By Fatima Zahra Laaribi, HAF’s Lead Empowerment Trainer April 2023 was a memorable month in my life, where I made the courageous decision to join a delegation of Arab participants brought together by Sharaka. Sharaka is an NGO that seeks to grow the impact of the Abraham Accords and build more positive, stronger relations between

English Version أسبوع الوئام العالمي بين الأديان حوار مع حمد: المشرف على المقبرة اليهودية بمدينة صفرو  صفرو، المغرب بقلم: أمل منصوري     تقع مدينة صفرو في سفوح جبال الأطلس المتوسط، على بعد 27 كيلومترا جنوب مدينة فاس، حيث تزخر المدينة بتاريخ متنوع ومئات السنين من التضامن الديني. بهدف التعرف على ماضي المدينة التعددي، انطلقت

Arabic Version World Interfaith Harmony Week An Interview with Hmed: The Caretaker of the Jewish Cemetery in Sefrou Sefrou, Morocco By Amal Mansouri Hmed, 75 years old, is the caretaker of the Jewish Cemetery in Sefrou. Photo: Amal Mansouri/HAF Located in the foothills of the Middle Atlas Mountains, 27 kilometers south of Fes, the city

By Mounia Bammadi, a master’s student in administrative law and management science, and a student of the legal clinic in Marrakech. Students of YU with students of CAU in training participatory planning On January 13, 2023, the High Atlas Foundation in Marrakech organized a participatory meeting within the framework of the exchange of cultures and

العربية World Interfaith Harmony Week Glimpsing Memories of the Jewish Community in Southern Morocco: Hnni and Massa Fatma’s Family Aguerd, Taroudant Province, Morocco By Jamal Maghiouzi Massa Fatma is Massa Rachida’s grandmother, and she is 80 years old. She was born in Aguerd village, and she moved to Irazane when she got married. She has

English Version أسبوع الوئام العالمي بين الأديان لمحة عن ذكريات حول الطائفة اليهودية جنوب المغرب: هني وعائلة السيدة فاطمة أكرض، إقليم تارودانت، المغرب بقلم: جمال مغيوزي السيدة فاطمة هي جدة السيدة رشيدة، وتبلغ من العمر 80 سنة. ولدت بقرية أكرض، وانتقلت إلى قرية إيرازان عندما تزوجت. ظلت تعتني بوالدتها منذ وفاة والدها. يقطن أفرادا آخرين

English Version أسبوع الوئام العالمي بين الأديان حوار مع فاطمة الزهراء المجدوبي: المشرفة على كنيس ابن دنان في فاس فاس، المغرب كان تكليفي بمهمة رعاية الكنيس شرفا لي. أشعر وكأنني حملت مشعل والدي الذي أمضى سنوات في الحفاظ على الكنيس. بعد وفاة والدي، كلفتني الطائفة اليهودية في فاس بهذه المهمة،  وشعرت بالفخر لتكليفي بمثل هذه

العربية World Interfaith Harmony Week An Interview with Fatima-Zahra El Majdoubi: The Caretaker of Ibn Danan Synagogue in Fes  Fes, Morocco   “Being assigned to take care of  the synagogue was an honor for me. I feel like I held the torch that my father had carried for years to keep the synagogue intact. After

أسبوع الوئام العالمي بين الأديان قصة مدرسة خالدة لن تنسى المنزل، المغرب اسمي محمد مباشر، وولدت سنة 1939. اشتغلت مدرسا للغة الفرنسية بمدرسة الرياض، وهي مدرسة ابتدائية بمدينة المنزل، إقليم صفرو، قبل أن أتقاعد سنة 2002. أبلغ من العمر حاليا 83 عاما، وأسعد دائما بمشاركة قصتي عن 42 عاما من التدريس بمدرسة كانت معروفة بأنها

  World Interfaith Harmony Week A School to be Remembered El Menzel, Morocco   “My name is Mohammed Moubachir, and I was born in 1939. I worked as a French Language teacher in Ryad school, a primary school based in El Menzel, Sefrou Province, before I retired in 2002. I’m currently 83 years old, and

English Version أسبوع الوئام العالمي بين الأديان حوار مع سي مبارك، المشرف على مدرسة تلمود توراة (سابقا) بمدينة الصويرة الصويرة، المغرب سي مبارك بمدرسة تلمود توراة (سابقا). الصورة: أمل منصوري/ مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير نبذة عن مدرسة تلمود توراة بالصويرة بالمقارنة مع مواقع التراث اليهودي الأخرى، قليلا ما يزور الأشخاص مدرسة تلمود توراة بالصويرة. “يمكنني القول

Arabic Version World Interfaith Harmony Week An Interview with Si Mbark, the Caretaker of the Former Talmud Torah School in Essaouira Essaouira, Morocco Si Mbarek at the former Talmud Torah School. Photo: Amal Mansouri/ HAF About the Talmud Torah of Essaouira Compared to other Jewish heritage sites, the Talmud Torah school in Essaouira is not

By Emilie Changeux , HAF Intern This week, we had the great opportunity to visit one of the High Atlas Foundation’s 15 tree nurseries as well as the town’s women’s cooperative. We were joined by Nancy and Lucy, two friends of HAF who came to Morocco from the United States and were enthusiastic to visit

By Youssef Mazdou, HAF Program Assistant Students visit the nursery in Akrich On January 13th, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) organized a trip for Jewish Yeshiva University students from New York City and Muslim students from the Legal Clinic at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech to

Version english بقلم: نور الدين البحري تأتينا الذكريات من حياتنا على أوتار التجارب الجديدة، بعضها يسحبنا إليها لأجل العودة لتخيل سحرها مرة أخرى والتنقل بين لحظاتها الفريدة والمميزة ، لا شبيه لها ، لا في تفاصيل كبيرة ولا صغيرة ، يسهل تمييزها وفرزها من بين الذكريات. هذه تجربة أمُرُّ بها مع فريق مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير

By Mustapha Tarhbaloute Students visit the nursery in Akrich  Photo: High Atlas Foundation The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) organized an exploratory trip to Akrich nursery, in the commune of Tamslouhte, in the Al Haouz province for a new group of visitors. In this event, the HAF presented its tree planting program staff who aim to

By:  Lahssan Ben Moula photo by Safae Ben Karroum / HAF Undoubtedly, the significance of this title suggests that the Jewish cemetery in Akrich, the community of Tameslouht, Al Haouz province, is not a dead and unchanging place that contains the graves of Moroccan Jews who died 700 years ago. Rather, it is the opposite,

By Timo Reinitzer, HAF Intern Khayzuran was an exceptional and extraordinary woman, who rose from the status of slave to that of queen mother. She was the power behind the throne of three caliphs and had a major, albeit hidden, impact on the politics of the caliphate as well as the private affairs of the

By Hiba Oulassri HAF Volunteer It was a pleasure meeting new people from different cultures and religions during Friday’s event.  Firstly, I did not have an idea what I would learn until I discovered that the event’s larger purpose was to encourage cooperation between two religious peoples, Jewish and Muslims. I was very appreciative of

By Ikbale Bouziane HAF-Dakira Cultural Coordinator Moroccan Jewish people’s material and moral conditions and cultural identity are important as a subject of study at this time given the significant role that Moroccan Jewish heritage plays in the tributaries that form the Moroccan identity. According to today’s successful cultural development options, the Jewish dimension in Morocco’s

French | Arabic By Soukaina Kherdioui, Dakira Cultural Field Coordinator Sport has become a compelling tool to promote solidarity and mutual understanding. It is a universal language that transcends socio-political barriers and has the power to unite people of different religious, cultural, and social backgrounds, through which messages of togetherness can be conveyed.  The vital

By Amal Mansouri, HAF Field Coordinator, DAKIRA HAF staff explaining the objectives of the tree planting activity to the students  at Abed Rahim Bouaabid-Saiss high school, Fez, 2022. Photo: HAF staff On the third Monday of January 2014, the High Atlas Foundation planted its millionth tree, and with that it reached one of its major

By Jamal Maghiouzi, HAF Field Coordinator On January 12, the Amazigh people celebrated their New Year 2972 which corresponds to the Gregorian calendar of 2022, Hebrew calendar of 5783, and lunar calendar of 1443. They refer to it as Yannayer which means January in both Amazigh and in Arabic. It is also called Ighf n

By Soukaina Kherdioui, HAF Field Coordinator Based on the teachings of all Abrahamic religions, humans are entrusted with the safeguarding of mother nature’s multiple components. Trees, in particular, are treated with reverence and are viewed as a sacred element in many cultures. Beside their ecological functions, they provide people with spiritual, symbolic, cultural, religious, and

Jamal Maghiouzi HAF Field Coordinator, Dakira The HAF Team holding a participatory community meeting. Photo by: Fatima Mrini/HAF On Tuesday 4, January 2022, I went with Youssef Tahiri, HAF Project Manager for the Youth Conservation Corps program, to see the khettara, or irrigation system, in Tifrka village, Adar commune. Mr. Hassan Ouakzin and Mr. Mohamed

Arabic version Saplings grow at a community-based fruit tree nursery supported by the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco. (Photo: HAF, 2021) It is common that each religion has its own new year celebrations that mark events or simply cherish the divine orders of days and months. These festivities usually mark the end or beginnings

By Bouchra Zine, HAF Field Officer I have always believed that training is an important and interesting way to meet people who you might not normally connect with: people from different age groups, ethnicities, or social groups. It is like some kind of magic that allows you to meet a wide variety of people from

By Catrin Waters What is universal about the human experience? And what does it have to do with planting trees? Let’s start at the beginning. An amorphous concept of where we came from and why seems to be at the center of each religion, philosophical group, and to some extent academic discipline. Why are we

M’Suud And Mohammed: A Tale Of Two Friends, Scoop world. Arabic: Beirut times, 07 January 2022. By Youssef Enouiti | Marrakech, Morocco Overlooking the Green River Valley and village cluster of Oulad Amer, Larbi Soukab makes his daily trek on donkey-back with bamboo cane in hand to check on the growth of his land. Photo:

By Amal Mansouri and Soukaina Kherdioui, REMA Field Coordinators On Wednesday, December 22, 2021, the embassies of the United States and Israel in Morocco celebrated the first anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic ties between Morocco and Israel. The celebration was attended by several high-level profiles, including ambassadors, diplomats, religious leaders, and representatives of the