Tomb of Abba Elbaz, |
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Sefrou, south of Fez, was known as Little
Jerusalem due to its high percentage of Jews and
its well-developed religious life. Upon Morocco's
independence, a rabbi from Sefrou was elected to
Parliament. Sefrou's mellah makes up half of the
old city. Jews made up almost half the
population. While there were no more than 5,000
Jews in Sefrou in 1948, they lived only in the
mellah. The population density of the Jewish
community at that time was 415,815 per square
kilometer, the highest in the country. To cope
with the high population density, most buildings
have three stories, with balconies facing the
street. Just outside the mellah is a large but
now vacant home and school for Jewish orphans
that was administered by the Moroccan
organization, Em Habonim, and funded by the
London Jewish Community. A simple synagogue is
contained in the complex. Sefrou's main Jewish cemetery is being restored using funds from those who have emigrated. Historic headstones have been mounted within cement monuments. Several monuments commemorate a large number of merchants who died in a truck accident on the road south to the Tafilalet region. Others honor the 21 victims of the flood of 1950. Sefrou has several saints, including Moshe Elbaz, the Masters of the Cave, Eliahou Harraoch, and David Arazil. |
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Panel at entrance to Em-Habanim orphanage describing the Association's efforts to provide food clothing and shelter to Jewish orphans and poor children. |
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