Agadir Jewish Cemetery and the 1960 Earthquake Graves

Jews lived in Agadir from at least the end of the fifteenth century, according to the University of Haifa’s Moroccan Jewish communities project. Jewish merchants were prominent in the port’s trade until the 1760s. When the sultan opened the new port of Essaouira in 1764, many of them moved their businesses there, and Agadir’s community stayed small for a long time.

That changed in the twentieth century. In the 1950s the Jewish population grew roughly tenfold, to about 2,000 people, as the modern town expanded.

Most sources date the earthquake to 29 February 1960; one account places the shocks in early March. Around 12,000 people died across the city.

The number of Jewish dead is reported differently, and we give the range rather than pick one figure. The Jewish Virtual Library says several hundred of a community of about 2,000 were killed. The Haifa project gives about 1,000 out of 2,300. Visiting Jewish Morocco gives 1,200. On any of these counts, a large part of Agadir’s Jewish community was lost.

Survivors were cared for elsewhere. As many as 800 were housed for a time on the outskirts of Casablanca, and Casablanca’s Jewish families took many refugees into their homes; leading Casablanca families adopted orphans. A 1960 photograph shows Muslim and Jewish women in Tetouan collecting money together for the victims. A new Agadir was built in the 1960s south of the old town, and few of its later residents were Jewish.

After the earthquake, Jewish, Muslim and Christian cemeteries were laid out side by side to bury the dead. In the Jewish section the rows of earthquake graves dominate. Photographs published by Visiting Jewish Morocco show the entrance, lines of tombs, and individual victims’ graves, among them a 12-year-old boy and a 70-year-old.

The cemetery also holds the tomb of a saint whose name is not recorded in the sources we have. The better-known shrine of Rabbi Khalifa Ben Malka is a separate site in the Talborjt district.

We know of no published index of burials here, so we cannot promise that a particular grave can be found. If you are looking for a relative, send us the full name in Hebrew and French or Spanish spelling, the approximate date of death and any family photographs. We pass these to local contacts and the caretaker before your visit so the search does not start from nothing on the day.

This is a burial ground for people whose children and grandchildren are still alive. Dress modestly, walk on the paths and never step on graves, and ask before photographing anyone. Placing a small stone on a grave is customary. A tip for the caretaker is appreciated. For the wider region, see our guide to Jewish heritage in southern Morocco.