Religious roots in Morocco

A few years ago, while staying near the delightful Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira, I decided to explore the beautifully maintained old town. On the Northwest edge stand two restored synagogues, for some a reminder of Morocco’s past – and present – status as a country that is tolerant of different religions. Of course, many Moroccan Jews left the country during the last century, and yet today, outside of Israel in the Middle east & Maghreb, Morocco has the largest Jewish community outside of Iran (although the numbers are relatively small in size in both countries).  Some even recall how during the Nazi occupation of France, and when Morocco was effectively under the control of Vichy France, Sultan Mohammad Mohammad V managed to protect the Jewish population in some ways, preventing the use of the Star of David from being used to identify Jewish subjects. He also insisted Vichy laws apply only to those who identified religiously as Jewish, rather than based on birth, as was the policy of the German Nazis. 

But back to the beautifully preserved and restored Synagogue, Slat Lkahal Mogador, in Essaouira and the charming American former Rabbi who showed me around. For as we proceeded around the narrow building, I spotted a series of black and white framed photographs of some of the prominent local families that had once been involved with the Synagogue. And one name stuck out in particular: ‘Hore Belisha’. For a number of the Hore Belisha family had moved to England during Queen Victoria’s reign, and one of their number, Leslie Hore Belisha, who was born in London in 1893, became a Liberal Member of Parliament, before moving to join the Conservative Party. His political career was ended at a time when Prime Minister Winston Churchill wanted to make him a war-time Minister of Information, and this was partly attributed to anti-Semitism in the British military and also Hore Belisha’s own rather flamboyant disagreements with others in government. The Munich crisis had persuaded him that war with Germany was inevitable, and that Britain needed to be prepared. He was labelled by some in the Conservative Party as a ‘war monger’.  

Leslie Hore Belisha, the descendent of a Moroccan Jewish family however lives on in the every-day lives of people in Britain – and largely without them even knowing. For although, as with many political careers, his was to end in failure, he is best remembered for his work as a very proactive Transport Minister. He brought in a Road Traffic Act in 1935 which introduced a speed limit of 30 mph (40 kph) for vehicles in built-up areas. He also wrote the Highway Code and was responsible for the introduction of two innovations that led to a dramatic drop in the number of road accidents: the driving test and the ‘zebra’ pedestrian crossing, accompanied by what became known - and remain so today - as flashing yellow ‘Belisha beacon’ lights on each side of the crossing.  

So, if anyone is visiting the Slat Lkahal Mogador Synagogue in Essaouira, do consider lighting a candle for Leslie Hore Belisha who may have been born in London, but who could trace his familial roots back to Morocco.

*Mark Seddon is a former Speechwriter to UN Secretary-General Ban ki moon & former Adviser to the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly