Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel s diplomatic reporter
Rabbi Elie Abadie (yellow tie) joins the Jewish community in the UAE for a Hanukkah celebration (photo credit: Courtesy)
The Jewish communities in six Persian Gulf countries announced on Monday the establishment of the region’s first communal organization, complete with a rabbi and Jewish court, the Beth Din of Arabia.
The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), which brings together Jews in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, will be headed by Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie and president Ebrahim Dawood Nonoo.
The AGJC is creating a Jewish court, called the Beth Din of Arabia, to preside over issues of civil disputes, personal status, inheritance, and Jewish ritual. It will also run the Arabian Kosher Certification Agency throughout the six Gulf countries.
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President Reuven Rivlin (3R) hosts a delegation of Bahrainis and Emiratis in Jerusalem, December 14, 2020. (Mark Neyman/GPO)
Three months ago I wrote a blog called A New Landscape as Countries Establish Relations with Israel. It pointed out how agreements with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Bhutan (the last two not Gulf countries) meant changing opportunities – for business, education, travel, diplomacy and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Sudan, too, signed on to the Abraham Accords.
Jewish communities across the Gulf unite to form new association in UAE
The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities aims to create a religious court and coherent kosher certification
Levi Duchman, Rabbi of the UAE, leads the celebration of the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, for the first time in Dubai on December 10, 2020. EPA
A Sukkah, a temporary hut constructed to be used during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, the feast of the Tabernacles is pictured in front at Kaf Armani hotel next to Burj Khalifa in Dubai weeks after the UAE normalised ties with Israel. AFP
People attend the ignition a menorah during the celebration of Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in Dubai. EPA
Understanding kosher food
An insight into the Jewish classification and cuisine
As the Abraham Accords, the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel entered its full application, and the subsequent signing of the said Accords by the Kingdom of Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, the need for kosher food in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, has become a reality.
With over 70,000 Jews and Israelis that have already visited the UAE, and many more are expected, the request and consumption of kosher food has increased significantly overnight.
I am, therefore, establishing The Arabian Kosher Certification Agency, which will provide kosher certification for the entire Arabian Peninsula and the region of the Gulf. In the meantime, this is a simple guide that will explain the major concepts of kosher food and its production.