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A video showing a group of Jews in religious attire performing prayers in front of Bab Doukkala in Marrakech on Tuesday has sparked widespread debate on social media, with differing interpretations and reactions.
The footage shows several individuals praying near the historic wall of Bab Doukkala, leading some observers to speculate that it could be a symbolic attempt to turn the site into a new «Wailing Wall», further fueling online controversy.
Amid the debate, Jacky Kadoch, head of the Moroccan Jewish community in the Marrakech-Safi region, issued clarifications, stating that those involved were foreign Jews belonging to the Haredi community. He explained that prayer time coincided with their presence at the site, prompting them to pray there. He added that the visitors were in Morocco as part of religious tours to visit «shrines of the righteous» and explore historical landmarks, firmly denying any political motives. He also noted that there was no nearby synagogue they could access.
The Haredim are known as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group that follows a strict interpretation of religious texts. Their lifestyle is generally conservative, with a strong emphasis on religious study and limited engagement with modern society.
Cleaning and protests
Earlier on Wednesday, a group of young Moroccans went to Bab Doukkala and cleaned the area with water and soap, saying the site had been subjected to what they described as «desecration».
In the same context, the local front for supporting Palestine and opposing normalization in Marrakech organized a protest later in the day. Dozens of participants attended, raising Palestinian flags and condemning the incident. The group argued that it was not merely a religious act but a «provocative gesture with normalization implications», affecting the symbolic value of Moroccan historical sites.
The organizers said the protest was held in support of the Palestinian cause and in rejection of what they described as «all forms of Zionist infiltration into Moroccan society».
For his part, Abdelilah Benkirane, Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), reacted cautiously, stating that he did not have sufficient information to assess the situation. He noted that Jews have long been part of Morocco’s social fabric and added that matters related to religious practices fall under the responsibility of official institutions, particularly the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and the Royal Institution.
