Jewish Folktales from Morocco - (Sephardic and Mizrahi Studies) Annotated by Marc Eliany (Hardcover)

About the Book

This annotated collection of simple yet witty Jewish Moroccan folk tales presents the popular fictional hero Seha as both sage and clown, conveying deeply engrained Jewish values. The authors also provide socio-historical information that contextualizes the tales in the proces...

Book Synopsis

Seha, the traditional wise man-fool in Jewish Morocco is a popular fictional hero in simple yet rich tales, playful yet witty enough to provide life lessons with commitment to social fairness and mutual respect. In this collection of tales, the authors introduce readers to their grandparents and the teaching they imparted. Through humorous Seha tales, the authors transmit deeply engrained Jewish values, accentuated in accompanying socio-historical commentaries which shed light on the evolution of Seha as a popular fictional hero as well as on processes of social change and modernization experienced by Moroccan Jews, who were influenced by movements in three nations that impact their identity, namely Israel, France, and Morocco.

Review Quotes

"With this volume, Marc Eliany becomes a transformational agent who introduces to readers the tales of Seha that he heard in his family oral tradition. The sage-clown, who could also be a trickster and a fool, represents two aspects of wisdom in the folklore of many peoples. Seha joins a gallery of Jewish wise-clowns in Ashkenazic and Sephardic narratives." --Dan Ben Amos, University of Pennsylvania

"Eliany's allegorical tales, convey with wit a community quest for intercultural respect and emancipation. Entertaining and informative." --Yigal Bin-Nun, Paris VIII University

"Eliany's tales of Seha the Sage and Seha the Clown, convey with humor and wit colors, shades, flavors and fragrances, community values that bridge folktales to social-history, social change and modernization in Jewish Morocco. Eliany's work indicates that recounting thousands of years of a community's history requires telling its folktales too." --Dan Albo, Bar Ilan University

"Through the memories of his beloved grandparents, the author transmits his appreciation for the humor, way of life, and values of Moroccan Jewry. They present us the witty character Seha, which has been enjoyed by many generations of both children and adults. We are grateful for the author's works which preserve the culture of Moroccan Jewry which has been transmuted by modernity and emigration." --David Bensoussan, Université du Québec

"This book makes an important contribution to the anthropological and sociological research of the Beni Mellal Jewish community. In it Eliany establishes a memorial to commemorate his family and community. As a researcher of Maghreb Jewry and Spanish Jewry, I greatly appreciate Marc Eliany's contribution to deepening the knowledge about the Jewish community in Beni Mellal." --Dan Albo, Bar Ilan University

About the Author

Annette B. Fromm is an associate editor and review editor of the online journal Sephardic Horizons.
Marc Eliany is the chairman and founder of the Jewish Moroccan Museum and Archive.