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The names of Moroccan Jews

Captured 2025-11-22

77

Archived Document

The names of Moroccan Jews

Description

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This webpage serves as a comprehensive genealogical and cultural resource focused on documenting the surnames and family names of Moroccan Jewish communities. Hosted on Dafina.net (a broader cultural website dedicated to North African Jewish heritage), the page's primary purpose is to preserve and explain the etymological origins and meanings of traditional Moroccan Jewish family names, providing an invaluable tool for genealogical research and cultural understanding. The content presents an extensive alphabetical catalog of over 200 surnames, each accompanied by detailed explanations of their linguistic origins, meanings, and sometimes geographical connections. The names reflect the rich multicultural heritage of Moroccan Jewry, with etymologies spanning Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, Berber, and other linguistic traditions. For example, "Abehsera" means "the man with the mat," "Abergel" translates to "one-legged man" in Arabic, "Azoulay" derives from the Spanish "azul" meaning blue, and "Toledano" indicates Spanish origins from Toledo. Many surnames also reveal occupational histories, such as "Benattar" meaning "spice merchant," "Gabbay" meaning "tax collector," and "Sebag" meaning "painter." Geographic connections are frequently noted, with names like "Afriat" and "Miara" originating from Mogador (Essaouira), and "Zagouri/Zagury" from the southern town of Zagora. This resource holds significant historical and cultural value as it documents the complex identity of Moroccan Jewish communities, who lived at the crossroads of multiple civilizations for centuries. The multilingual nature of these surnames reflects the community's integration within Moroccan society while maintaining distinct Jewish identity markers. The page targets genealogists, historians, and descendants of Moroccan Jewish families seeking to understand their heritage, particularly relevant given the diaspora that scattered these communities across France, Israel, the USA, and Canada following Morocco's independence and regional changes in the mid-20th century. The webpage is part of a larger cultural portal that includes sections on various Moroccan cities (Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, etc.), community forums, and cultural resources. Notably, the site invites user participation by requesting visitors to submit missing names, creating a collaborative approach to preserving this cultural knowledge. The page also explains the meaning of "Dafina" itself - a traditional Sabbath meal slow-cooked overnight, symbolizing the deep cultural traditions the website aims to preserve and share with contemporary audiences.

Citation (APA Style)

The names of Moroccan Jews. (2025, 11 22). dafina.net. https://dafina.net/namesofmoroccanjews.htm

Technical Metadata

Domain dafina.net
File Size 395 KB
Archived 2025-11-22T14:16:49.277885
Document ID #77
Languages 5 available