Morocco’s UN Envoy: Jewish Community Integral to Nation’s History, Never Persecuted

"We are very proud that in the history of Morocco, there has never been any persecution of the Jewish people. They were just... part of our society," he said during his participation in a virtual Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony organized by the Israeli embassy in Washington.

In the late 1940s, Morocco had about 250,000 Jews, or 10% of the national population. From the creation of Israel in 1948 to the present day, the number of Jews present in Morocco stands at around 3,000 Jews. They have also celebrated the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The Moroccan diplomat also indicated that his participation in the feast of lights organized by his Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan "should not be considered a surprise or an extraordinary image." "We are very happy to send another signal of Morocco’s commitment to what Hanukkah represents - the end of darkness... the beginning of light," he added.

On the occasion, Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, stated that the normalization agreement between Israel and Morocco "realizes the dream of many Israelis of Moroccan origin who remain proud of their roots and have a great love for the country." "If you had told me a few months ago that I would be lighting Hanukkah candles with my friends from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, I would have said: ’Impossible.’ But here, we are sending a message of hope to the young people of our region that anything is possible," he added.