Moroccan Odyssey Day 19

 Morocco Day 19: Marrakesh 

Today we had a free day to explore Marrakesh on our own, so the "Gang of Six" as the rest of our OAT traveling companions called us, decided to check out the synagogue and Jewish cemetery here.

The synagogue was established by Jews who fled Spain during the expulsion of 1492 and settled in Marrakesh.It served as the main synagogue for the community and remains one of the few still in use.The name “Lazama” (from the Hebrew Le’Azama) means “those of Azemmour,” referring to Jews who came from the coastal town of Azemmour after their expulsion by the Portuguese.The building has a central courtyard, surrounded by prayer rooms, classrooms, and a small museum displaying Jewish religious artifacts, photos, and community history.The synagogue is still maintained as a place of worship and a memorial to Marrakesh’s once-thriving Jewish population.

The building has a central courtyard, surrounded by prayer rooms, classrooms, and a small museum displaying Jewish religious artifacts, photos, and community history.The synagogue is still maintained as a place of worship and a memorial to Marrakesh’s once-thriving Jewish population.

While we were there, a large group of Israelis with roots in Morocco came in and began having a service.  

Israeli Moroccan Rabbi leading the service

The cemetery was around the corner from the synagogue down a long, sketchy street.
We were happy to see Hebrew, signalling our arrival to the Beth Mo'ed Lekol Chai cemetery.

It is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Morocco, dating back to the early 16th century.

The cemetery covers several acres, with thousands of whitewashed tombs — some flat, others domed or inscribed in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic.Many graves are unmarked, reflecting centuries of burials.The most revered tomb is that of Rabbi Hanania HaCohen, a 16th-century rabbinic scholar, visited by pilgrims.The name “Beth Mo’ed LeKol Chai” means “House of the Assembly of All the Living.”

We spent the rest of the agternoon wandering around the souk, watching the artisans at work

and buying 

Not far from our riyadh down a small street was a small shop that looked very out of place for Morocco.  Sophie is a Dutch expat that makes stroopwaffles to order.

We ordered to boxes (of 5) and watched her do her magic. We spent about 20 minutes talking to her and watching the waffle preparation.She also had apple pie for sale by the slice, so since Dave and I bought the waffles, Rich sprang for the pie.  She must have really liked us since our slice  was about 1/3 of the pie.  Not quite as good as Jeri and Molly's Mile High Apple Pie, but a pretty good 2nd.

This evening we had our farewell dinner at the Red House. It was built in the 1940s as a private villa for a prominent Moroccan family — one of the city’s elite during the French Protectorate period. The house was designed in a blend of traditional Moroccan and Art Deco styles.  In the early 2000s, the villa was transformed into a restaurant and boutique guesthouse,

Tonight we also had the changing of the guard.  Mo would continue on tomorrow with the remaining 10 of our group to Casablanca, and the 6 of us would leave for Essaouira with our new tour guide, Younes.