Marrakesh Jewish Quarter Gets $20M Facelift

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The Moroccan government plans to rehabilitate the ancient Jewish quarter of Marrakesh.
The Jewish quarter renovation, estimated to cost $20 million, is part of a larger $32 million city rehabilitation effort jointly funded by Morocco’s housing ministry and the City of Marrakesh, Morocco World News reported.
Marrakesh’s Jewish quarter, known as the Mellah, was built in the 16th century, according to Morocco World News. The area remained heavily Jewish until the middle of the 20th century, when the majority of Morocco’s Jews left for Israel.
The 40-acre historic neighborhood is surrounded by high walls that once separated the Jewish and Muslim communities.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.

