The small Jewish community of the United Arab Emirates on Thursday welcomed the historic agreement between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi to formalize relations, praising the Arab Gulf state for its pluralism and religious tolerance.
“Among other things, this will allow Israelis to visit the UAE and share our daily experience of… tolerance and pluralism that typifies the UAE,” the Jewish Council of the Emirates (JCE), an umbrella group overseeing the country’s two congregations, said in a statement.
“I am so moved by the many messages of hope that I have received from Emirati friends of our community on hearing this news,” said JCE president Ross Kriel.
“The announcement reflects the extent to which the UAE has demonstrated sustained courage and pragmatism in seeking opportunities for peace and economic development in the region. Our community members look forward to direct flights to Israel and welcoming Israeli friends and visitors to the UAE.”
Ross Kriel, the president of the Jewish Community of the Emirates, left, hosts former Canadian PM Stephen Harper at his Dubai synagogue known as ‘the villa,’ April 2019 (courtesy)
According to a joint statement released earlier on Thursday by US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the UAE’s de-facto leader Prince Mohammed bin-Zayed al-Nahyan, delegations from Abu Dhabi will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements on “investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit.”
Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the non-resident chief rabbi of the JCE, praised Prince Mohammed bin-Zayed for his “vision of tolerance, synergy and the fusion of past and future.”
In recent years, the UAE has made great efforts to portray itself as a tolerant country welcoming all religions, including Judaism. President Khalifa bin-Zayed al-Nahyan declared 2019 to be the “The Year of Tolerance” in the UAE. In this context, the country announced the building of a massive interfaith compound in Abu Dhabi that will also include a synagogue. The so-called Abrahamic Family House is slated to open in 2022.
“The pope’s [historic 2019] visit, the construction of the Abrahamic Family House and the Year of Tolerance all point in the same direction: The future,” said Sarna, who is based in New York. “What excites me most is the potential of collaboration around education and culture.”
A Jewish community has been operating in Dubai for a decade, initially with tacit support but more recently with overt backing from the local authorities, and is currently in the process of officially becoming a licensed religious community.
The Abrahamic Family House, to be built in Abu Dhabi, UAE (courtesy of The Higher Committee for Human Fraternity)
Earlier this year, a breakaway Jewish congregation, led by a young rabbi affiliated with the Hasidic Chabad movement, embarked on an aggressive publicity campaign but has since been requested by local authorities to stop posting on social media.
Estimates of how many Jews currently live in the UAE range from the low hundreds to 1,500. There is one kosher catering business in the country, called “Elli’s Kosher Kitchen,” which has also garnered a lot of attention, including UAE Culture Minister Noura al-Kaabi hailing it as a new chapter in “Gulf food history.”
