Moroccan Jewry - Collection of Postcards. Early 20th century

Moroccan Jewry - Collection of Postcards. Early 20th century

27 postcards, most of them Real photo, depicting Moroccan Jews in traditional costume. Early 20th century. Many postcards in Jewish publications in Morocco: Levi & Neurdein, Levi Fils, A. Benzaquen, Nidam et assouline, The leading edition France au Maroc oriental series, and others.

Postcards of Jews in traditional garb from various cities in Morocco: the capital of Morocco Rabat, the Jewish poets' city - Theza, Casablanca - postcards depicting the Jewish community in Casablanca, which was the largest of the Moroccan and Maghreb Jewish communities, Fes - the second largest in Morocco ((In the 1920s there were about 10,000 Jews in Fez), Tzafro next to Pass - The Jewish community of Tzafro was half the city's residents, Tangier, El Jadida (known as Mazagan), Marrakech [Marrakesh - The synagogues in Marrakech, and especially in the Al Azmah district, operated large yeshivas, which were centers of Torah Regional councils that were prepared by rabbis, baby teachers, mohels, ritual slaughterers and scribes throughout the region].

Among the postcards: a postcard depicting children from a Talmud Torah on an excursion in the Malah neighborhoods (for this rare postcard see: Sepharades et juif d ailleurs p. 123), Jewish children in traditional garb from Marakesh - Hispano Marroqui edition [see Image et traditions juives p. 112 - Silvan notes that the traditional costumes of the children appearing in this postcard originated in Sephardic Jewry even before the expulsion from Spain in 1492, since many exiles settled in Marrakesh and copied their clothes and customs from before the expulsion], a Jewish bride from Tangier, a Jewish bride from Rabat [For this rare postcard, see there p. 343].

There are many postcards of Jews in the Jewish Quarter in the various Moroccan cities of the jewish 'Mellah' (corresponding to the ghetto among Ashkenazic Jews). In 1438 the first Malach was established in Fez, later on in Malakesh (1568) and Meknes (1682). In the 18th century, the 'Mellah' neighborhoods were built for the Jews in most of the cities of Morocco, and even the separate Jewish neighborhoods in the small villages received the name "'Mellah'" (in many of the cities, the expulsion from the rest of the city involved great suffering for the Jews) The Mellah was enclosed in walls to separate it from the Muslim quarters, and to protect against frequent anti-Jewish riots, especially during periods of instability. In the cities where Mellah was held, Jews were forbidden to live outside of it, and they were often forbidden to leave at nights. Only rarely did the Jews receive permission to expand the area of the Mellah, and as a result many Mellah were crowded and diseases and poverty prevailed in certain areas. Part of the collection presents rare postcards from the beginning of the 20th century in which Jews are seen in the Malah neighborhoods before the fall of the walls, and the inscription: 'Mellah Quartier juif' [the Jewish Quarter of Malakh], or 'Mellah rue des synagogues' and so'.

15 postcards were mailed. General condition: very fine.