By Gosuke Kawano

Rabat – The food aid initiative launched by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (the Fellowship) began delivering the food packages to 1,500 local needy Moroccan Muslim families this Sunday. 

In addition to the food delivery, an interfaith dinner was presented at the food aid kickoff at the Azama Synagogue in Marrakech’s Jewish quarter, hosting the Fellowship’s senior Vice President, Yael Eckstein, and the officials of the region. 

The hosting of the dinner was intended to enable needy Moroccan families to savor both the taste and the great atmosphere of the feast of Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan from June 25 to 28. 

On this service project, Eckstein said, “Now more than ever, it is so important that the great faiths of our forefather Abraham come together to try to make the world a better place.” 

“Since World War II, Morocco has set an example in this part of the world for its treatment of Jewish citizens.  And today, it is our honor to stand with the people of Morocco, and show that we can overcome divisions and intolerance everywhere by building bridges of empathy and understanding and truly making a difference,” he concluded. 

The Fellowship, along with Jeunesse Chabad Maroc and the Mimouna Association, a Muslim student organization, took initiative in this service project. 

Each box that families receive from the Fellowship, Chabad, and Mimouna contains traditional Ramadan foods, including dates, tea, lentils, chickpeas, and other staples. 

This food delivery service is scheduled to continue in Casablanca and Rabat until June 21. 

The interfaith partnership in Morocco emerged last year and has been expanding its activity strength in order to provide food and clothing by uniting with Chabad and The Fellowship. 

The Fellowship distributed 9,500 food and clothing vouchers to 9,000 Muslim families who are needy Arab Israelis before the holiday this year, \ part of the organization’s total USD 5.6 million for social aid.