Ontario NDP Runs A Jew-Hater; Who Speaks For Hamilton’s Jews?
March 15, 2023
“Jewish state in Palestine… is a central organization for their international world swindle”
Popular Articles
Read More »
What’s Behind The Riots Over Judicial Reform In Israel?
March 15, 2023
Behind the Scene with David Bedein
‘Israel Not A Factor In Saudi Decision’ To Renew Ties With Iran
March 15, 2023
Riyadh’s distrust of Washington was a key calculation in the maneuver
Video: China’s Saudi-Iranian Pact: Respite Or Realignment?
March 15, 2023
Does the Communist China-brokered Saudi-Iranian pact signify a new Middle East or merely a respite between regional rivals?
In Search Of The Origins of Joseph, Canada’s First Jew
March 15, 2023
Direct proof of a Jewish presence in New France, 40 years before Esther Brandeau
The Trudeau Government’s Fake Fight Against Antisemitism- Part 36
March 15, 2023
Federal Parties: anti-Zionism and antisemitism
Israel Slams South Africa Parliament Decision To Downgrade Ties
March 15, 2023
The move will see Israel’s embassy in Pretoria downgraded to a liaison office
האיום הישראלי על איראן בחבל קווקז
March 15, 2023
הם חושדים שהישראלים משתפים פעולה עם האזרבייג’נים לא רק בנושא הנפט אלא גם כנקודת מוצא לתקיפות ישראליות נגד איראן כגון ריגול ופעילות אווירית, שלא לדבר על הברחות.
Azerbaijani Art and Culture Center Commemorates 31st Anniversary Of The Khojaly Genocide
March 15, 2023
“Voices of History” event held at University of Toronto
A Book Review Of Jewish Pride
March 15, 2023
Michael Steinhardt explains there are three pillars to Jewish pride
Previous
Next
Previous
Next
One year after the Abraham Accords were signed, locals from communities in Gulf states have taken a keen and public interest in the Jewish New Year and its traditions.
- 08 September 2021
- 10:05 pm
Click an icon above to share, email, or save this article
- 08 September 2021
- 10:05 pm
Alex Peterfreund teaches a boy to read from the Torah at the synagogue in Bahrain. (Photo: Association of Gulf Jewish Communities)
Click an icon above to share, email, or save this article
(JNS) With Jews around the world set to begin the High Holiday season, the small Jewish communities in six Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are planning to take part publicly in some of the traditional holiday rituals for the first time in decades.
This newfound openness is a direct result of the Abraham Accords signed a year ago between Israel, the United States, the UAE and Bahrain, followed by Sudan and Morocco.
Ebrahim D. Nonoo, leader of Bahrain’s Jewish community and president of the newly founded Association of Gulf Jewish communities (AGJC), whose goal is to develop Jewish life in the region, told JNS that “the best thing about Rosh Hashanah this year is that we are able now to advertise it. We are saying ‘Happy New Year’ to our Bahraini friends and government officials. It’s beautifully really out in the open now.”
He added “for us, in Bahrain, it’s about reciting the prayers, which we will be doing at home. But at the same time, we are sending packages of honey, pomegranates and other traditional Rosh Hashanah items to [Muslim] Bahraini families so they can join us in experiencing Rosh Hashanah.”
Previous
Next
Previous
Next
Nonoo grew up in Bahrain after his grandfather moved to the country from Iraq seeking business opportunities and succeeding in establishing a life there for his family. As such, Nanoo is seeking to expand avenues of Jewish growth for others.
He is hopeful that the community will soon have a full-time rabbi and make greater use of the local synagogue in the city of Manama, Bahrain’s capital. He currently tries to conduct services there on a weekly basis.
He said that since the signing of the Abraham Accords “government officials have become more open, and we are getting a lot more visitors, which is a fantastic sign. At the same time, more local Jews”—he estimates 50 community members—“are coming to the synagogue and want to see what’s going on.”
Nonoo said while fewer Jews reside in the other Gulf countries, the AGJC was formed to support them with their needs to participate in the rituals on Rosh Hashanah and maintain a Jewish lifestyle throughout the year.
Get thej.ca a Pro Israel Voice by Email. Never miss a top story that effects you, your family & your community
Michael (last name withheld upon request) is also an AGJC board member who represents around 10 Jews living in Oman. He owns an engineering consultancy company and is a development strategist, having arrived in the country in 2008 from Vancouver, Canada. He decided to stay there permanently after stints working throughout the Gulf since the 1970s.
He told JNS that he has always felt safe there—safer than in Vancouver. He said he believes that any anti-Jewish sentiment exists because of ignorance as a result of social media and other media-related propaganda.
With few practicing Jews in Oman, coupled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, he said that his community will be celebrating this Rosh Hashanah in their homes. Michael personally will be celebrating with his son, who flew in from abroad. He plans to fly to Dubai for Yom Kippur.
Michael, who claims to make “the best hummus in all of Oman,” said it’s his goal to reopen the country’s only Jewish cemetery for use when the need arises and has discussed the issue with the relevant officials.
The largest Rosh Hashanah event in the region is slated to take place in Dubai, the UAE city that boasts the largest Jewish community, with an estimated 500 practicing Jews.
Blowing shofar in the Gulf to mark the arrival of the Jewish New Year. (Photo: Association of Gulf Jewish Communities)
‘This is going to be an amazing experience’
Alex Peterfreund, a co-founder of Dubai’s Jewish community, its cantor and an AGJC board member who arrived in the country from Antwerp, Belgium, in 2014, told JNS that the community will be hosting services and kosher meals for several hundred guests in a local hotel under the leadership of Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, the Jewish Council of the Emirates’ (JCE) senior and resident rabbi.
Similar to comments made by Nonoo, Peterfreund said “the biggest difference between this Rosh Hashanah and in previous years is that we were a group of Jews coming together in a discreet way, and now it’s much more open and people feel more comfortable.”
He added that “in the past, some people were insecure and hesitant, and that is much less the case this year.”
Peterfreund said another big difference is that this year, local Muslims from Dubai would be joining the group to take part in the festivities.
“The main focus is the interaction between Muslims and Jews,” he emphasized. “This is going to be amazing. When you sit and explain why you eat the head of a fish, pomegranate, apples and honey—what we have been doing for thousands of years—and you feel how the locals are curious and eager to interact with us, this is going to be an amazing experience.”
He noted that “the same way that we have learned about Ramadan and their traditions, they will be a full part of our festivities.”
Josh Hasten has been a prolific writer for JNS in 2021, and is the president of the Jerusalem-based Bar-Am Public Relations Firm, specializing in working with non-profit organizations, NGOs and municipalities.
Click an icon above to share, email, or save this article
Click an icon above to share, email, or save this article
Previous
Next
Previous
Next
Read More
Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
Sponsored Content
cOMING SOON…….
Breaking News
Recent
Features
News
Current Events
Opinions
Politics
Religion
Culture
Memoriam and Obituaries
PodcastS
Subscribe Now
Receive the latest in community & international Jewish news direct to your inbox