(Jewish Group) Researchers discover ruins of 16th-century Jewish community in Morocco as king orders

Researchers discover ruins of 16th-century Jewish community in Morocco as king orders restoration of sites

Researchers from Israel, Morocco and France have discovered remnants of a small Jewish community in the mountains of Morocco, Haaretz reported Monday.

The ruins of the community’s synagogue in the small village of Tamanart – located on the outskirts of the Sahara desert – were found while conducting a preliminary survey of Jewish sites in the area and after talking to locals who remembered their Jewish neighbors who left the area 70 years ago.

The researchers say Jews lived here from the 16th century until the early 19th century. They recovered scriptures, documents, and Kabbalist amulets from the synagogue’s genizah, or hiding place for worn texts that are no longer usable.

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Jews are believed to have first established communities in Morocco more than 2,000 years ago. In the mid-20th century, the Jewish population reached a peak of 250,000. It is estimated that only 2,000 Jews remain today.

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