Photographed in Morocco in October 1994 and in May 1995
"One of the reasons why I was drawn to visit Morocco and photograph the Jews
there was my wild imagination. I saw myself touring Casablanca with Humphrey
Bogart, slipping through the dark alleys of the casbah, following the footsteps
of Jews in exotic robes. I envisaged mysterious Jews guiding me at night under a
full moon to gleaming white ancient cemeteries, where they would whisper
prayers, melt lead and burn fragrant incense.
To my disappointment I discovered that the preconceived notions of a westerner
with a fertile imagination are at odds with the realities of Morocco. The Jews I
met there were different, less exotic, like those living in Beverly Hills-style
mansions with servants and lavish swimming pools decorated with mosaics of
dolphins. The alleyways of the mellah were almost empty of Jews - even the poor
have moved to the city centers, and are indistinguishable from other Moroccans.
The young people looked like MTV youth everywhere else.
On my travels, I visited mainly large cities. Everywhere I went, contact with
the Jews was established through the community leaders, and thus it is possible
that my photographs do not truly reflect the whole spectrum of the community,
but focus on the more established Jews.
The Jewish community in Morocco now numbers less than 5,000 people and it is
constantly dwindling due to emigration, mainly of young people who leave to
study in France, Canada and Israel, and remain there. The Jews of Morocco tend
to respect tradition but are not religiously observant. Nonetheless, community
life is focused around the synagogues and social clubs. The Jews speak with
nostalgia and longing of the wondrous past of the community, and continue to
observe the rituals of saint worship.
I visited Morocco to seek Jews in gjalabiyas with pointed head-dresses like those
sometimes seen at the mimouna celebrations in the Sacher Park in Jerusalem or
the Charles Clore Park in Tel Aviv. I found one such figure in Casablanca. In
Marrakesh I glimpsed a similar image from afar. I leaped after him as one who
descends on a hoard of loot, but as I drew nearer I discovered it was the same
Jew from Casablanca. I met him again at the hillula in Wassan.
And so, to my regret, I found that the folklore and exotica was concentrated in
one single person."
