Jack Lang calls on President Macron to recognize the late King Mohammed V as “the righteous among the nations”

The president of the Arab World Institute (IMA), Jack Lang, called for recognition of the late King Mohammed V “the righteous among the nations” for protecting the Jewish community during the Vichy regime.

“It is time for the late King Mohammed V to be recognized as righteous among the nations,” said Jack Lang during the exhibition-show at the official opening, Monday, November 22, 2021, “Jews of the East, a multi- Story – Millennium ”, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Allow me at this time to hope that one of the strongest figures of the Arab world, who has marked his enduring desire for the respect of all religions, I am thinking of King Mohammed V, finally among the nations. will be recognized as righteous. As we know, he protected the Moroccan Jews against the Vichy regime (…) The way Algerian Jews were oppressed, locked up, abused, cremix had nothing to do with the repeal of the decree”, said Jack Lang, in front of an audience of President Macron and personalities, especially from the worlds of politics and culture, and representatives of the three monotheistic religions.

During the exhibition’s press opening, the President of the IMA told MAP that he would send a letter to the authorities of Yad Vashem (International Institute for the Remembrance of Shoah) asking that “Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco be declared righteous. Nation, Vichy.” Because of the protection given to Moroccan Jews against the authorities”.

“All historians working on Jewish history know that the late His Majesty Mohammed V was the protector of the Jews,” Jack Lang insisted, as a way of showing that the ‘between Jewish and Muslim cultures’ today is of a sort. Reconciliation is being made.”

Jacques Lang also wanted to highlight the uniqueness of Morocco as a land of inter-religious tolerance, peace, understanding and living together, paying tribute to the “extraordinary action by His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the Moroccan enterprise of Jewish culture”. He particularly cited the consecration of the Hebrew component in the preamble of the Moroccan Constitution, the restoration of Jewish sites in Morocco, and the integration of the teaching of Moroccan Judaism into school books.

For his part, historian Benjamin Stora recalls the existence of museums dedicated to Hebrew culture and heritage in Morocco, welcoming Moroccan’s significant cooperation in the organization of this exhibition through unique works from the museum. History and Civilizations of Rabat NS.

The exhibition, which will open to the public on Wednesday and run until March 13, 2022, is a continuation of the exhibitions “Hajj, Pilgrimage to Mecca” and “Christians of the East, 2000 Years of ‘History'” in 2014. In 2017, Monotheistic Religions in the Arab World A trilogy dedicated to. This cultural event of international scope, positioned on more than 1,100 square meters2, takes a unique look at the multi-millennium history of Jewish communities in the Arab world. From the Mediterranean Rim to the Euphrates, passing through the Arabian Peninsula.

It explores many aspects of cohabitation between Jews and Muslims, ranging from the forged relationship between the Jewish tribes of Arabia and the prophet of Islam, to the emergence of the main figures of Jewish thought during the medieval caliphates in Baghdad, in Fez, Cairo. and the rise of Jewish urban centers in Cordoba, the Maghreb and the Ottoman Empire to the beginning of the deportation of Jews from the Arab world. In the light of this unprecedented historical perspective, the exhibition seeks to promote and preserve the memory of a legacy of tremendous prosperity.

Thanks to a loan of works from international collections (France, England, Morocco, Israel, the United States, Spain), IMA will present unpublished pieces and a variety of forms: archaeology, manuscripts, paintings, photographs, liturgical and everyday objects. And finally audiovisual and music installations.

Around the exhibition, whose works come from public and private collections, the general public and experts in Jewish history will be present with symposiums, conferences and concerts to highlight this heritage. The Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco is a participant in the exhibition and the National Museum Foundation has also supported the event.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *