Hey fellow Jewish Longhorns! Greetings from Morocco!
If you asked me as a freshman where I would be spring semester of my junior year at UT, my answer would never have been “living in Rabat, Morocco.” My decision to study abroad in Morocco progressed after a series of events in my own life as well as in the Middle East and Arab world. Post-Arab Spring, my choices became pretty limited to find a country where I could feel comfortable not only as a Jew, but as an American. All signs pointed to Morocco. This is not to say that it has been an easy few weeks here. In fact, in terms of my religiosity and Jewish practice, this is the single greatest challenge that I have faced. There are only about 4,000 Jews in Morocco, approximately the same as on the UT campus! Any difficulty, temptation or inherent peer pressure that I may have faced in Austin is only amplified here. Shabbat, though completely different from what I am used to and still very challenging, has truly become my weekly time to self-reflect and recharge for the week.
So far, I have alternated my Shabbatot between Rabat and Casablanca. I live in Rabat with a religious Muslim family in what is called the Medina, which is basically long, winding streets of open market. Though there are still Jews living in Rabat, there are only about 150 in total, and they are all above the age of 60. While that may sound like a lot, think about it this way: there are about as many Jews in Rabat as there are on a large Friday night at Chabad at UT. On Shabbat, I generally will just show up at the Synagogue, which is luckily walking distance from my house, and then either join the Rabbi or a couple from the community for Friday night dinner and then again for Shabbat lunch. Not having set meal plans took some getting used to, especially as I do not speak French or Moroccan Arabic, but it always ends up working out for the best. As far as I am aware, I am the only student who keeps Shabbat strictly living in Rabat, but luckily there are a few others who either join me for services or for a meal. Explaining Shabbat to my host family was no easy task, and the combination of the language barriers and the inherent complexities of Shabbat only seemed to confuse everyone. In the end, they handed me a manual key and told me to simply be safe and let them know if I ever needed anything. From their perspective, my Shabbat consists of praying, eating and sleeping, which, in reality, is fairly accurate.
Casablanca, on the other hand, has about 3,000 Jews with Jewish schools, Kosher restaurants and many synagogues still in use. I have been lucky enough to meet quite a few families in Casablanca, and always have a great time when I spend Shabbat there. As Casablanca is only an hour train ride away from Rabat, I am able to travel to and from there easily for Shabbat, holidays or even for some great Kosher food!
In addition to my host family's tolerance and acceptance of my religious customs, my program directors have been extremely understanding and accommodating, especially when it comes to Shabbat. All of our excursions either take place on the weekend or leave on Shabbat, so I need to make special arrangements, including overnight bus experiences and even missing entire tours, in order to keep Shabbat properly. Missing out on social, touristy and learning experiences is definitely upsetting at times, but for me, having a good Shabbat translates to having a good week, and I only hope for that to continue!
The Jewish community may be small, and continuing to dwindle every year, but I am able to practice my Judaism openly and am very proud to be a Jewish Longhorn here in Morocco!
Best of luck to y’all this semester!
Shalom, Caroline
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