A large delegation from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) attended a dinner hosted in Casablanca on Tuesday, October 27, by Serge Berdugo, Secretary-General of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco (CCIM). Among the guests was Jason Isaacson, the organization’s Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, who was keen to acknowledge the warm welcome extended to the delegation.
Isaacson, who has been with the AJC since 1991, visits Morocco once or twice a year. He attributes these regular trips to the relationship between Morocco and the United States, the Kingdom’s ties with the Jewish people and the values it represents. He also points to “the Moroccan model,” which the organization hopes to replicate in other countries.
The AJC has long supported Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. “We always emphasize this in the meetings we hold here and around the world,” Isaacson says. The organization has 15 offices abroad and 25 in the United States, and is actively engaged in political and international affairs, working with Jewish communities and governments alike.
Asked about the significance of the historic relationship between the two countries, Isaacson notes that “Washington and Rabat are now in their 250th year of relations,” making it, in his view, “the oldest relationship the United States has with any country in the world.” He describes Morocco as a bridge between the United States and Africa, and between the Jewish people and the Arab world. He also stresses that “King Mohammed VI, a descendant of the Prophet, holds a special place in the Muslim world.”
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Isaacson also places this relationship in the context of Morocco’s rapprochement with Israel. He points to a meeting in New York last month between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Israeli counterpart, at which the two countries agreed to upgrade their diplomatic missions to embassies. He describes this as “a natural development, building on longstanding ties that predate the trilateral agreement signed in 2020.”
The AJC has maintained close ties with Serge Berdugo and Morocco’s Jewish community for many years. The two sides have signed an agreement to support one another and work together towards shared objectives. The organization also maintains regular contact with US ambassadors and consuls general serving in Morocco.
Recalling the AJC’s partnership with the Mimouna Association, Isaacson says the two organizations have travelled together to the United States, Morocco and Israel, and organized several conferences across Africa. For him, the partnership embodies “values that are so precious” today, particularly understanding across different faiths and beliefs and cooperation.
