Morocco's Jewish community fell from about 250,000 in 1948 to under 3,000. See Azoulay's royal role, the Casablanca museum and Bayt Dakira, with sources.
Morocco was home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world, roughly 250,000 to 350,000 people in 1948 according to the Museum of Moroccan Judaism, and a Jewish royal adviser, André Azoulay, still serves King Mohammed VI. Fewer than 3,000 Jews remain, mostly in Casablanca. The state backs that heritage with a constitutional reference to Hebraic influences, restored synagogues and cemeteries, and a Jewish museum.
How large was Morocco's Jewish community, and how large is it now?
Morocco's Jewish population peaked at roughly 250,000 to 350,000 in 1948, according to the Museum of Moroccan Judaism's history. Emigration to Israel, France and elsewhere cut that number to about 25,000 by 1971, per the World Jewish Congress. Hebrew University demographer Sergio Della Pergola estimated 2,150 Jews in Morocco in 2015, and current estimates place the community at roughly 2,000 to 3,000 people, with 1,000 to 2,000 of them in Casablanca.
The diaspora is far larger than the community that stayed. TPS, the Jerusalem-based news agency, estimates that about one million Israelis are from Morocco or of Moroccan descent. AFP notes that Jews have lived in Morocco since antiquity.
Who is André Azoulay, and why does his role matter?
André Azoulay is a Jewish Moroccan from Essaouira who was called to the royal palace by King Hassan II in 1991 and now advises King Mohammed VI, according to AFP. He launched the Bayt Dakira heritage center in Essaouira with Morocco's culture ministry. AFP quotes him saying Essaouira was "the only city in the Islamic world with a majority Jewish population" under the 18th-century Sultan Mohamed III.
His daughter, Audrey Azoulay, served as director-general of UNESCO from 2017 until Khaled El-Enany took over on November 15, 2025, and she attended the Bayt Dakira inauguration, per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. A panel at Bayt Dakira lists Jewish royal advisers from Essaouira, and Azoulay's role belongs to that longer pattern rather than to a single appointment.
What did Morocco's 2011 constitution change?
Morocco's 2011 constitution recognizes "Hebraic" influences among the components of Moroccan national identity, according to the World Jewish Congress. The World Jewish Congress also reports a 2010 royal initiative to restore Jewish cemeteries around the country.
A Times of Israel blog by Mustapha Ezzarghani reports that the 17th-century Slat al-Fassiyine synagogue in Fez reopened in 2013 after restoration, with a message from the king read by his prime minister. The same blog says the Meknes mellah cemetery reopened in 2022 after a decade of work.
What is the Moroccan Jewish Museum?
The Moroccan Jewish Museum in Casablanca was created by the city's Jewish community in 1997 and is described by AFP as the only Jewish museum in the Arab world. The museum and the adjacent synagogue were renovated and rededicated in December 2016, with King Mohammed VI attending, according to the Times of Israel blog and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
What does Bayt Dakira in Essaouira represent?
Bayt Dakira, Arabic for "House of Memory," is a restored merchant home in Essaouira's mellah that holds a small synagogue and a Jewish museum. King Mohammed VI visited it on January 15, 2020, according to TelQuel. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports a cost of about $1.5 million, with most of the money from the Moroccan government and a quarter from private donors.
The Times of Israel blog says the site is built around the restored Simon Attias synagogue and the Haim and Célia Zafrani research center on Jewish-Muslim history. TelQuel's photo of the visit shows the king with Chief Rabbi David Pinto and Joseph Israel, Chief Rabbi of Casablanca.
What does Jewish life in Morocco look like today?
Casablanca has the largest remaining community, with 1,000 to 2,000 members by the estimate above. Jacky Kadosh, president of the Jewish community in the Marrakech-Safi region, told Hespress in August 2026 that direct flights from Israel would make family, religious and heritage travel easier, and that bookings were strong ahead of Sukkot.
How does Morocco compare with the UAE?
Morocco's heritage policies predate the Abraham Accords, while the UAE's Jewish institutions are newer. The Jewish Virtual Library reports that the UAE's Jewish Council of Emirates formed in 2019 and that the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, the country's first purpose-built synagogue, opened in February 2023. The Jewish Chronicle reported in 2023 that the UAE had three operating synagogues and an estimated 3,000 Jews.
The Accords added economic and defense ties to the Moroccan relationship. Israel recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2023, and Calcalist cites estimates that Israeli defense exports to Morocco have passed $2 billion since 2020, as covered in Olam's Israel-Morocco defense corridor page. The civilian side is in Israel-Morocco business ties.
What should Jewish and Israeli visitors know before traveling?
Israeli passport holders need a Moroccan visa before entering, according to Arkia, which restarted direct Tel Aviv-Marrakech flights in August 2026 after a suspension that began in October 2023. Travelers should check their own government's current travel advisory before booking, because conditions can change quickly.
Morocco's Jewish story is one of continuity: a small, aging community, a large diaspora in Israel and a state that funds the preservation of Jewish sites. The newest chapter is commercial and military, as Olam's Abraham Accords trade corridors page explains.
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