Temple Beth-El

The stained glass windows glow blue and gold and red. The building seats five hundred. It was designed in the mid-20th century, when Casablanca's Jewish community was at its peak.

Temple Beth-El is the centrepiece of what remains. Still holds Shabbat services on Friday evenings. Approximately 1,000 Jews call Casablanca home — the largest Jewish community remaining in any Arab country. The synagogue is their anchor.

The artistic elements draw visitors — tourists and pilgrims both. But what matters is that it functions. Not a museum, not a monument. A synagogue.