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عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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Posted on عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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Posted on عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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Posted on عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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Posted on عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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Posted on عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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عفوا، هذه المدخلة موجودة فقط في English.
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Posted on Lewis and Clark
September, 2010
What began with simple curiosity about a small room filled with bags of papers in a synagogue in Rabat, Morocco, has become a project that will help change the way anthropologists and historians document cultures around the world.
Oren Kosansky, assistant professor of anthropology, has earned a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop a digital archive of Judaic Moroccan documents from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The online archive will open access to researchers with an interest in Jewish culture in Northern Africa and allow them to share ideas and information widely. Of even greater interest to the NEH, the project will offer a new model for intercultural and international collaboration in the creation of technological resources to share historical information.
Making a discovery
Kosansky’s fascination with Judiaism in Morocco dates back to his graduate work in the early 1990s. In 2005, a Fulbright research grant took him to Rabat, the capital of Morocco and former home to a large Jewish community. During his stay, Kosansky worked closely with leaders of Rabat’s major synagogue and community center. It was there that he discovered a genizah—a room or depository found in synagogues, where old religious documents that are no longer in use are kept and periodically buried.
“In Judaic tradition, documents containing references to God are forbidden from being destroyed,” Kosansky explained. “Most obviously books and papers on religious topics such as the Torah are deemed sacred and treated in a ceremonious fashion, but any item with religious or legal references—such as a wedding announcement or business contract—would also be kept.
“In this case, I found literally thousands of books and documents pertaining to virtually all facets of Jewish life in Morocco, especially as it was transformed during the 20th century. My first thought was, ‘How can I save these materials from burial, so that they can be consulted by community members and scholars.’”
Kosansky noted that the Jewish community in Rabat once numbered in the thousands and had dwindled to fewer than 100, following a broader trend of emigration that brought the majority of Moroccan Jews to Israel, France, and other global destinations. As an anthropologist, he saw great potential for research materials that could serve many in his field.
“Written materials are very important in Judaism,” Kosansky explained. “It is a very textual culture. These documents offer great insight into a culture and a community of people that once thrived here. They offer an opportunity to investigate elements of a society that has not been fully explored by those of us in the academic field. For the Jewish community, it represents something perhaps even more valuable—an opportunity to reflect on how their traditions have been shaped by modern life, colonialism, technological change, and global networks of migration, communication, and commerce.”
With the approval of community leaders, Kosansky sorted through hundreds of sacks containing thousands of documents and determined which documents were appropriate for burial and which represented significant historical texts suitable for preservation. Synagogue leaders gave Kosansky the documents for preservation, and he donated them to the Jewish Museum in Casablanca.
The unparalleled collection contains many unique documents, including handwritten letters, unpublished manuscripts, and community records, as well as published materials in a variety of languages, including Judeo-Arabic, Hebrew, and French. The documents now held by the museum will be the focus of Kosansky’s NEH digitization project.
Building a model to bring disparate parties and countries together
In developing his project, Kosansky has faced many difficult questions and considerations. Despite his excitement about the opportunity to open the door further on North African culture, he wrestled with concerns about how to build such an archive—chief among them, how to build an equitable process that respects the legal, ethical, and social differences across several societies.
“There are so many issues up for consideration,” Kosansky said. “For example, what, if any, are the copyright issues for such old documents? And what are the copyright laws in Morocco? Are there private documents we shouldn’t digitize out of respect for some individuals or the Jewish community? Who should be consulted on such ethical considerations?”
Kosansky will begin the project while he is directing Lewis & Clark’s first overseas program in Morocco next spring. Over the next 18 months, he will be identifying experts both in the U.S. and in Morocco in diverse fields like digital archives, information access, intellectual property law, and Jewish history to address the legal issues, begin the digitization process, and have the website built.
Given the scope of the entire project, Kosansky feels the key to its success will be building a shared vision and understanding across languages and cultural differences.
While the circumstances for any future project will be unique to the people and part of the world it is happening in, NEH will be better prepared to fund and assist comparable projects based on Kosansky’s experience and the lessons he takes away.
“This is about far more than an archive,” Kosansky said. “And it will be more than a list or set of images. It will be organic in its process and in its outcomes. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to learn how to effectively bring a cross-cultural project to fruition and to develop a model for academicians and laypeople to share information and ideas about the documents that they access.”
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Lewis and Clark September, 2010 What began with simple curiosity about a small room filled with bags of papers in a synagogue in Rabat, Morocco, has become a project that will help change the way anthropologists and historians document cultures around the world. Oren Kosansky, assistant professor of anthropology, has earned a $50,000 grant from […]
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Posted on Morocco World News
By: Ghassan Essalehi
Ifrane, Morocco, December 2, 2011
Simon Levy, Secretary General of the Foundation of Jewish-Moroccan Cultural Heritage and the director of the Jewish Museum of Morocco, passed away on Friday morning at a hospital in Rabat following a long illness, people. He was 77. Levy was Morocco’s foremost authority on Moroccan Jewish cultural. His work will continue to guide future generations, academia, and researchers all over the world.
Mr. Levy was born in Fez in 1934. He was a professor in the Spanish Department of Mohamed V University in Rabat since 1971. Mr. Levy went to prison during Morocco’s colonization period because of his resistance to the French and demands to grant Morocco independence. Mr. Levy was also in prison during the years known as “Years of Lead” because of his demands to grant citizens more individual liberties and rights.
Mr. Levy was a leading figure and active member of Morocco’s Communist party (which, later on, became known as PPS) in which he held key positions for more than 30 years (up until 2011). He was also the Secretary General of Moroccan Judaism Foundation and the Director of its Museum in Casablanca (the only museum of this city)....
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Morocco World News By: Ghassan Essalehi Ifrane, Morocco, December 2, 2011 Simon Levy, Secretary General of the Foundation of Jewish-Moroccan Cultural Heritage and the director of the Jewish Museum of Morocco, passed away on Friday morning at a hospital in Rabat following a long illness, people. He was 77. Levy was Morocco’s foremost authority on […]
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Posted on The Jewish Chronicle Online
By: Andrew Rosemarine
December 1, 2011
Magui Kakon, probably the only Jewish woman to have ever contested a parliamentary election in an Arab country, stood for Morocco's Party of the Social Centre this week.
Despite failing to win a parliamentary seat, Ms Kakon won 80,000 votes, up by 50,000 on her 2007 election campaign, and she remains upbeat.
"Moroccan democracy has moved forwards, and with it, her minorities," said Ms Kakon, who runs a property business and writes Jewish cookbooks.
Ms Kakon, who lives in Casablanca, told newspaper Akhbar al Yawm that her religion was a positive factor, a symbol of the diversity of the kingdom, where Arabs, Berbers and Jews have lived side by side for centuries.
But for the first time ever in Morocco, an Islamic party topped the election results this week. The Islamic Party of Justice and Development (PJD), previously the largest opposition group, won 107 out of 395 seats.
Lahsen Daoudi, head of the PJD's parliamentary group, described the results as a "historic turning point". Under the new constitution, accepted by referendum in July, the leader of the winning party has the right to become Prime Minister and set up a new administration.
The PJD has begun looking for partners for a coalition. Abdelilah Benkirane, PJD's 57-year-old Secretary General who has been called upon by the king to form a new government, said that the PJD was "open to everyone" and will change its programme to bring in coalition partners.
Outgoing premier Abbas Al Fassi, of the nationalist Istiqlal party, is expected to join the coalition with his 60 seats. He has described PJD's win as "a victory for democracy". The Union of Socialist Progressive Forces, which won 39 seats, is also expected by many to join the coalition.
The PJD is considered moderate in the West, and has made it clear it will neither ban alcohol nor impose the veil.
However in Morocco, the PJD is thought to be highly conservative. A common view is that the party has deliberately sought to project a less hardline image since the 2003 Casablancan bombings, for which Islamists were convicted.
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The Jewish Chronicle Online By: Andrew Rosemarine December 1, 2011 Magui Kakon, probably the only Jewish woman to have ever contested a parliamentary election in an Arab country, stood for Morocco’s Party of the Social Centre this week. Despite failing to win a parliamentary seat, Ms Kakon won 80,000 votes, up by 50,000 on her […]
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En préambule au Festival Sépharade 2011 qui aura lieu à Montréal (Canada), du 12 au 17 novembre prochain, une série de rencontres ont eu lieu dimanche dans cette ville autour du thème “Vitalité du judaïsme marocain d'hier et d'aujourd'hui”.
Le judaïsme marocain est “bien vivant” et les juifs marocains le font revivre dans leur mémoire et ont réussi, de part le monde à imposer nombre de leurs traditions marocaines, ont affirmé dimanche soir à Montréal les participants à une rencontre autour du thème “Vitalité du judaïsme marocain d'hier et d'aujourd'hui”.
La rencontre a fait valoir que les juifs marocains demeurent attachés à leur identité, leur culture et leurs traditions marocaines, et les intervenants ont mis en avant la coexistence entre communautés juive et musulmane au Maroc vieille de près de 3.000 ans. Un sujet mis en avant par le professeur David Bensoussan, de l'Université du Québec, qui a commenté le panorama “exceptionnel” de l'histoire des Juifs du Maroc avec un accent particulier sur le futur des relations entre les Juifs du Maroc et leur pays d'origine.
“Le Maroc est le seul pays arabe à avoir osé inscrire dans le texte constitutionnel l'affluent hébraïque de l'identité marocaine. Il faut reconnaitre. C'est extraordinaire”.
PROFESSEUR DAVID BENSOUSSAN.
Un constat également souligné par l'ambassadeur du Maroc au Canada et le consul général à Montréal, qui ont mis en avant “nos valeurs communes plutôt que nos différences”.
Cette rencontre a également été l'occasion de découvrir la riche collection de Avraham Elarar, de livres et manuscrits de rabbins du Maroc à partir du 15e siècle.
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En préambule au Festival Sépharade 2011 qui aura lieu à Montréal (Canada), du 12 au 17 novembre prochain, une série de rencontres ont eu lieu dimanche dans cette ville autour du thème “Vitalité du judaïsme marocain d’hier et d’aujourd’hui”. Le judaïsme marocain est “bien vivant” et les juifs marocains le font revivre dans leur mémoire […]
قراءة المزيد