The King of Bahrain has appointed a Jewish woman and a Christian woman to the nation’s 40-member lower chamber of parliament.
According to the state-controlled BNA news agency, King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa retained the Speaker, Ali Saleh Al Saleh, as well as 30 of the 40 members of the outgoing Shura or Consultative Council.
The new Jewish member of the house, Nancy Khadhori, will replace a prior Jewish member, Huda Nono, who left to become Bahrain’s first female Jewish Ambassador to the United States.
Prior to Nono’s tenure in the parliament, the seat was filled by her cousin Ibrahim, who served in the chamber for four years.
“I am very happy to receive the royal trust,” Khadori said in a statement to the media. “I hope I will be up to the responsibility.”
Khadori is one of only 37 Bahraini Jews who originated from Iraq, and one of fewer than 10 families left in the country where Jews have lived since ancient times.
Hala Qarrisah, the new Christian female member, took the place of fellow Christian Alice Samaan, who had served as deputy head of the Council. There are approximately 1,000 Christians in Bahrain.