Entrance to abandoned
synagogue in the |
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The Oujda mellah has a modern appearance, since
it was rebuilt following the pogrom of 1948.
Oujda's Jews make hiloula to the saint Saadiah
Haddati in nearby Nador. Nador is on the frontier
with Melilla, a Spanish enclave. Of Melilla's 14
synagogues, nine are in the old city. Further
west along the Mediterranean coast is Al Hoceima,
where in the late 1950's, Jews boarded boats to
emigrate illegally to Israel. In 1961, a boat
carrying 42 persons capsized and the bodies of 22
victims were buried in the Christian cemetery. In
1993, the Moroccan Government allowed the remains
of these Jews to be reburied in Israel. Southwest of Oujda is Debdou, a town which had a significant Jewish population, as shown by its large mellah and two Jewish cemeteries. Debdou saints include Youssef Bensimon, Jacob Cohen, Ishak Ben Moche Cohen, Mardochee Ben Moche Cohen, and Moche Ben Sultan. Home Page The Southern Oases |
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