpsed in our youth.
Both Richard and I come from small towns in Indiana—he from Lafayette and I from Terre Haute—where our paths first crossed during a Reform youth conclave in high school. The humor shared by our travel companion Perry during our long bus rides in Morocco captured the essence of our upbringing. He told a joke about a man eager to have an Orthodox rabbi bless his new Maserati, only to be met with confusion. The humor resonated deeply with me, as it encapsulated the unique brand of Judaism I experienced growing up in Terre Haute.
The local synagogue, Temple Israel, constantly cycled through new rabbis, primarily recent graduates seeking experience before moving on to larger congregations. This instability was mirrored in our religious education, which often felt disjointed. I vividly remember a particular instance when our Sunday School teacher unknowingly handed out the same textbook we had used the previous year. When asked if we had studied it before, a classmate confidently replied “no,” while the rest of us suppressed our laughter. To cope with the gaps in my education, I often found myself creating imaginative stories inspired by the vivid stained-glass windows in our sanctuary.
Tragically, the beloved 115-year-old building where I celebrated significant life events, from my kindergarten consecration to my marriage to Richard in 1968, was recently sold to a non-Jewish owner. This historic structure will soon become a wedding venue, a stark reminder of the dwindling Jewish community in Terre Haute, which has fallen to about 40 members unable to maintain the once-thriving sacred space.
Connecting with Morocco's Jewish Legacy
Fast forward to our time in Casablanca, where our Muslim guide Ali shared his extensive knowledge of Morocco’s rich Jewish history. He illuminated the longstanding tradition of Morocco as a haven for Jews, dating back to the period following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. At one time, Morocco was home to over 250,000 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in the Islamic world until the mid-20th century. In contemporary Casablanca, I discovered that around 1,000 Jews still reside here, a testament to the city's ongoing significance as a center of Jewish life in Morocco.
As we journeyed through Fes, we learned about Maimonides, who sought refuge in Morocco after fleeing religious persecution in Spain. This historical narrative mirrored my family’s own saga; my father escaped Nazi Germany in 1937 and ultimately settled in Terre Haute. Throughout my upbringing, I was fortunate to experience acceptance from my non-Jewish peers, who embraced me for who I was, similar to the safe havens provided by both Morocco and Terre Haute for Jewish communities throughout history.
In Rabat, we attended a lecture at the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, founded by Moroccan Muslim academics aiming to promote intercultural understanding. This reinforced the themes of coexistence we had encountered throughout our travels. As we ventured along the Atlantic coast toward Marrakech, we traversed numerous mellahs, the historic Jewish quarters, now largely deserted. We visited over two dozen synagogues, some in disrepair while others were being restored. I captured a poignant image of Richard standing on the bimah, as if leading a forgotten congregation in prayer.
At one synagogue, we met a 92-year-old man who visits daily, despite the synagogue no longer serving as a place of worship. He shared that his family had lived in Morocco since the destruction of the Second Temple, and his devotion to maintaining the synagogue was a testament to the fading history of Morocco’s Jewish community. He noted that many Moroccan Jewish children had left for universities in Europe and the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s, with most never returning. This demographic shift, alongside the establishment of the State of Israel, significantly contributed to the decline of the Jewish population in Morocco—a narrative that echoed my own departure from Terre Haute in 1963.
What began as a quest to learn about Morocco’s Jewish heritage ultimately led to a deeper understanding of my own community’s history. Who would have thought that a journey across the ocean would reveal such profound connections between Morocco and Indiana? In this unexpected way, I rediscovered my Indiana roots, underscoring the timeless nature of heritage and belonging.
As reported by jweekly.com.
