Fes is a wild city. Its medina, or old city, is an overwhelming mix of scents, smells, and screams. Just outside this chaos, however, is a place where things calm down considerably – Fes El Jdid (“New Fes”). I went there on a tour with my guide Abdellatif.
There, you’ll find a beautiful entrance to the royal palace and a pleasant historic vibe.
What you’ll also find in Fes El Jdid are synagogues. This area contains the mellah, or old Jewish quarter. One synagogue that I was able to visit was the Ibn Danan Synagogue, dating from the 17th century. It was filled with beautiful blues, teal (my favorite color!), and white. Here are some pictures:
While I was touring the synagogue, the most fascinating thing happened. A Moroccan tour guide walked in with two foreign tourists. I asked the guide in Arabic if he could take a picture of me on the bimah, or pulpit. He was happy to help and then asked what I did for work. I said I was studying to become a rabbi.
He let out a big smile and asked if I would be able to explain the synagogue to his tour group. I was thrilled! It’s for moments like this that I want to become a rabbi.
I spent about 20 minutes walking his European tourists through the structure of the synagogue, the meaning of the Torah, the intriguing mikvah (ritual bath) beneath the floor of the synagogue, and more.
Afterwards, the guide said he had learned a lot himself. He brings tourists to this spot often but he didn’t know much about it. I felt like I had done a mitzvah, a good deed.
The word rabbi means “my teacher”. First and foremost, I see my role as a future rabbi as being someone who brings light into the world. Through education, through engagement, through understanding.
All those years of sitting through both Hebrew school and Arabic classes in college really paid off in this moment. If I hadn’t spoken Arabic, I may not have even asked the guide to take my picture. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have been in Morocco in the first place. And if I hadn’t learned Jewishly for so many years, I couldn’t have explained the synagogue to this tour group and tour guide.
It was this combination of learning about the Jewish and Arab worlds that allowed this moment to happen. And at a time when so many of us are frustrated with conflict, with misunderstandings, with hatred – perhaps it is a sign of hope that a Jew, a Muslim, and a group of Christians could come together and have a thoughtful conversation.
We often look for big solutions to big problems. But if there’s one thing Jewish tradition teaches us, it’s that in small steps we can tackle big problems. According to rabbinic tradition, Nahshon parted the entire Red Sea for the Israelites fleeing slavery in Egypt. Rather than waiting for someone else or even God to act, Nahshon simply took a few steps forward into the water. We can wait for big solutions, or we can be like Nahshon and, one step at a time, move our world forward with acts of kindness.
Fes is indeed sometimes a chaotic city. But it is also the place where I started to find my rabbinic voice by bringing together people of different nationalities, religions, and languages. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish by all chipping in and doing acts of kindness to make the world feel more at peace.
Planting Roots Bearing Fruits 