AI-Driven Cultural Analytics for Moroccan Jewish Heritage

Introduction and Background

Analyzing Naming Patterns and Migration Through Cemetery Records

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital humanities are transforming how scholars and communities engage with cultural heritage. Digital humanities—a field at the intersection of computing and the liberal arts—brings together traditional humanistic inquiry and cutting-edge computational methods (Manovich, 2020). In recent years, AI techniques such as natural language processing, machine learning, and computer vision have been increasingly applied to humanistic datasets, enabling new forms of analysis and interpretation. This convergence of AI and cultural data is often termed cultural analytics, reflecting the use of data-driven techniques to explore history, literature, art, and collective memory in ways not previously possible.

Within this context, the history of Moroccan Jewry provides a rich and timely case for an AI-driven digital humanities study. Moroccan Jewish heritage spans over two millennia, encompassing vibrant communities that once constituted the largest Jewish population in the Arab world (Ouaknine, 2019). By the 1940s, Morocco's Jewish population had reached approximately 250,000-300,000 individuals. Although most Moroccan Jews emigrated in the mid-20th century, their diaspora—numbering in the hundreds of thousands—maintains strong ties to its roots, preserving traditions, languages, and memories across continents (Aharony & Ouaknine, 2020).

Despite growing momentum in cultural preservation, significant challenges remain. Much of Moroccan Jewish history is preserved in scattered forms: aging photographs, cemetery epitaphs, community documents, oral histories, multilingual literature and small scope DNA research.

Yahasra.org represents an important initiative in this domain, evolving into a comprehensive archive that ensures burial records and cultural heritage endure beyond the physical ravages of time.

This is where AI-enhanced digital humanities approaches can make a meaningful impact. AI can assist in aggregating and analyzing large volumes of historical data—such as automatically transcribing tombstone inscriptions via optical character recognition, detecting patterns in migration records, or mining texts of memoirs and newspapers for insights into social life. By harnessing these technologies, we can illuminate aspects of Moroccan Jewish culture that would be difficult to discern through manual research alone.

Research Objectives

This project sets out clear objectives at the intersection of AI, digital humanities, and Moroccan Jewish history. The overarching goal is to develop and evaluate digital methods that can both preserve and interpret the cultural heritage of Moroccan Jewry in novel ways, with a specific focus on names and migration patterns.

Enhanced Digital Corpus

Create an enhanced digital corpus of Moroccan Jewish cemetery records, organized by time period, location, and linguistic features

AI-Powered Tools

Develop specialized AI tools to analyze names across historical periods and detect migration patterns through surname distribution

Research Questions

Address specific questions on migration influences (1850-1960) and linguistic evolution of names (1700-2000)

Methodology

Data Collection and Corpus Development

Cemetery Record Integration

Consolidate existing records from Yahasra.org
Categorize by time period
Enrich with metadata
Digitize additional inscriptions

Multilingual Name Database

Create structured database
Standardize transliterations
Record family relationships
Tag rabbinical figures

Contextual Information

Integrate historical timelines
Map community locations
Document diaspora patterns

AI Model Development: Migration Patterns (1850-1960)

Geographical Distribution Analysis: Develop machine learning models for temporal and spatial surname patterns
Historical Event Correlation: Design statistical models to correlate events with surname distribution shifts
Diaspora Connection Mapping: Create network analysis tools to trace surname connections across locations

AI Model Development: Linguistic Evolution (1700-2000)

Multilingual NLP Analysis: Develop specialized NLP models for multiple languages
Name Variation Prediction: Create algorithms to predict name variations across languages and time periods
Cultural Influence Analysis: Design tools to measure Sephardic, Berber, Arabic, French, and Spanish influences

Implementation Plan

Data Preparation Phase (6 months)

Database consolidation and standardization, additional tombstone digitization, metadata enrichment, linguistic annotation, and development of data validation protocols.

AI Model Development Phase (8 months)

Design and implementation of migration pattern analysis algorithms, development of name variation prediction models, creation of visualization tools, and initial testing and refinement.

Analysis and Interpretation Phase (10 months)

Systematic application of AI tools to research questions, iterative refinement based on preliminary findings, collaboration with historians and linguists, and documentation of methodologies and findings.

Ethical Considerations and Data Management

Any project at the intersection of AI, digital archives, and human communities must contend with ethical responsibilities. This proposal is guided by a strong commitment to ethical research practices and careful data management, ensuring respect for personal information, cultural sensitivity, and scholarly integrity throughout the project.

Privacy & Cultural Sensitivity

Privacy protection protocols
Respectful representation guidelines
Community advisory board

AI Bias Mitigation

Regular algorithm audits
Transparent documentation
Inclusive training data

Sustainable Data Management

Standardized preservation protocols
Open-access publication
Long-term archival strategies

Expected Outcomes and Significance

Enhanced Digital Archive

An expanded, enriched digital corpus of Moroccan Jewish cemetery records with standardized metadata and multilingual support.

AI Analysis Tools

Proprietary tools for name variation analysis and migration pattern detection applicable to other cultural heritage projects.

Historical Insights

New understanding of how Moroccan Jewish communities moved and evolved over time, as reflected in naming patterns and distribution.

Linguistic Analysis

Detailed mapping of how names evolved linguistically across different languages, regions, and time periods.

Community Resource

An accessible platform that helps diaspora communities connect with their ancestral heritage, supporting roots tourism and genealogical exploration.

Conclusion

This research proposal aims to advance AI-driven digital humanities by applying computational analysis to Moroccan Jewish cemetery records, with a focus on names and migration patterns.

Building upon the foundation established by Yahasra.org, this project will develop specialized AI tools that can reveal patterns in naming conventions and population movement that would be difficult to discern through traditional research methods.

By focusing on cemetery records—which form one of the most enduring physical traces of historical communities—this project establishes a methodological framework that can be applied to other cultural heritage contexts. The resulting insights will not only contribute to scholarly understanding of Moroccan Jewish history but also provide valuable resources for diaspora communities seeking to reconnect with their heritage.

As Morocco continues to embrace its Jewish heritage through initiatives like the restoration of synagogues and preservation of cemeteries, this project aligns with broader cultural preservation efforts while leveraging cutting-edge technology to extract new knowledge from historical records.