Initiated by the Mimouna Association in partnership with the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this event aims to enhance the value of African Jewish culture while creating opportunities for meetings and exchanges between the Jewish communities of the continent.

Placed under the theme "Past, Present and Future", this new edition joins the enlightened vision of HM King Mohammed VI on the continuity of the timeless message of the monotheistic religions in favor of lasting peace in Africa.

"Morocco is a modern country strongly committed to preserving the diversity of its cultural heritage, including its Moroccan Jewish heritage," said André Azoulay, Advisor to His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

"We have been committed, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, to make the Kingdom a country where Muslims and Jews work together to preserve their national heritage," he said.

Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice-President of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, stressed "the importance of building bridges from our history to discover what we have in common."

"The purpose of this conference is to build a common foundation of understanding to remind us of the old-age historical ties binding us," he told MAP.

In similar remarks, Jason Guberman, executive director of the American Sephardi Federation, said "the idea of this conference is to explore and share the fascinating history of Jewish communities in Africa."

It is also an opportunity to enhance the Jewish experience on the continent and discover the beautiful achievements of Jewish communities despite the difficulties encountered, he added.

This conference featured a photo exhibition by Jaan Roth entitled "Jews of Ethiopia: A world of traditions and change".

On this occasion, the Rabat Appeal for the preservation of the Jewish-African heritage was signed by Serge Berdugo, Secretary-General of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, Shaun Zagnoev, President of the South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies and Magda Haroun, Representative of the Jewish Community of Egypt.

René Trabelsi, former Minister of Tourism of Tunisia, Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice President of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Prof. Ephraim Isaac, Co-founder of the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, El Mehdi Boudra, President and Founder of the Mimouna Association and Jason Guberman, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation are also among the signatories.

The main objective of this call is to preserve the Jewish-African heritage taking Morocco as an example. The country has developed, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, a plan for the rehabilitation of Jewish cemeteries in Morocco, El Mehdi Boudra told MAP.

A ceremony of "Jewish leadership awards" was held on this occasion to reward personalities who have worked for the preservation of the Jewish-African culture, namely Malcolm Hoenlein, Rene Trabelsi, Shaun Zagnoev, Jorge Pedro Mauricio dos Santos, Minister of Communities in the government of Cape Verde, Zevadia Belaynesh (Ethiopia) and Andrea Barry (Namibia)

The conference, which opened Monday in Rabat, runs until Wednesday at the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca. A total of 51 speakers from 22 countries are expected to attend the event.

According to the organizers, the conference is a way to pay tribute to the Kingdom's leadership in preserving and promoting Jewish identity through several initiatives, including the rehabilitation of 167 Jewish cemeteries and the integration of Moroccan-Jewish culture and history in school textbooks.