The Disputes regarding the Jewish Emigration from Morocco 1956–1961

There are many answers to the critical question as to why the Jews of Morocco left. Some of the reasons were substantive and were based on mat- ters of fundamental importance. Others were circumstantial, resulting form the specific time at which the Jews left, during the early 1960s. The Jewish community, the international Jewish organizations and the State of Israel were all concerned because, despite all the calming declarations put out by the Moroccan authorities, it was impossible to deny the basic fact that the independent Moroccan state was defined by its constitution as an Islamic state. But the problem was not connected to legal definitions alone. Post- colonial Moroccan society was characterized by a lifestyle in which religion played an important role and all of its culture was based on the Muslim experience. This socio-cultural situation did not leave any room for those who were not Muslims or for those who were secular in the style of many West European societies since the French Revolution.