Fes: McDonalds and beyond

I traveled to the small, former Jewish town of Sefrou near Fes last weekend with Josh to see a friend. Before and during WWII, Morocco had a vibrant Jewish population of around 300,000, many of which lived and operated commerce in Fes. During WWII, Morocco protected its Jewish population from the genocidal policies of Europe even while it was under French control. Following the establishment of the state of Israel after the war, many Moroccan Jews emigrated to the Middle East.

Sefrou was interesting, but Fes was more exciting. Five synagogues remain in the jewish quarter, the oldest built in the 17th century. Its a testament to Moroccans tolerance that they encourage Islam, but don’t prostatalize their faith. Those I do meet that push religion are often strangers who I feel are trying to get in my back pocket. Their actions seem contradictory.

Passing through Fes on our way home, we stopped for lunch at McDonald’s around noon Sunday. The first day of Ramadan, we walked in and were alone when we received our food. It was strange sight when we saw approximately twenty white faces walking towards us in the restaurant. We found out later that these were Americans and Europeans that lived in the city and had just attended a bilingual Christian service. I’ve heard that their is a gated Christian missonary in Fes, but I haven’t confirmed this. It would also be illegal; passing out bibles is an easy way to receive the go to jail card or be deported. Anyways, I talked with several Americans there, but Josh and I found that we couldn’t stop staring at them. Their response was to ignore us.