The Archives of Morocco and the Israel State Archives signed in Rabat on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at preserving the Jewish-Moroccan memory and heritage.
The director of the Archives of Morocco, Jamaa Baida, and the head of the Israel State Archives, Ruth Avramovitz, signed the MoU. Avramovitz is visiting Morocco at the head of an official delegation.
The agreement will enrich the documentary collections of the two institutions and promote the sharing of expertise in all archives-related fields.
Speaking at the event, Baida stressed that the partnership between the Archives of Morocco and the Israel State Archives results from a lengthy consultation process under excellent auspices.
He noted that it comes after Israel recognized the Sahara, which is "a major event highly appreciated by King Mohammed VI and all the living forces of the Moroccan Nation."
The official explained that the cooperation between Morocco and Israel would make it possible to fill specific gaps noted in the archives relating to Moroccan Judaism worldwide.
Archives of Morocco has deployed "much effort for the reappropriation of this part of the History of Morocco, which was scratched, at a given moment in history, under the effect of geopolitical tensions or, sometimes, by simple negligence," Baida was quoted by Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP) as saying.
He underlined that the documentary fund relating to the Jewish-Moroccan memory comes from three primary sources: the diplomatic Archives Center of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Paris-based Shoah Memorial, and the Universal Israelite Alliance, which contains millions of archives.
He explained that the documentary resources, which shed light on various aspects of the daily life of Jewish Moroccans in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the cordial ties they maintained with their Muslim compatriots, are a means of reconciling Moroccans with their history and their plural identity, whose Hebrew tributary has been enshrined in the Constitution.
Speaking on this occasion, Avramovitz was delighted with the "warm and unforgettable welcome" she received on her first visit to Morocco.
She stressed that the MoU signed with the Moroccan Archives constitutes "the first milestone of a solid cooperation for the preservation of the common memory and the dissemination of knowledge to build a better world."
Speaking to MAP, the Israeli official expressed her desire to "know more about Morocco, its history, its culture, and its population."
She stressed that under the agreement, the Israel State Archives, rich in hundreds of millions of documentary resources, puts its collections and know-how at the service of rapprochement and mutual knowledge between the Moroccan and Israeli peoples.
She explained that new technologies are crucial in this partnership, adding that Israel intends to share with Morocco its experience using artificial intelligence to optimize archives management.
The signing ceremony included a screening of a documentary film retracing the career of the eminent historian Haim Zafrani, a specialist in Moroccan Judaism.
Avramovitz will visit the Museum of Finery in the Oudayas and the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat.
