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(October 7, 2022 / JNS) Two years after the signing of the Abraham Accords, the Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) came together to observe Yom Kippur at several locations across the country, marking its latest milestone.
The Jewish community in the UAE has an estimated 3,000-5,000 members from around the world, 90% of whom are non-citizens in a country of 10 million people. The Jewish population is believed to have grown significantly since the signing of the Abraham Accords on September 11, 2020.
Chabad-Lubavitch, which has been operating in the UAE since 2014, hosted three events minianim Yom Kippur, including at the Sheraton and Address Hotel in Dubai and the capital of Abu Dhabi.
The first rabbi to serve in the UAE, Levi Duchman, told JNS that the gatherings were “a very nice celebration”.
“This year we have witnessed the largest gathering of this kind in the history of the UAE,” he said. “We are grateful to the local government authorities that made this possible, namely the Dubai Community Development Authority and the Abu Dhabi.”
Brooklyn-based Rabbi Levigansburg leads an international group at the Address Hotel, with many multilingual guests, recounting the death of his late great-grandfather Shneur Zalman (named after the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement). story. former Soviet Union. His ancestors once took personal risks to attend the Yom Kippur prayer meeting, which was rarely attended due to concerns over the KGB’s unfavorable attitude towards the holiday celebration.The next day, the police knocked on their door as a source revealed to them that he had recited Kearney Drey prayer.
Fortunately, he said his great-grandmother had the perceptiveness to stop them effectively. First, she claims “he’s getting ready,” but they don’t believe her story, so she points to a coat. “He’s here and he can’t leave without it because it’s so cold outside,” she said. When he managed to slip out and escape, her trick worked and bought him much-needed time. He returned around Passover, hoping the locals would forget about it by then. Gainsberg said he believed the incident occurred in the late 1930s or early 1940s, at the height of World War II, when authorities were “too busy” to find him.
“It’s amazing that we can celebrate Yom Kippur so publicly in this country now that Jews could not have met publicly in some parts of the world less than 100 years ago,” Gainsberg said.
The Torah Ark on Yom Kippur is served at the Address Hotel in Dubai, UAE on October 5, 2022. Image credit: Avi Kumar.
Chabad holds an auction to decide who will be in the Kearney Drey. The winning bid of USD 500 is considered a donation to Chabad, UAE.
Mort Wise, an attendee from New Hampshire, said he planned to travel to the UAE after learning of the government’s “deliberate openness to Jews and their religion.”
“When I was planning a trip to Dubai, I decided to do it around Jewish holidays,” he said. “It also seemed like an exciting experience to be able to worship and support the local community as a Jew in an Arab country. The whole experience felt very welcoming, accepting and engaging.”
“It is very inspiring to witness the Jewish prayers organized by Chabad abroad,” he added.
Duchman said it was special to publicly observe Yom Kippur in a country that “encourages social cohesion.”
“In our prayers we keep in mind the continued peace and prosperity of the UAE,” he said.
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