The Exile of Fez: The Tax That Changed Moroccan Jewry Forever

For centuries, the Jewish community of Fez stood at the heart of Jewish life in Morocco. One of the oldest and most influential Jewish communities in the world, it traced its roots back to the founding of the city of Fez in 798 by Sultan Idris II.

Fez was home to some of Judaism's greatest scholars. Rabbi Yitzhak al-Fasi, known as the Rif, one of the most influential halachic authorities in Jewish history, took his name from the city. Other distinguished figures, including the renowned grammarian Dunash ben Labrat, also lived there. Rashi himself relied on Dunash's work in explaining the Hebrew language.

The Muslim historian al-Bakri wrote that the Jews of Fez were more numerous than those of any other city in the Maghreb and that they conducted trade with countries across the known world.

A Flourishing Jewish Community

By the seventeenth century, after nearly a thousand years of continuous Jewish life, Fez had become a thriving center of Torah scholarship, commerce, and communal leadership.

The expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal at the end of the fifteenth century brought thousands of Sephardic Jews to Morocco. Many settled in Fez, strengthening the community and helping shape what became known as Moroccan Sephardic Jewry.

Prominent rabbinic families such as the Ibn Attar, Ibn Tzur, HaTzarfati, Mansasno, Monsonego, Siriro, and Uziel families became pillars of the city's Jewish life.

Fez was not only Morocco's leading center of Torah learning but also an important commercial hub. Jewish merchants played a significant role in trade and often served as trusted advisers and officials within the royal administration.

A New King, A New Capital

In 5432 (1672), Sultan Moulay Ismail ascended the Moroccan throne.

Remembered as one of Morocco's strongest and most determined rulers, he reunited the kingdom after years of civil unrest and internal conflict. But achieving that stability came at a tremendous financial cost.

Moulay Ismail chose to make Meknes his new capital and invested enormous resources into transforming it into a magnificent royal city. Palaces, mosques, massive walls, reservoirs, stables, and government buildings were constructed over several decades, requiring huge sums of money.

Many wealthy merchants and influential families relocated to Meknes as the city's importance grew.

The Crushing Tax on Fez's Jews

After roughly thirty years of rule, the sultan faced serious financial pressures.

In 5461 (1701), he imposed an exceptionally heavy tax on the Jews of Fez, one that threatened to strip many families of nearly all their wealth.

At the time, Jews lived under the legal status of dhimmis, protected non-Muslim subjects who could legally be required to pay special taxes. Although many rulers exercised restraint, Jewish communities often became convenient targets whenever governments needed additional revenue.

For the Jews of Fez, the consequences were devastating.

Many families realized they could no longer survive economically in the city. Synagogues closed, batei midrash stood empty, and the once flourishing community known as the "Jerusalem of Morocco" fell into decline.

A Difficult Journey to Meknes

With little choice, many Jewish families left Fez and relocated to Meknes, only about 60 kilometers away.

Even that relatively short journey was dangerous.

Bandits knew that Jewish families were transporting their possessions as they fled the city. Many travelers were robbed along the way and arrived in Meknes having lost nearly everything they owned.

Despite its own challenges, the Jewish community of Meknes welcomed the newcomers with remarkable generosity.

Because Meknes had served as the capital for many years, its merchants and community leaders were relatively well established. They opened their homes and shared what they could, although contemporary accounts describe the enormous strain created by the sudden arrival of so many refugees.

Torah Found a New Home

Although Fez suffered a tremendous blow, Torah scholarship did not disappear.

It simply moved.

The yeshivot that had closed in Fez reopened in Meknes, and many batei midrash resumed their activity there. Torah literature from that generation frequently mentions this migration as a turning point in the history of Moroccan Jewry.

Meknes soon emerged as one of North Africa's leading centers of Torah learning.

A Lasting Legacy

Despite the hardships he imposed, Moulay Ismail was not known as a ruler who opposed the Jewish community outright. Throughout his reign, a number of Jews continued to serve as diplomats, merchants, and trusted advisers in his court.

His heavy taxation of Fez's Jews reflected financial and political needs more than religious hostility.

Eventually, the special tax was repealed, allowing many families to return to Fez.

Others, however, had already established new lives in Meknes and chose to remain there.

As a result, Moroccan Jewry emerged with two major centers of Torah scholarship instead of one. For the next three centuries, both Fez and Meknes continued to serve as vibrant spiritual and intellectual homes for the Jews of Morocco.