Bloomsbury Nationalism and Jewish Identity in Morocco: A History of a Minority Community

Moroccan Jews can trace their heritage in Morocco back 2000 years. In French Protectorate Morocco (1912-56) there was a community of over 200,000 Jews. But in the years leading to independence, the country came to construct an identity that centered on the Arab-Islamic notions of its past and present, omitting the diversity in society that had once been celebrated. Today only a small minority of Moroccan Jews remains in the country. This book writes Moroccos rich Jewish heritage back into the protectorate period and explains why the countrys national identity shifted so dramatically. At the heart of the book are the interviews with Moroccan Jews who lived during the French Protectorate, remain in Morocco, and who can reflect personally on everyday Jewish life during this era. The book also provides analysis of the competing nationalist narratives that played such a large part in the making of Moroccos identity: French cultural-linguistic assimilation, Political Zionism, and Moroccan nationalism. The small Jewish community now living in Morocco has become a source of national pride, being symbolic of religious tolerance and the history of communication between diverse groups. Combing the analysis of the interviews, archived periodicals, colonial documents and the existing literature on Jews in Morocco, Kristin Hissongs book illuminates the reality of this multi-ethnic nation-state and the vital role memory plays in its identity.