{"id":21873,"date":"2021-11-15T10:56:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T10:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highatlasfoundation.org\/?p=21873"},"modified":"2021-11-15T10:56:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T10:56:00","slug":"seeds-of-memory-celebrating-the-heritage-and-community-of-akrich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/seeds-of-memory-celebrating-the-heritage-and-community-of-akrich\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeds of Memory: Celebrating the Heritage and Community of Akrich"},"content":{"rendered":"
By: Jennan Al-Hamdouni, Director of Engagement and Advocacy, REMA<\/p>\n
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U.S. Consul General Lawrence Randolph and President of the Jewish Community in the Marrakech-Safi region Jacky Kadoch at the first High Atlas Foundation (HAF) House of Life interfaith nursery in Akrich. November 2021. Photo: HAF<\/em><\/p>\n What brings people together in celebration of heritage, cultural identity, and solidarity for our individual histories? This week in Morocco\u2019s Al-Haouz province, 30 kilometers from Marrakech, what it took was an openness to acknowledge and celebrate one another, a warm autumn day, the participation of a vibrant and diverse group of communities coming together to share their stories, and the symbolic gesture of planting a single fig tree in a 700-year-old Jewish cemetery.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, several High Atlas Foundation (HAF) team members came together for the first community storytelling gathering held within the framework of the USAID Religious and Ethnic Minorities Activity (REMA), which is implemented by HAF in Morocco, during an event at the interfaith fruit tree nursery in the village of Akrich. The gathering brought together local Muslim farming families, members of the Marrakech Jewish community, the women of the Achbaru Carpet Collective, and local officials, together with the U.S. Consul General Lawrence Randolph and Director of Dar America Michelle Outlaw in celebration of the Akrich community and its heritage.<\/p>\n The day started with a shared visit to the Shrine of the Holy Rabbi Raphael HaCohen and the ceremonial lighting of candles and intention-setting. Jacky Kadoch, the President of the Jewish Community in the Marrakech-Safi region, shared his hopes with all who gathered.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish for peace. Not just throughout Morocco but in the world. We need more peace, and this is always my wish. This very sacred site is a powerful place for many reasons, including the sacred burial site of a saint,\u201d expressed Mr. Kadoch. \u201cAkrich holds an atmosphere that all can feel when they visit. It’s a feeling of peace and of welcoming, it is a feeling of safety.”<\/p>\n