Guide in Casablanca

In her article on Morocco (April ’09, pg. 24), I was pleased that Elaine Lavine wrote about Casablanca and Fés and included a photo of the Jewish Cemetery in Fés. Whereas, in Casablanca, the Hassan II Mosque is a major feature for tourism, there are other very interesting sites and features as well, particularly pertaining to Jewish culture.

There is a lovely Jewish museum with artifacts centuries old, and there is an area with several synagogues and kosher food stores. In addition, there are a few Jewish day schools and a Jewish social club. In one square block we saw nine synagogues and 18 kosher butchers!

The ship we were on had terrible kosher wine, so we bought some in Casablanca. It came from Chile!

My husband, Stanley, and I had the good fortune of having a private guide, Raphael Elmaleh (e-mail rafitour@yahoo.fr), to take us around Casablanca on March 1, 2009. He is knowledgeable and very pleasant. We met him at the gate to the pier at about 9 a.m. and went sightseeing in his car to places of our interest. We paid him $130 for the day.

Lunch at the Jewish Culture Club was an enjoyable option at an additional expense and well worth it. For the three of us, it cost under $100 including wine and tip.

Rhoda GOLDSTEIN

Brooklyn, NY