Report: Moroccan textbooks ‘welcome schoolchildren into Jewish life’
Analysts at Israeli non-profit give the thumbs-up to reformed national curriculum which promotes 'peace and tolerance' above all else
Researchers examining Morocco textbooks over the past decade say a “significant” amount of new information about Jews and Judaism was introduced the year after it normalised relations with Israel.
Peace and tolerance are highlighted as “central themes” across all Moroccan teaching, regardless of grade or subject, with a new report showing how “coexistence with Jews is emphasised and antisemitic stereotypes avoided”.
Analysts working for the Israeli organisation IMPACT-se evaluated 127 textbooks taught in Morocco’s national school curriculum and published between 2013 and 2022 by the Ministry of Education covering the humanities, geography, history, Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, French, and English.
Morocco and Israel agreed to normalise relations in December 2020 after Donald Trump’s White House administration agreed that the United States would recognise Morocco’s contested claim to the Western Sahara.
IMPACT-se report said “positive reforms, created as recently as 2021, introduced significant amounts of new educational material by Morocco’s Ministry of Education that familiarises students with Jews and Judaism to a far greatly extent”.
It added that “Morocco’s Jewish community is frequently and affectionately represented in the textbooks… Students learn that the Jewish community is an inseparable part of Morocco, and current government efforts to preserve Jewish heritage are highlighted”.
Although the textbooks do not teach about the Holocaust, they do describe Jewish history, culture, and contributions to Moroccan society, with students learning about life in the mellah (Jewish Quarter) and stories of “nostalgia and affection toward Morocco, which textbooks interpret as a sign of Jews’ patriotism”.
The researcher found that “the portrayal of Jewish people is sympathetic, and antisemitic stereotypes are avoided or subverted with positive traits like generosity, and loyalty to Morocco… Coexistence between Jews and Muslims is emphasised, with examples showing non-Jewish Moroccans hosted for Shabbat and Mimouna”.
IMPACT-se chief executive Marcus Sheff said: “We are struck by this unique embrace of Jews and Judaism in the reformed Moroccan school curriculum, a project of King Mohammed VI.
“The affection through which Morocco’s Jewish community and its customs are represented as well as the lives of individual Moroccan Jews is heart-warming. We are welcomed into the homes of the Jewish community through the textbooks and learn that Jews are entwined in the national and cultural fabric of Morocco.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
