User:MustaphaEzzarghani/sandbox

Mustapha Ezzarghani
Mustapha Ezzarghani (born January 30, 1988) is a Moroccan-American peace and interfaith

dialogue activist who is the Founder and President of the Moroccan-Israeli Friendship

Association (MIFA). He is active in Jewish events and organizations throughout North America,

particularly those of the Moroccan Jewish population.

Early Life
Ezzarghani was born in Marrakech, Morocco, and moved to Tameslouht, Morocco at the age of

5, where he grew up. Ezzarghani is an active member of the Al Amaghari Sufi Zaouia in

Morocco, which is a Sufi devotional group dedicated to the education of Sufi ideals. He moved

to the United States in 2014 and currently lives in Athens, GA.

Interfaith Work
Ezzarghani credits his upbringing in Tameslouht, the home of the religious zaouia, with his

interest in religious coexistence and cooperation. In 2012, he organized the first Interfaith

Dialogue between the Muslim, Christian, and indigenous Jewish populations of Morocco. This

event was funded in part by the United States Embassy in Morocco, as well as through small

grants obtained through a local Peace Corps volunteer. Ezzarghani was invited to speak about his

work on this event at Dar America, part of the United States Consulate of Morocco.

Ezzarghani founded the Moroccan-Israeli Friendship Association (MIFA) in 2020, following the

establishment of the Abraham Accords. MIFA is the first grassroots non-profit organization

created with the purpose of strengthening relations between Morocco and Israel. This

organization aims in particular to highlight the Jewish-Moroccan history and culture and to

facilitate exchanges between the Kingdom and Israel to promote scientific research in the fields

of medicine, renewable energy, environmental preservation, history and culture.

Current activities of MIFA include:

- Hosting interfaith thought leaders as speakers to interfaith youth, most recently including

a discussion with Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi;

- Organizing delegations of Israeli businesspeople to visit government and business leaders

in Morocco; and

- Piloting the Moroccan-Israeli Leadership Initiative (MILI) in cooperation with the

Shalom Hartman Institute, which aims to educate Moroccan youth with contemporary

Israeli society and better their understanding of Jewish culture and history.

Current board members of MIFA include: Rabbi Gad Bouskila (honorary president), a member

of the Moroccan Jewish Center Netivot Israel Congregation in Brooklyn, New York; Allen

Azoulay (vice president), the founder of the Institute for the Preservation of the Sephardic

Legacy; and Jacky Kadoch (secretary), the president of the Jewish community in Marrakech and

Essaouira.

References


 * 1) https://www.mapnews.ma/en/actualites/politics/moroccan-israeli-friendship-association-set-united-states
 * 2) https://www.maroc.ma/en/news/moroccan-israeli-friendship-association-set-united-states
 * 3) https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/03/336459/us-friendship-association-to-promote-morocco-israel-collaboration
 * 4) https://cylinderradio.libsyn.com/2021/07
 * 5) https://www.letterstomyneighbor.com/a-response-by-mustapha-ezzarghani-to-letters-to-my-palestinian-neighbor/
 * 6) https://vimeo.com/570084741
 * 7) https://sephardiclegacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Flyer_-A-Brief-History-of-Moroccan-Jewry-_The-Untold-Story-of-an-Exceptional-People_-3.pdf
 * 8) https://www.leconomiste.com/flash-infos/etats-unis-une-association-d-amitie-maroco-israelienne-voit-le-jour
 * 9) https://maroc-diplomatique.net/lassociation-damitie-maroco-israelienne-voit-le-jour-aux-etats-unis/
 * 10) https://www.lodj.ma/Une-Association-d-amitie-maroco-israelienne-voit-le-jour-aux-Etats-Unis_a5635.html
 * 11) https://www.mapnews.ma/fr/actualites/r%C3%A9gional/lassociation-damiti%C3%A9-maroco-isra%C3%A9lienne-voit-le-jour-aux-etats-unis
 * 12) https://mifa.website/