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Perhaps most impressive in the restoration project is the recovery of the synagogue’s mikvah, which contains two preserved basins and the original furnace.
A centuries-old Moroccan synagogue has been officially recognized as a state heritage site.
Built in 1824, Kahal Synagogue in the coastal town of Asilah spent decades in neglect.
Undeterred by its state of disrepair, Aaron Abikzer, vice-president of the Tangier Jewish Community, collaborated with local residents to bring new life to the synagogue.
Every element was meticulously rebuilt to reflect its original design.
“We asked for these places to become state monuments, and after two years, we received news that the Minister of Culture has registered these three sites as state heritage. I’m very happy,” Abikzer tells Africa News.
“They drew for me what the synagogue looked like, and with their drawings, I had it restored to its original state, including everything in the walls, even the pews.”
Sonia Cohen Toledano, who oversees cultural heritage preservation for the Tangier Jewish Community, played a crucial role in furnishing the historic synagogue.
“For years I kept religious objects from various synagogues that had been closed. With that, I was able to fill the synagogue,” she explains.
“Even the carpets are all old carpets that belonged to families and that we reused.”
Visitors can also view preserved religious artifacts, photographs, and marriage certificates documenting the longstanding presence of Jewish families in Asilah.
Upstairs, craftsmen have faithfully recreated two steam rooms with traditional rounded ceilings, accessed through wooden doors bearing delicate carvings typical of Moroccan-Jewish artisanship.
But perhaps most impressive in the restoration project is the recovery of the synagogue’s mikvah (bath for ritual immersion), which contains two preserved basins and the original furnace.
In the 1950s, Morocco had a Jewish population of approximately 300,000. Today, this number has decreased to an estimated 5,000.
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