Chabad Lubavitch of Morocco
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Chabad-Lubavitch in Morocco: the Rebbe's first emissary posting (1950), once a network of some 70 schools, now led from Casablanca by the Raskin and Banon families
| Chabad Lubavitch of Morocco
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Founder(s) | Michael Lipsker and Shlomo Matusof (emissaries of Menachem Mendel Schneerson) |
| Headquarters | 174 Boulevard Ziraoui, Casablanca 20000 |
| Area served | Morocco |
| Key people | Raizel Raskin (director); Levi Banon and Chana Banon; Chimon Lahiany (Marrakesh) |
| Remarks | Affiliations: Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch; Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States. Local name "Chabad Lubavitch au Maroc"; website chabadmorocco.com |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Morocco (locally Chabad Lubavitch au Maroc) was the first country to which Menachem Mendel Schneerson sent emissaries after he became Rebbe. On 7 February 1950 he appointed Rabbi Michael Lipsker as emissary to Morocco.[1] Lipsker settled in Meknes, and Rabbi Shlomo Matusof went to Casablanca in 1951.[2][3] Funded largely by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the "Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch" network grew to 70 Torah schools, "among them elementary and high schools, yeshivos for senior students, and Jewish girls schools – the first ever in Morocco".[3] Chabad.org puts the Jewish population at "as many as 350,000" before 1948 and about 3,000 in 2020, mostly in Casablanca.[4] The operation is now directed by Raizel Raskin, with Rabbi Levi Banon and his wife Chana Banon in Casablanca since about 2009.[5]
Emissaries and centres
Founding generation
- Michael Lipsker and his wife settled in Meknes in 1950 and "soon founded schools for youth and Torah classes for adults".[3][5]
- Shlomo Matusof and his wife Pesia were sent to Casablanca in 1951.[2] According to Chabadinfo he "traveled by truck and donkey through hundreds of villages and small communities" to recruit local teachers.[3] His Chabad.org obituary credits him with "some 70 separate institutions", and names Shlomo Amar, later Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, among the graduates.[6]
- Nissan Pinson and his wife Rachel came to Casablanca in 1953 and moved to Tunis in 1959 (see Chabad Lubavitch of Tunisia).[5][7]
- Sholom Eidelman and his wife Gittel arrived in 1959 (another Chabad.org article gives 1958).[5][8] Assisting the Moroccan chief rabbinate, he set up Beth Midrach LaRabanim VelaShochatin VelaSofrim, an advanced yeshiva for rabbis, scribes and ritual slaughterers. He also set up mikvahs across the country.[5] He died of COVID-19 in Casablanca on 10 April 2020, aged 84.[8] Gittel Eidelman directs Mikvah Tahara of Morocco.[5]
- Leibel Raskin arrived in 1960 and served "for more than 44 years until his passing in 2004". His widow Raizel Raskin "remains director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Morocco".[5][3]
RNS (2023) describes Raskin as the first emissary to Morocco. Chabad's own sources name Lipsker (1950) and Matusof (1951).[9][1]
Current emissaries
- Levi Banon, who was born in Morocco, and Chana Banon, who was born in the United States. Chabad.org says they have lived in Casablanca since 2009 and that Raizel Raskin "appointed the Banons to lead the next generation of Moroccan Jewry".[5] RNS says Banon "took over Raskin's work in 2008".[9] Chabad.org calls Banon "the director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Morocco".[5] ARIS lists him on its Executive Board as "Chabad Community Rabbi of Casablanca".[10] Chana Banon is the sister of Levi Duchman, Chabad's emissary to the UAE (Chabad of the United Arab Emirates). Duchman did his rabbinic apprenticeship in Casablanca.[11]
- Chimon Lahiany (Shimon Lahiany) and Rachel Lahiany run Chabad of Marrakech, which offers a visitor centre and Shabbat meals.[12][13]
Sources give different arrival dates for the Banons: 2008 (RNS), 2009 (Chabad.org, 2023) and about 2010 (Chabad.org, April 2020, "10 years ago").[9][5][8]
Centres listed by Chabad
| Centre | Address | People |
|---|---|---|
| Chabad Lubavitch au Maroc | 174 Boulevard Ziraoui, Casablanca 20000 | Raizel Raskin; Levi Banon |
| Beth Midrach LaRabanim VelaShochatin VelaSofrim | 29 Rue Jaber Ibno Hayan, Casablanca | Eidelman family |
| Mikve Tahara | 32 Rue Ben Brahim El Marrakchi, Casablanca | Gittel Eidelman |
| Chabad Lubavitch House – Beth Habad Marrakech | Rue Oued Eddahab, Lotissement Errachidia, Marrakesh (Lubavitch.com); Rue Ibn Qodama, Marrakech 40000 (centre's website) | Chimon and Rachel Lahiany |
| Beth 'Habad, Meknes | 1 Rue Sinai N.M., Meknes | – |
| Agadir synagogue | Avenue Moulay Abdellah, Agadir | – |
Sources: Lubavitch.com directory; Chabad of Marrakech.[14][13][12]
Relations with the Jewish community
- Chabadinfo says the Rebbe told his emissaries "to support local Sefardic traditions and customs". It adds that local chachamim (communal rabbis) "eagerly welcomed them".[3]
- According to Chabad.org (2020), Eidelman's students included Shlomo Amar and Rabbi David Rafael Banon (Levi Banon's father, of the Montreal Beth Din).[8] David Rafael Banon sits on the ARIS Presidium.[10]
- Community leadership. Chabad.org names Serge Berdugo as "ambassador-at-large and president of the Council of Jewish Communities". It names Armand Azeroual as "president of Chabad institutions in Morocco". At Casablanca's public Hanukkah event in 2019, Berdugo lit the menorah as "King Mohammed VI's ambassador-at-large". The Wali of Casablanca-Settat, Said Ahmidouch, and the Governor of Casablanca-Anfa, Rachid Afirat, also attended.[4] In May 2023 emissaries at the Fez conference met Berdugo, whom Chabad.org then called "president of Morocco's Jewish communities". They also met the rabbinical court.[15]
- Levi Banon is described as "director of Jeunesse Chabad of Morocco" (2020).[4] According to Chana Banon, Eidelman was the sandek at her husband's circumcision. The former chief rabbi Shalom Messas sent her father-in-law David Banon to study Chassidism with Eidelman and at the Chabad yeshiva in Brunoy, France.[4]
- After the September 2023 earthquake Banon led relief teams in the Marrakesh Mellah: "In Marrakesh, we get along very well with our Muslim brothers ... we are in touch with local authorities to see what more we can do."[5]
Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
ARIS is chaired by Mendy Chitrik, the Chabad emissary in Istanbul. Its rabbis connected to Morocco are:[10]
| Rabbi | ARIS role / description | Chabad? |
|---|---|---|
| Levi Banon | Executive Board; "Chabad Community Rabbi of Casablanca" | Yes |
| Chimon Lahiany | Member; "Marrakesh, Morocco" | Yes. Lubavitch.com and the centre's website list him as the Chabad emissary in Marrakesh.[13][12] |
| David Rafael Banon | Presidium; "Montreal Bet Din" | Moroccan-born; studied under Eidelman.[8] Not confirmed as a Chabad emissary. |
| Gad Bouskila | Presidium; "Rabbi of Netivot Yisrael Moroccan community of NY" | No. He leads a Moroccan diaspora congregation. |
Relations with the state, business and Israel
- Monarchy. Chana Banon credits the community's security "in large part" to "the royal family, which is very respectful to the Jewish people". She also recalls that the Rebbe called Morocco "a kingdom of kindness".[4] At the Fez conference in 2023, Rabbi David Banon recited the blessing for King Mohammed VI.[15] The mayor of Fez, Abdeslam Bekkali, attended.[9]
- Abraham Accords. Chabad.org reported the December 2020 announcement as a "special gift" to Morocco's Jews at Hanukkah. It noted that "the vast majority of them have close friends and relatives living in Israel".[4] Morocco normalised relations with Israel in December 2020. RNS reported that this opened the country to a "new flood of Jewish tourism". At the same event Chabad's spokesman Motti Seligson said Chabad's presence in the Arab and Muslim world "has grown exponentially".[9] In 2023 Chabad.org noted that the Marrakesh Jewish Quarter "had experienced a revival in toursim in recent years".[5]
- Supplies. Chana Banon says that "Our glatt-kosher meat, chalav Yisrael dairy and snacks all come from America."[4]
Funding and donors
- In the founding period, according to Chabadinfo, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee provided the funding "to pay teachers, buy books, provide students with meals (and often clothing), and more".[3]
- The Marrakesh centre says it "is not funded by the global Chabad movement, but by donations of individuals and organizations".[12]
- No accounts or named current donors were found.
Controversies
None found. Chabad's sources describe students of the Agadir Chabad yeshiva among those killed in the February 1960 earthquake.[5]
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1950 | The Rebbe appoints Michael Lipsker emissary to Morocco; Lipskers settle in Meknes |
| 1951 | Shlomo and Pesia Matusof sent to Casablanca |
| 1953 | Nissan and Rachel Pinson arrive in Casablanca |
| 1958/59 | Sholom and Gittel Eidelman arrive |
| 1959 | Pinsons move to Tunis |
| 1960 | Leibel Raskin arrives; Agadir earthquake kills Chabad yeshiva students |
| 2004 | Leibel Raskin dies; Raizel Raskin continues as director |
| 2008/09 | Levi and Chana Banon begin work in Casablanca |
| Sep 2019 | ARIS founded; Levi Banon on Executive Board |
| 10 Apr 2020 | Sholom Eidelman dies of COVID-19 |
| Dec 2020 | Morocco–Israel normalisation (Abraham Accords) |
| May 2023 | Chabad conference in Fez for emissaries from 40 countries |
| Sep 2023 | Earthquake relief in Marrakesh |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Morocco
- Chabad-Lubavitch in West Asia
- Chabad Lubavitch of Tunisia
- Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
- Chabad of the United Arab Emirates
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chabad.org, "1950: Leadership", Chabad.org, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chabad.org, "A Chassid Riding a Donkey", Chabad.org, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Shmuel Butman, "Chabad's 70 Years in Morocco", Chabadinfo.com (from Jewish Press), 2020. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Menachem Posner, "Moroccan Jews Welcome Historic Peace Deal With Israel", Chabad.org, 11 December 2020 (includes an interview with Chana Banon first published in 2019). Chabad-side.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 Bruria Efune, "Chabad Brings Relief and Comfort to Victims of Morocco Earthquake", Chabad.org, 11 September 2023. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Chabad.org, "Force Behind Growth of Moroccan Jewry Passed Away at 91", Chabad.org, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Motti Wilhelm, Obituary of Rebbetzin Rochel Pinson, Chabad.org, 5 February 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Avraham Berkowitz, Obituary of Rabbi Sholom Eidelman, Chabad.org, 13 April 2020. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 David I. Klein, "In Morocco, conference brings together rabbis from three continents", Religion News Service, 22 May 2023. Press.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, "The Rabbis", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side (ARIS).
- ↑ Chabad.org/News via JNS, "Chabad-Lubavitch announces emissary to United Arab Emirates", 1 November 2020. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Chabad of Marrakech, "About and Contact", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lubavitch.com, Centres directory: Marrakesh, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ Lubavitch.com, Centres directory: Morocco and Casablanca, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mendel Super, "Historic Conference in Morocco Draws Rabbis From Africa, Middle East, Europe", Chabad.org, 17 May 2023. Chabad-side.