A delegation of 23 Moroccan young leaders, influencers, professionals, academics and civil society activists visited Israel last week as a part of Sharaka’s flagship program to promote tolerance through Holocaust education in the Arab and Muslim world.
The delegation, “a cohort of brave young Moroccans who have chosen to come to Israel as a courageous statement in support of Israel-Morocco relations and Jewish-Muslim coexistence in a time when anti-Israel sentiment in the Arab and Muslim world is tense and volatile following the October 7 attack and the ongoing war in Gaza,” visited Israel this past week, according to Amit Deri, Chairman and co-founder of Sharaka.During their week in Israel, the delegation visited the historic and holy sites of Jerusalem, met with experts and community leaders, connected to the Israeli hi-tech scene, and heard from Israeli officials, including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, with Moroccan roots, and former National Security Council adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat who lectured in the Moroccan dialect.
The group also toured sites of the October 7 terror attacks. They focused on an extensive seminar at Yad VaShem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial museum, where they engaged in a series of in-person and online lectures and conversations, about the Holocaust, extremism, genocides in modern history, and what we can do in our societies to promote tolerance.The program was conducted with the assistance of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is sponsored by the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” and supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
Sharaka, which means “partnership” in Arabic, is a non-governmental, non-profit and apolitical project, established by social entrepreneurs from the Arab world and Israel to promote warm peace between people. It is jointly led from its offices in Israel, Bahrain and Morocco, and has advisers and volunteers from around the Arab and Muslim world and throughout the US and Europe. The organization sees itself as a “peace start-up” platform for people to people engagement, dialogue and collaborations, working to promote the Abraham Accords concept regionally and internationally.
In a typical Israeli coincidence, the hotel where the delegation stayed also hosted families of displaced Israelis from Shlomi on the northern border, a community renowned for its Moroccan origins.When the northern evacuees learned of the origin of the delegation, a spontaneous hafla (party) erupted with dancing and singing, like siblings encountering one another after years of separation.Videos of the dancing and singing went viral on Israeli social media and soon enough found their way to Moroccan outlets as well, bringing with it an expected wave of criticism. Yet despite initial stress, the young participants braved the event and kept on dancing.
The Jerusalem Post met a number of these young leaders.
Youssef Elazhari, 31 from Marrakech, the director of Sharaka Morocco
“I never thought I would be working in this field. I thought I was going to establish my own start-up, yet here I am. I thought I knew Israel and Israelis from past experiences, but I never expected such warmth from the people we’ve met. Funnily enough, I came back for some as a ‘Mossad agent’ or ‘traitor,’ but I just went out of curiosity. I always say, if you’re so interested in the region – go and see for yourself.“Soon enough, the co-founder in my start-up decided to quit because he didn’t want to ‘stain’ his name with Israel. I might be a victim of propaganda, but I’m glad I challenged my views.“We’ve organized several other delegations, including one of rabbis and imams to Morocco to learn about harmony, synergy and coexistence. Morocco is the only Arab country which recognizes Judaism in its constitution. We might not have oil to export – but we do have peace and tolerance.“We also had the chance to travel to the US and speak for peace in face of all those BDS movements who harbor hate. As for this delegation, right now we’re a respectable 23 participants – but there’s no reason we won’t be 50 in the next one.People start out sceptics, but they don’t fear; they know they have the king behind them and that they have his blessing to travel. Participants get to feel how real the collaboration between us is. We seek to cancel this dichotomy and polarization we grew into, and hopefully we’re succeeding.”
Youssef Lahbiel, 21 a student for International Cooperation and Development at the Al Akhawayn University in Ifran, Morocco
“This is my second visit to Israel. I came here first to speak at Haifa university on the topic of the role religion can play in diplomacy. I wanted to see Israel for myself and not be affected by propaganda media like Al-Jazeera and the likes. Israel was not what I expected: it’s beautiful, with many warm and welcoming people who are intellectual and want peace. It was a blessing from God to visit this country.“Those who scream against us are just a minority. They are loud and sound their opinion and it’s all part of democracy, but surely you must know that hate speech does not represent Morocco.“I’m proud of being Moroccan and of strengthening ties between my country and the state of Israel. I wanted to serve my country in any way I could. My surroundings are also proud of me that I get to represent my country. Long live peace and God bless the people of Morocco and Israel.”
Ibrahim Ben Madane, 31, journalist and PhD candidate in media studies
“It was a beautiful experience to get to know Israel and learn about the current situation. We are here to express our support for peace and rejection of war. As a journalist I have the freedom and duty to travel wherever I want and learn about the truth. Surely some of the media follow agendas and others are true to the truth.“I met beautiful people here and it was a pleasure to get to meet them, especially those of Moroccan origin. I wish to express the truth that I found out about Israel in my articles and my coverage, to help create a shift in people’s views. I was a bit fearful in the beginning from going to a war zone but now I don’t fear thank God. The warmth and welcoming attitude was what I most liked.”
Salah Ghrissi, 34 from Fez, a professional photographer who studied journalism
“I heard about Sharaka from a friend of mine. This is the first time I’m here and I’m surprised by the amount of love we’re getting, it’s truly magical. I’ve come to learn that, while it may sound ironic, Israel is one of the most peaceful nations in the world, even during war. You simply gave us so much peace.My environment was scared for me, but there’s nothing to fear. I will try to make a change in people’s minds through my social media outlets and by conversations with my friends. This shouldn’t be a challenge as Moroccans are known for being tolerant. The most significant experience for me was definitely Yad Vashem museum. I never had such a powerful and sad experience, and I’m sure this will change my life forever.”
Dan Feferman, executive director and CEO of Sharaka, told the Post: “We work with different partners in Morocco, including our representatives there, to recruit young leaders from different fields. It was not an easy task because, while many people are curious about Israel and either already supportive of peace with Israel or are open to the idea, there is still a lot of radicalization in the social space and especially in social media.“Some people, including in our group, receive very negative feedback from friends and family, and Islamist actors online try to create public backlash. Thankfully, the Moroccan King Mohammad VI, and Moroccan Government, are very supportive of this peace agreement.Unfortunately, there are already negative pieces coming out about them on Islamist media in Morocco, and they are currently dealing bravely with backlash. They usually have support from their immediate families, but have lost connections with friends and distant families. One participant was almost expelled from his university for wanting to invite an Israeli speaker to talk about October 7 after the war began, and another one received a message from her sister that she does not want to speak to her so long as she is in ‘that country’.“Nevertheless, the delegation has been wonderful. For most of these people it is their first time here and they are surprised in a very positive way by Israeli society. Many of them have noted that it is far more diverse than they ever expected, and that Israel is much more of a Middle Eastern country than a European country.“They are happy and surprised to see so many Israelis with Moroccan roots. And are surprised to see that 20% of Israelis are Arab citizens of Israel with full rights, and that there is a high level of social integration of them and respect as a minority.“From a content perspective, participants are surprised to learn about the history of the Jews in Israel and the history of modern Israel, and the founding of the state, which goes against everything that they were taught in society.“One of the beautiful moments we had was a spontaneous celebration between the hotel guests who are evacuees from Shlomi and the delegation. They had a spontaneous celebration with Moroccan music and foods, and it was so uplifting for the evacuees stuck in a hotel for nine months to connect with our delegation members.“The Yad Vashem visit was very impactful and informative because most Arabs in the Arab world do not really learn about the Holocaust, and Arab social media tells them that it’s a lie or distorted completely. The day spent in the Gaza envelope was also very informative and goes against everything they are seeing and hearing on their own news and social media about the war.”