of 1945, which democratized the internal political process of the Jewish communities. It called for yearly meetings of the leaders of the country's Jewish communities to discuss their common issues, and the was the organ through which those discussions took place. In 1948, approximately 265,000 Jews lived in Morocco. Around 2,500 live there now, mostly in Casablanca, but also in Fes and other main cities. Oujda riots In June 1948, after the declaration of the State of Israel and in the midst of the 1948 Palestine war, riots against Jews broke out in Oujda and Jerada. The two towns, located near the border with Algeria, were departure points for Moroccan Jews seeking to reach Israel—at the time they were not permitted to do so from within Morocco—and "in the eyes of many Moroccans, they would join the ranks of enemy combatants against the Arab armies." In the events, 47 Jews and a French person were killed, many were injured, and property was damaged. In 1948–9, 18,000 Jews left the country for Israel. After this, Jewish emigration continued (to Israel and elsewhere), but slowed to a few thousand a year. Through the early 1950s, Zionist organizations encouraged emigration, particularly in the poorer south of the country, seeing Moroccan Jews as a valuable source of labor for the Jewish State. From 1948 on many Jews left Fes. Most emigrated to Israel while others went to France and Canada. In the 1950s and 1960s there were still active Jewish schools and organizations such as the Alliance Israélite Universelle which later closed as the Jewish population decreased. Moroccan independence In 1956, Morocco attained independence. In the 44 years of the French Protectorate, only 1415 Moroccans had received a baccalaureate diploma, 640 of whom were Muslims and 775 of whom were Jews. Jews occupied several political positions, including three Members of the Parliament of Morocco and a Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. There was a movement within the Istiqlal Party to unite Muslims and Jews called al-Wifaq (), with prominent Jewish figures such as Armand Asoulin, David Azoulay, Marc Sabbagh, Joe O’Hana, and Albert Aflalo. However, emigration to Israel jumped from 8,171 in 1954 to 24,994 in 1955, increasing further in 1956. Beginning in 1956, emigration to Israel was prohibited until 1961, although it continued illegally until it was officially resumed. When Mohammed V died, Jews joined Muslims in a national day of mourning. Operation