What a hilloula is
The Hebrew term yom hillula means “day of festivity”. It is the yahrzeit (death anniversary) of a tzaddik, a righteous and learned rabbi, marked with joy rather than mourning. Hilloulot for saints are common across North African Jewish communities, and especially in Morocco, where families have kept them for generations.
At a Moroccan hilloula, pilgrims pray at the grave, light candles, share festive meals and ask for the tzaddik’s blessing. At some shrines the right to light candles or receive honours is auctioned to support the site, as reported at the Taroudant hilloula in 2018. At Rabbi Amram Ben Diwan’s grave a bonfire is lit on the stones. Many pilgrims sleep on site: the larger shrines have pilgrim rooms, a synagogue and a hall, and at Rabbi Isaac Ben Walid’s grave in Tetouan many spend the night beside the tomb.
Each saint has his stories of miracles, and these are traditions handed down by families, not documented history. Several saints are also venerated by Muslim neighbours under other names: Rabbi David ou Moshe is “Dawid Ou Moussi” at Agouim, Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench is “Moul Asguine” in the Ourika Valley, and Rabbi Habib Mizrahi is “Moulay Tadot” at Ait Ourir. Many shrines are looked after by Muslim caretaker families.
Most hilloulot honour one tzaddik. Since 2022, Meknes has also held a collective Hilloula des Tsadikim for all the sages buried in its restored cemetery.
Who the tzaddikim were
Morocco’s saints fall into a few broad groups, and knowing which one a shrine belongs to helps you understand what you will see there.
Emissaries from the Land of Israel. Many shrines honour rabbis who, by tradition or record, came to Morocco to collect funds for the communities of Hebron, Jerusalem or Safed and stayed. Rabbi Amram Ben Diwan is the documented example; Rabbi David ou Moshe, Rabbi Yahia Lakhdar, Rabbi Abraham Awriwer and Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench are remembered in the same way, though their stories rest largely on tradition.
Judges and chief rabbis. Others were leaders of their cities: Rabbi Yehuda Ben Attar (1655–1733), chief judge of the Fes rabbinical court; Rabbi Eliezer Davila (1714–1761), chief rabbi of Rabat; Rabbi Isaac Ben Walid (died 1870), head of Tetouan’s rabbinical court and author of the responsa Vayomer Yitzhak; Rabbi Haim Pinto (died 1845), chief rabbi of Essaouira; and Rabbi Raphael Encaoua (1848–1935), the first president of Morocco’s High Rabbinical Court.
Rabbinic families. Some lines produced saints over generations, such as the Pintos of Essaouira and Casablanca and the Abuhatzeira family of the Tafilalet, whose best-known member, the Baba Sali, was born in Rissani in 1889.
A young woman martyr. Sol Hachuel, venerated as Lalla Solica, was executed in Fes in 1834 at seventeen after refusing to convert. Her grave in the Fes Jewish cemetery is visited all year, though no fixed hilloula is recorded.
The hilloula calendar
Hilloulot follow the Hebrew calendar, so their Gregorian dates move every year. A Hebrew day begins at sundown, so the gathering usually starts the evening before the date given. Dates can also be adjusted when they fall on Shabbat, and the organising committee sets the programme each year, so always confirm. The list below runs from autumn 2026 and includes only dated pilgrimages from our research; uncertain ones are marked.
15 Heshvan · Rabbi Haim Pinto HaKatan, grandson of the Essaouira tzaddik, marked at his grave in Casablanca; visitors also light candles in his former house (26 October in 2026). See the House of Rabbi Haim Pinto.
Last day of Hanukkah · Rabbi David Ben Baroukh HaCohen, near Ouled Berhil in the Taroudant region, one of the main pilgrimages of the Souss, with hundreds to over 2,000 pilgrims reported. The eighth day of Hanukkah falls on 12 December in 2026, a Saturday; reports describe celebrations spread over December, and a Taroudant hilloula, presumably this one, was reported on 1 January 2025. See the shrine page.
December, date not documented · Rabbi Shmuel Abuhatzeira, Erfoud.
3 Adar · Rabbi Eliezer Davila, Rabat Jewish cemetery (20 February in 2026). 2027 is a Hebrew leap year with two months of Adar (3 Adar I is 10 February, 3 Adar II is 12 March), so check which one the community uses.
9 Adar · Rabbi Isaac Ben Walid, Tetouan (26 February in 2026). In leap years sources differ between Adar I and Adar II; he died in a leap year, on 9 Adar II 1870. In 2027 the two dates fall on 16 February and 18 March.
18 Iyar, Lag BaOmer · The busiest night of the year, with pilgrimages at many shrines (see below). 25 May in 2027, with the main gathering on the evening of 24 May.
June, Hebrew date not given in our sources · Rabbi Yehuda Ben Attar, at his tomb, which most sources place in the Fes Jewish cemetery, preceded by a ceremony at the Talmud Torah synagogue.
Summer, date uncertain · The Ouled Ben Zmirou sanctuary in Safi (13 August according to one source, early July in 2008 according to another) and Rabbi Yahia Assouline in El Jadida (late August or early September in 2019).
4 Av · Rabbi Raphael Encaoua, Salé Jewish cemetery (18 July in 2026 and 7 August in 2027, both Saturdays). See the shrine page.
3 Elul · Rabbi Khalifa Ben Malka, Agadir (5 September in 2027). Current access is undocumented.
26 Elul · Rabbi Haim Pinto, Essaouira: a four-day pilgrimage to his tomb in the old cemetery and his family synagogue, with more than 2,000 pilgrims reported (28 September in 2027). See the Essaouira guide.
1 Heshvan (Rosh Hodesh) · Rabbi David ou Moshe, Agouim, on the road to the Tizi n’Tichka pass (12 October in 2026; 1 November in 2027).
Dates in dispute · Moulay Ighi (Rabbi David Laskar): Lag BaOmer in most sources, 15 Elul in one. Rabbi Abraham Moul Niss, Azemmour: Lag BaOmer in one source, an August pilgrimage in another. Rabbi Daniel Hashomer Ashkenazi is honoured on 1 Elul at Tagouna, but the shrine’s exact location needs confirming. Some revered graves, such as Lalla Solica’s in Fes, have no fixed hilloula.
Lag BaOmer in Morocco
Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the Omer, the count between Pesach and Shavuot, on 18 Iyar. Kabbalistic tradition treats it as the hillula of the second-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, although how that link began is unclear. In Morocco it became the night for many local saints too.
The largest gathering is at Asjen, near Ouezzane, at the grave of Rabbi Amram Ben Diwan. He came to Morocco from Hebron as an emissary in the 18th century (1743 according to some sources, the 1770s according to another), taught in Ouezzane and died in 1782. His grave is a cairn of stones under an old olive tree, inside a walled compound with a synagogue, a hall and pilgrim houses. The hilloula is organised by the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, and reports from 2016–17 put attendance at hundreds to a few thousand, from Morocco, Israel, France and Canada. Those same reports say that only Jews may enter the site.
Other Lag BaOmer pilgrimages in our research:
Meknes: the collective Hilloula des Tsadikim in the restored Jewish cemetery, held every year since 2022; the fifth took place on the night of 4 May 2026.
The Chaouia plains: Rabbi Yahia Lakhdar near Ben Ahmed, a week-long pilgrimage that drew more than 1,000 people in 2013, celebrated together with Rabbi Abraham Awriwer near Settat.
The High Atlas near Marrakech: Rabbi Habib Mizrahi at Ait Ourir, Rabbi Haim Ben Diwan (Amram’s son) at Anraz near Ouirgane, and Rabbi David Halevi Dra’a near Demnate.
Elsewhere: Rabbi Nissim Ben Nissim at Ait Bayoud near Essaouira, Rabbi Raphael Moshe Elbaz in the Sefrou cemetery and Rabbi David Ben Yamin at Beni Mellal.
Visiting a shrine outside the hilloula
Most of the year the shrines are quiet, and for many travellers that is the better time to come: you can stand at the grave, light a candle and talk with the caretaker without crowds. It does take arrangement.
Keys and caretakers. Most compounds are locked. Some have a caretaker on site, often a Muslim family that has looked after the grave for decades, as in the Ourika Valley, at Azemmour, in Erfoud and in Sefrou. Others, including Asjen, are opened only by arrangement with the community. A tip or donation towards upkeep is customary.
Local rules. At Rabbi Abraham Moul Niss in Azemmour, Jews and Muslims visit daily, but Saturdays are reserved for Jewish visitors. At Ifrane of the Anti-Atlas, a tradition reported by Haifa University’s research on southern communities holds that Jews should not enter the cemetery of the martyrs; visitors should be told before they go.
Getting there. Several shrines sit at the end of dirt roads (Ait Ourir, Anraz) or on remote hilltops (Settat). Some have guest rooms; the Ourika shrine had a kosher kitchen and a restored synagogue for Shabbat stays in 2023.
Etiquette. Dress modestly, cover your head near the grave, do not step on graves, ask before photographing people, and put the camera away during prayer and on Shabbat. These are living places of prayer for families who may be standing beside you.
Planning a trip around a hilloula
A hilloula can be the emotional high point of a heritage trip, but it changes how the days around it work.
Confirm the date early. We check each year’s programme with the organising committee, since the Gregorian date moves and Shabbat can shift the schedule.
Expect crowds and security. The large pilgrimages draw officials and heavy security; the first Meknes hilloula in 2022 was held under tight protection. Roads into rural shrines can be slow on the day.
Book beds first. On-site pilgrim rooms are managed by the shrine’s committee or caretaker family, so ask early. Otherwise base yourself in the nearest town and travel in on the day.
Check who can enter. Where only Jews are admitted, as reported at Asjen, a non-Jewish driver or guide may need to wait outside. We confirm the rule before you travel so there are no surprises at the gate.
Plan the food. Shrines in the countryside have no kosher restaurants nearby. Read the kosher travel guide for how caterers and packed meals work.
Pair it with heritage sites. Asjen fits a route through Fes and Meknes (Fes guide); Haim Pinto’s hilloula combines with Marrakech; the Taroudant pilgrimage pairs with Agadir and the Anti-Atlas (southern Morocco guide). Our sample Jewish heritage tour shows how a private route can be built around these dates.
