by COLlive reporter
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco held a gala event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of King Mohammed the Sixth of Morocco’s ascension to the throne.
The event took place at the Organization of American States (OAS) ballroom in Washington, DC, and was hosted by Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui, a cousin of Morocco’s king, and the country’s ambassador to the United States.
Notably invited to the gala were Rabbi Levi and Chana Banon, Chabad Shluchim in Casablanca, Morocco, who are dedicated to sustaining the Jewish community in the North African country.
The ambassador took a particular interest in the Chassidic Rabbi Banon who was born in Casablanca into a distinguished Rabbinic lineage going back hundreds of years. Both his father and grandfather served as prominent dayanim of the Beis Din in Casablanca.
The ambassador invited the Banons to visit her at her palace in Morocco and she showed great interest in the work the Shluchim have been doing in the country, servicing the Jewish community for the past 11 years.
Also in attendance were Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), and Moroccan-born Rabbi Gad Bouskila, Rabbi of Congregation Netivot Israel in Brooklyn, New York, who blessed the king in Arabic, French and English.
“G-d willing, there will be a continuation to the wonderful relationship between the Shluchim and the royal family,” Rabbi Banon said.
beautiful