ABSTRACT
Moroccan Jewry represents a very active and distinct part of present-day Israeli society, and a range of personalities in Israeli public life actively point to their roots in this tradition. 1 Moroccan Jews are also the second largest Jewish group in Israel after the Russian Jews (see Central Bureau of Statistics). In addition, a valued characteristic of the Moroccan Jews is the fact that, unlike some other groups of Jews from the Arab world, they did not break off their ties with their previous homeland and traditions. A relatively large Jewish community 2 lives in Morocco, and relations between Moroccan Muslims and Jews historically have been quite good. These good relations have been partly transferred into politics as well, so Israeli–Moroccan relations are relatively calm even within the sustained tension between Israel and the Arab countries (see Simon et al., 2003: 502–503).
