Return to Morocco
A film by Charlotte Bruneau
Produced for Al Jazeera Network, 2014, 47'
Camera: Benjamin Morel
Morocco Producer: Lamisse Khairat
Editor: Charlotte Bruneau
Original Music: Martin Wiese
Jewish cemetery in Essaouira
Synopsis:
For centuries, Jews and Muslims coexisted peacefully in Morocco, developing a shared culture and history. At its peak in the 1940s, Morocco's Jewish population exceeded 250,000. In the 1960’s however, the Israeli intelligence launched a campaign to convince the Moroccan Jewish community to emigrate to Israel. Only 2000 Jews are still living in Morocco today. They ask questions about the history of the Jewish emigration and the future of their community. Through the life and testimonies of Fanny, Pinhas, David and Vanessa, we revisit this troubled and often taboo period of history history. Today, the Arab-Israeli conflict makes it harder for Moroccan Jews to define their place in the Moroccan society. However, Muslims and Jews alike are committed to preserve Morocco’s Jewish memory, an indelible element of Morocco’s mosaic society
Fanny Mergui left Morocco when she was 16 year old and traveled to Israel illegally.
Return to Morocco: Al Jazeera Trailer
Pinhas Suissas had to climb in the buses that took the Jews from the villages to the port of Casablanca
Charlotte Bruneau with the singer Vanessa Paloma
Return to Morocco, the documentary
فسيفساء : Arabic Version
