The Algemeiner magazine ranked Royal Councillor André Azoulay as one of the most positively influential personalities in Jewish life in its annual report, which includes several personalities from around the world.
It is not by chance that Azoulay is on this list, but it is due to several factors, including his hard work to preserve Jewish memory, overseeing the Bayt Addakira project which contains a small synagogue, museum and research center. HM King Mohammed VI personally visited the site last January in Essaouira, the city where André Azoulay was born and which contains the largest number of Moroccan Jews.
In addition to Azoulay, the list includes leading Jewish and non-Jewish personalities who have, according to the report, positively impacted Jewish life around the world. These include Sheikh Mohamed ben Zayed the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Hamad Ben Issa Al Khalifa the ruler of Bahrain, in addition to U.S. President Donald Trump, his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, President-elect Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.
The Algemeiner previously ranked two Moroccan personalities in its 2018 report. They are Serge Berdugo, Secretary General of the Council of the Jewish Community of Morocco and former Minister of Tourism, and Mehdi Boudra, founder of the Mimouna association.
André Azoulay, born in Essaouira in 1941, is one of the most respected Jewish personalities in Morocco and elsewhere. HM the King trusts him and has insisted that he keep his position as advisor, which he has held since 1991, when the late Hassan II was still King of Morocco.
Azoulay has worked to revive Jewish heritage and memory in Morocco through festivals, being the president of Essaouira Mogador, the association that organizes the Gnaoua… World Music Festival, which has become world famous. He is also a member of the Committee of Elders for the Alliance of Civilizations, President of the Three Cultures Foundation and former President of the Anna Lindh Institute.
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