Moroccan Wedding

Moroccan Jews (Arabic: اليهود المغاربة, romanized: al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba; Hebrew: יהודים מרוקאים, romanized: Yehudim Maroka'im; Ladino: Djudios de Maroko) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews began immigrating to the region as early as 70 CE. They were much later met by a second wave of migrants from the Iberian Peninsula in the period which immediately preceded and followed the issuing of the 1492 Alhambra Decree, when Jews were expelled from Spain, and soon afterwards, from Portugal. This second wave of immigrants changed Moroccan Jewry, which largely embraced the Andalusian Sephardic liturgy, to switch to a mostly Sephardic identity. Moroccan Jews built the first Jewish neighborhood outside the walls of Jerusalem (Mahane Israel) in 1867, as well as the first modern neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Tiberias. Following the spread of Zionism in Morocco beginning in the early 20th century and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, there was a significant migration of Moroccan Jews to Palestine, especially through the Israeli initiatives Cadima (1949–1956) and Operation Yachin (1961–1964). During the 1950s, Morocco's Jewish population was about 250,000–350,000. Due to Jewish-Moroccan emigration during the 1960s-1970s, the country’s Jewish population reduced to approximately 2,500. The vast majority of Moroccan Jews now live in Israel, where they constitute the second-largest Jewish community. Other communities are found in France, Canada, Spain, the United States, and South America, mainly in Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina. The affection and respect between Moroccan Jews and the Kingdom of Morocco is still palpable. Every year, rabbis and community leaders around the world are invited to attend the Throne Celebration held in Rabat. During the 2014 celebration, Rabbi Haim A. Moryoussef from Canada, dedicated his book "Le Bon Oeil - Ben Porath Yossef" to King Mohammed VI along with a handwritten blessing written on parchment wishing him a healthy, long, and successful life.