MAYMERAN

MAYMERAN (Maimoran, Mimran ), family of rabbis and diplomats in *Morocco and *Algeria, originally from *Marrakesh. r. meir maymeran (early 17^th century) of Ereẓ Israel sent a letter recommending Isaac Cansino to collect funds in *Oran (Algeria) for his hekdesh ("poor house"). Maymeran was the head of a largely *Shabbatean Marrakesh community in the second half of the 17^th century. The two best known members of the Maymeran family were joseph (d. 1683) and his son abraham (d. 1723), who served as financial advisers to the ruler Moulay Ismail (1672–1721) in *Meknès. Joseph was instrumental in formulating and negotiating the commercial treaties between Morocco and the Netherlands in 1682. According to the priest Busnot, Joseph played a major role in bringing Ismail to power, but Ismail caused Joseph's downfall with an "accident." Abraham succeeded his father as the king's favorite, continuing the negotiations with the Dutch and obtaining commercial privileges from the British and French as well. Abraham was involved in ransoming captives in 1688, and like his father was the head of Moroccan Jewry, on whose behalf he attempted to lighten the king's heavy taxation. His rival in the community was Moses *Benatar. Abraham's nephew samuel negotiated with the English and the Dutch, and a relative, Moïse, dealt with the French.

bibliography:

J.M. Toledano, Ner ha-Ma'arav (1911), 121f.; Hirschberg, Afrikah, 2 (1965), 105, 267–76; idem, in: H.J. Zimmels et al. (eds.), Essays Presented to Chief Rabbi Israel Brodie… (1967), 161–2; P. de Cenival, in: Hesperis, 5 (1925), 176f.; I.D. Abbou, Musulmans andalous et judéo-espagnols (1953), 309–12; sihm, index.