World Cup semifinal tests conflicting loyalties for Jerusalem’s French-Moroccan Jews

The scene inside the Jerusalem pizzeria looked like thousands of pubs and cafes across the Middle East Wednesday night, with young men – and some women – gathered over beers, snacks and hookas to watch the second semifinal of the World Cup in Qatar.

But while most across the region were pulling for Arab-darling Morocco to continue its Cinderella run, at La Casa Di Micky in the capital’s Talpiot industrial zone, France, where many of those watching had grown up, was the clear favorite.

Some still held a special place in their hearts, however, for the Atlas Lions, the beloved national team of the country where their parents and grandparents spent their formative years.

At one table sat several French Moroccan girls in long skirts, with the blue, white and red tricolor of France’s flag painted on their cheeks.

If you forced Yair, one such patron, to choose between his former home and his ancestral homeland, he’d say Les Bleus, but only reluctantly.

“I like that they’re playing a good game,” he said, “but I’m not really taking sides.”

Both of Yair’s parents lived in Morocco until the age of 10 — his father in Casablanca and his mother in Meknes. His father has been back to visit, but Yair, now living in Haifa, had never made the trip.

Avraham, a Jerusalemite who now spends most of his time in Paris, has two grandmothers from Morocco, though he doubted they were very interested in picking sides on the soccer field.

“They’re for God,” he said with a laugh.

Avraham had plenty of Israeli friends, though, rooting for Morocco, which agreed two years ago to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords.

Despite the rekindled friendship, the soccer team’s decision to unfurl a Palestinian flag on the pitch after its stunning December 6 upset victory against Spain, and also after beating Canada in an earlier round, served as a reminder of the complexity of those ties.

“I don’t like it, even though my roots are from there,” Yair said of the display.

Not everyone was turned off by the political expressions from the Moroccan side. “They might not like Israel, but they like Jews,” said Avraham.

Iyov, who was also watching the game, also shrugged off the Moroccan gestures and the widespread expressions of Palestinian solidarity across Qatar.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said.

A DJ of Ethiopian descent, Iyov was nonetheless the pizzeria’s most vocal booster for the Moroccan squad.

“Why not?” he asked.  “I’m always with the underdogs.”

“Plus,” he offered as he watched the French players celebrating their 2-0 victory, “my ex is Moroccan.”