Ben M’Sik Jewish Cemetery, Casablanca

Until the 1940s Casablanca’s Jews were buried in the old cemetery beside the medina. As the modern city grew, burial concessions for Jews, and for Catholics, were granted in the Ben M’Sik district on the eastern side of the city. A 2005 academic study dates this to 1947; another listing gives about 1940. Burials in the old cemetery stopped in 1947.

That timing matters for families. Casablanca’s Jewish population peaked in the 1950s, and in the decades that followed most families emigrated. Relatives who died in the city from the late 1940s onwards are usually buried at Ben M’Sik.

In the 1960s the remains of Rabbi Eliyahu HaCohen, known as Qandil El Blad, “the lamp of the land”, were moved here from the old medina to make way for a road, and a mausoleum was built around his new tomb.

The cemetery is still used by the community and is described as actively maintained. Published descriptions of its layout and tomb styles are scarce, so let the guardian show you the main sections. The focus for pilgrims is Rabbi Eliyahu’s mausoleum, where visitors light candles, kiss the tombstone and pray.

Start before you travel. Gather full names (including Hebrew names and maiden names), approximate dates of death and, if you have one, a photograph of the stone from family papers. We pass these details to the Casablanca Jewish community and ask for help locating the grave ahead of your visit, so a caretaker can take you straight to it on the day.

We cannot promise that records survive for every burial, but advance contact gives you the best chance. Our Jewish roots trip guide explains how we prepare.

Dress modestly and cover your head if you wish to pray. Walk on the paths, never on graves, and do not photograph mourners or funerals. Many visitors leave a small stone on the grave, and some light a candle. Kohanim (men of priestly descent) traditionally avoid entering cemeteries, so observant travellers should check with their rabbi. Jewish custom avoids cemetery visits on Shabbat and festivals, so plan a weekday, and tip the guardian.