Moroccan Jewish community calls for official recognition of Rosh Hashanah as national holiday

Moroccan Jewish community calls for official recognition of Rosh Hashanah as national holiday
Friday 18 July 2025 - 20:35

Leading members of Morocco’s Jewish community have called for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to be officially recognized as a national holiday, citing the move as a step toward reinforcing the country’s commitment to religious and cultural pluralism, in line with constitutional principles that affirm the Hebrew component as integral to Moroccan identity.

Speaking Thursday at a seminar organized by the Lahcen Lyoussi Academy, affiliated with the Popular Movement party, Jackie Kadosh, president of the Jewish community in the Marrakech-Safi region, urged legislative advocacy to institutionalize the holiday. 

“Just as the Hijri, Gregorian, and more recently the Amazigh New Years have been nationally recognized, Moroccan Jews hope to see Rosh Hashanah granted similar status,” he said.

Kadosh said that Moroccan Jews have long lived in harmony with their Muslim compatriots, practicing their faith freely and maintaining strong social bonds. 

He highlighted Marrakech as a living testament to this coexistence, stressing that many Jews abroad continue to feel deep attachment to Morocco and identify as integral members of its social fabric.

Describing Morocco as a singular model of religious and cultural coexistence, Kadosh recalled numerous examples of Jewish-Muslim harmony and praised successive Moroccan monarchs for preserving the nation’s pluralistic character. 

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