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Jewish Genealogy in Morocco – Sephardic Genealogy

Captured 2025-11-22

22

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Jewish Genealogy in Morocco – Sephardic Genealogy

Description

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This webpage serves as a comprehensive genealogical research guide for individuals seeking to trace their Sephardic Jewish ancestry in Morocco. The page is part of the Sephardic Genealogy website and functions as a detailed roadmap for navigating the complex landscape of Moroccan Jewish family history research. Its primary purpose is to provide researchers with organized access to historical records, archives, and resources specific to Morocco's diverse Jewish communities, making it an invaluable tool for both amateur genealogists and professional researchers exploring their Moroccan Jewish heritage. The content reveals the rich complexity of Morocco's Jewish population, distinguishing between two main groups: the Sephardic Jews (Megorashim) who arrived before and during the Spanish Reconquista of 1492, and the indigenous Moroccan Jews (Toshavim) comprising Arabic and Berber-speaking communities. The guide explains how these communities were geographically distributed, with Megorashim settling primarily in coastal cities, Berber Jews in mountainous and southern regions, and Arabic-speaking Jews more widely dispersed. Linguistically, the northern Megorashim spoke Haketia while southern communities used Judeo-Arabic, reflecting the cultural diversity within Moroccan Jewry. The page also highlights significant historical connections, such as the 1610 pact between Morocco and the Netherlands mediated by Samuel Pallache. The guide meticulously organizes research resources into several categories, including civil records from the French Protectorate (1912-1956) and Spanish Protectorate periods, Jewish community records from institutions like the Chief Rabbinate in Casablanca and the Alliance Israelite Universelle schools, and collections at major repositories such as the National Library of Israel and the Central Archives of the History of the Jewish People. The page features extensive city-specific resources, providing detailed information about records available for major Moroccan Jewish centers including Casablanca, Fez, Tangier, Tétouan, Marrakech, and others, complete with links to cemetery websites, circumcision registers, and specialized manuscript collections. What makes this resource particularly valuable is its inclusion of multimedia elements and contemporary research tools, featuring videos about Moroccan Jewish communities, Facebook groups for genealogical collaboration, and academic presentations by researchers like Raquel Levy-Toledano and Jacob Marrache. The page also incorporates modern research methodologies, including DNA analysis for ancestral tracking and digitized historical documents such as telephone directories and burial registers. This blend of traditional archival sources with digital resources and community-based research networks reflects the evolving nature of genealogical research in the 21st century, making it accessible to a global audience of descendants seeking to reconnect with their Moroccan Jewish roots.

Citation (APA Style)

Jewish Genealogy in Morocco – Sephardic Genealogy. (2025, 11 22). sephardicgenealogy.com. https://sephardicgenealogy.com/researching-sephardic-ancestry/jews-of-morocco/

Technical Metadata

Domain sephardicgenealogy.com
File Size 896 KB
Archived 2025-11-22T00:25:17.896321
Document ID #22
Languages 5 available