Jewish Trade Mediation between Morocco and the Netherlands in the Nineteenth Century: By way of documents in the National Archive, The Hague

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, Jews received a variety of forms of protection and concern from both the sultans of Morocco and the Dutch; they enjoyed several types of privileges, especially relating to trade and real estate. Their deep knowledge of accounting and their strong familiarity with living languages equipped them for this, leading the sultans to choose them over others to serve as trade intermediaries with European traders, especially the Dutch. Several Jewish families stood out in the field of trade in Morocco, such as the Pallache family at the beginning of the seventeenth centure, and the Toledano family under Sultan Moulay Ismail Alaoui (1687-1727), as well as the Muqneen and Ibn Dalak families in the nineteenth and early-twentieth century. In this study, we shall attempt to shed light on the entrepreneurial role Moroccan Jews played in trade mediation between Morocco and the Netherlands in the nineteenth century, making use of the privilege granted them by the Moroccan sultans, which allowed them to hold a lofty position, not only in the field of trade but also in diplomacy.