European Judaism • Volume 52, No. 2, Autumn 2019: 59–81 © Leo Baeck College doi: 10.3167/ej.2019.520206 The Preservation and Continuation of Sephardi Art in Morocco Shalom Sabar Abstract While it is widely known that the Jews of medieval Spain carried with them their lan- guage, literature and other traditions to the countries in which they settled following the Expulsion in 1492, little research has been conducted on the preservation of their material culture and the visual arts. In this article, these aspects are examined vis-à-vis the Judaic artistic production and visual realm of the Sephardi Jews in Morocco, who adhered to these traditions perhaps more staunchly than any other Sephardi commu- nity in modern times. The materials are divided into several categories which serve as an introduction to specifc topics that each require further research. These include Hebrew book printing, Jewish marriage contracts (ketubbot), Hebrew manuscript decoration, clothing and jewellery relating to the world of the Sephardi-Moroccan woman and the interior of the home, and ceremonial objects for the synagogue. Keywords: Hebrew manuscript illustration, Jewish art, Jewish folklore, Jewish material culture, Morocco–Jewish culture, Sephardi art and culture, Sephardi Moroccan Jewry The Sephardim in Morocco O ne of the most important centres of the so-called Sephardi Diaspora in the period following the mass expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula was undoubtedly North Africa, although Iberian Jews had enjoyed close social, cultural and religious contacts with Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria long before the Expulsion. The contacts worked both ways and in the early stages North African Jewish schol- ars and rabbinic authorities were influential in the cultural and religious shaping of Spanish Jewry. In the course of time, the picture changed and Moroccan Jewry looked more and more to the Jews of Spain as a source of spiritual inspiration. The contacts between the two communities were