Jews have always been part and parcel of the Moroccan culture. Prior to Islam, Jews were already living in Morocco; a presence reinforced by the 15th-century Spanish Reconquista.
The Jewish community in North Africa and Spain are known as Sephardic Jews. Although many remained in Morocco, a large number of Sephardics fled the country after the establishment of Israel and began a new life there, preserving the Moroccan-Andalusian culture and customs.
The Sephardic culture is different from that of Ashkenaz, Mizrahi, or Ethiopian Jews. These distinctive features were collected and combined under a musical called “El Boustane Sephardi”, authored by Yitzhak Navon.
Navon was the 5th President of Israel and was of Sephardi stock (Spanish-Jewish father and Moroccan-Jewish mother). He wrote the musical “El Boustane Sephardi” based on his own cultural background. The play was performed for the first time in 1970 and hundreds of times since then. Today, the national theatre of Israel “Habima” is presenting the theatrical performance in its 1998 revised version.
Habima, or the “stage”, chose Morocco to perform this musical at the “Mohammed V Theatre”, mirroring the life of a Sephardic neighborhood in Jerusalem during the beginning of the 20th century.
On stage, the scenes depict a simple life in a popular neighborhood, full of human interaction, social bonds, beliefs and values. A way of living shared by many Moroccans. The setting alone conjures up memories and commonalities between the Sephardic heritage and the Moroccan culture and lifestyle, creating an instant symbiosis between the actors and the audience.
Moshe or Moise, a little boy from the Sephardic community of Jerusalem tells us tales from this neighborhood, starting from his family where the father is feared and the mother is adored. The father imposes on the kids to read the Torah, while the kids are thinking about playing and living their lives to the fullest. The patriarch pushes them to learn the Torah and listen to sermons while the mother is singing for them in an affectionate was, showing the parental balance in the Sephardic family unit.
The mutual support between neighbors is reflected in their interactions when they are in need of help or advice. Deception and judgement are also interwoven in the plot through the little boy and the old, clumsy man named Ben Zion, or the officiant and the girl with the tarnished reputation.
The play also shows how the Sephardic Jews perceive their own beliefs, especially the poorest ones in society. The solid ties between Jews and Muslims in the neighborhood are also illustrated through Hadj Hamdan, who killed a snake that was hiding in a jar belonging to Moshe’s family.
The concept of love was also present via the story of Moshe’s sister who fell in love with a neighbor, and started turning down all eligible young men. This behavior angered the father while the mother, after failing to change her mind, turned to a warlock to put a spell on her daughter and wed her to somebody. Love is also reflected in the exchange between the mother and the father about purchasing lands in the cemetery for their graves and who will get the best spot.
The play speaks to the audience in a well understood language: the language of humanity. The Moroccan spectator watches the play, feels the bond and becomes a cast member.
The audience was very responsive, repeatedly applauding the actors and singing with them. Indeed, art has this bonding power and can unite people from different cultures and religions like what happened tonight.