Yossef Ben-Meir

Yosef Ben-Meir

Yossef Ben-Meir, Ph.D. is a sociologist and is also president of the High Atlas Foundation, based in Marrakech.Manon Burbidge is a post-graduate studying Human Ecology at Lund University, Sweden, and currently interning at the High Atlas Foundation.

Jewish Bones Reburied in Solemn Ceremony after Morocco Earthquake

On the 12th of December 2024, I set out with four colleagues of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) to meet with members of the rural community of Tafza (Al Haouz province, Marrakesh region), located in the mountain range that bore the horrendous epicenter of the September 2023 earthquake. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

Jewish Bones Reburied in Solemn Ceremony after Morocco Earthquake Read More »

International, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Yossef Ben-Meir

‘Go Around Cemetery’ Sign Led to Program of Community Participation in Development Projects

I sincerely internalized lessons from his experience and that signpost, coming to understand the needs that communities determine and express and the responsibility of development agencies to respond accordingly. This primary tenet of sustainability is so simple, and yet it has taken decades for prior generations worldwide (and still may require generations going forward) to truly forsake the destructive control of central planning in lieu of people’s own decision-making as it impacts their lives. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

‘Go Around Cemetery’ Sign Led to Program of Community Participation in Development Projects Read More »

International, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Yossef Ben-Meir

New Technologies without Benefit unless Agricultural Communities Wish to Learn How to Use Them

The local initiatives that emerge from the intensive personal and community analyses are strongly associated with sustainability because they reflect the objectives of the participants. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

New Technologies without Benefit unless Agricultural Communities Wish to Learn How to Use Them Read More »

International, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Yossef Ben-Meir

High Atlas Foundation Aids in Recuperation after Morocco Earthquake

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck central Morocco in September 2023, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) has remained steadfast in its commitment to supporting affected communities through water, sanitation, and agricultural initiatives aimed at food recovery, benefitting around 3,350 people. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

High Atlas Foundation Aids in Recuperation after Morocco Earthquake Read More »

International, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Yossef Ben-Meir

Moroccan Cemeteries Waiting to be Visited and Remembered

In early July, I set out with colleagues of the High Atlas Foundation—a U.S. and Moroccan non-for-profit organization—to meet with agricultural cooperatives in Morocco to understand their needs and goals and create action plans toward lasting development. Along the way, we visited Jewish and Christian cemeteries, and met their caretakers and neighboring community members to discover their heritage stories. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

Moroccan Cemeteries Waiting to be Visited and Remembered Read More »

International, Jewish History, Travel and Food, Yossef Ben-Meir

The Significance of the New Signage at the Ouarzazate Tree Nursery in Morocco

By Yossef Ben-Meir, Ph.D MARRAKECH, Morocco — Twenty-seven years ago, I lived in a village called Amsouzerte in the Tifnoute Valley, the south side of the High Atlas Mountains, closeby to the burial location of the Moroccan-Hebrew saint David-Ou-Mouche. The Tifnoute community and its region long desired for the building of a fruit tree nursery

The Significance of the New Signage at the Ouarzazate Tree Nursery in Morocco Read More »

Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir

Israel-Morocco Ties May Lure Moroccan Diaspora Home

Morocco’s relationship with Israel can be a gateway for Moroccan-Jewish people – along with other members of Morocco’s diaspora – to return to the land of their origins and join this national effort to restore long-held sacred locations that epitomize the country’s embracing of its intercultural self. Collaborations are crucial to sharing knowledge lest it be ever forgotten, to inspiring the world, and to making the lives and livelihoods of the Moroccan people better today. [Yossef Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

Israel-Morocco Ties May Lure Moroccan Diaspora Home Read More »

International, Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir

Fruit trees grown on Moroccan Jewish land transplanted to Muslim-owned farms

Farming communities of Morocco’s countryside combine to require some billions of fruit trees and medicinal plants as they transition away from the traditional practice of growing barley and corn. In order for communities to generate the trees they need, they require the gift of land to grow seeds in local nurseries because they cannot forego their own land and not harvest food every year to survive. The Moroccan Jewish community, next to their 600 cemeteries throughout the nation, has empty lands they are willing to lend without cost to local agricultural associations and cooperatives to help them meet their tree and plant needs. [Yossef Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

Fruit trees grown on Moroccan Jewish land transplanted to Muslim-owned farms Read More »

Business & Finance, International, The World We Share, Travel and Food, Yossef Ben-Meir

Preserving Morocco’s multicultural identity

By Yossef Ben-Meir and Ellen Hernandez MARRAKECH, Morocco — Harnessing the experiences and the history of religious and ethnic groups in Morocco must be a priority before the holders of that knowledge are lost to time. Moroccan-based civil associations, with the right support, are in an ideal position to gather and disseminate this knowledge for

Preserving Morocco’s multicultural identity Read More »

International, Jewish History, Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir