The Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, is currently on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, and has met with several senior government figures as well as members of the royal family in Abu Dhabi. To date, Rabbi Yosef is the most senior Israeli personage to visit the UAE in the wake of the Abraham Accords.
Among those with whom the Chief Rabbi met were the Religious Affairs Minister, Ahmad al-Dhari; the Religious Tolerance Minister Sheikh al-Nahayan; the Economic Development Minister Muhammad al-Shurfa; and the Culture Minister Vanura al-Khabi.
One of the central purposes of the visit was the need to regulate permits with regard to full Jewish observance in the UAE.
The rabbi of the UAE’s Jewish communities, Rabbi Levi Duchman, said that the visit of Rabbi Yosef was “nothing less than historic. Jewish religious observance in Muslim countries is not to be taken for granted,” he added, “and the fact that the UAE permits this and that Rabbi Yosef is now visiting effectively establishes the foundations for a future blossoming of Jewish life here.”
During his meeting with members of the Emirati royal family, the Chief Rabbi noted that his father, former Chief Rabbi Ovadya Yosef ztz”l, was born in Iraq and served as a rabbi in Egypt at one point in his life, illustrating, he said, the ability of different faiths to coexist harmoniously if goodwill exists.
Rabbi Yosef requested of his hosts that they help to bring about further peace accords between Israel and Arab and Muslim states, and he also invited them to visit him in Israel. He stressed that the State of Israel grants full religious freedoms to all citizens and visitors, and added that the Religious Affairs Ministry provides its services to followers of all religions. He then thanked the UAE’s Religious Affairs Minister for likewise being willing to permit full religious freedoms to Jews in the UAE.
At the end of the meeting, Sheikh al-Nahayan told Rabbi Yosef that, “You have no need to thank us, as we are all family, and family members don’t need to thank one another.” The UAE’s Religious Affairs Minister added that, “We greatly admire the fact that you have come here to visit us, and we have great admiration for religious figures. Your visit here is an historic occasion and we are delighted that we have merited to host you and that we can now raise the status of Jewish life here in our country.”
The ministers also invited Rabbi Yosef to attend the inauguration ceremony for the “Abraham Center” which is currently under construction, in the city of Abu Dhabi.
Among the issues addressed by the Chief Rabbi during his visit were the establishment of a Jewish cemetery in the UAE, which is still awaiting authorization from the Health Minister; the establishment of a synagogue and mikveh (ritual bath) which still need permits from the Minister of Religious Toleration; and the establishment of a kashrut agency.
The ministers and members of the Emirati royal family told Rabbi Yosef and Rabbi Duchman that they hoped very much that they would see synagogues opening in all seven of the Emirates that make up the UAE. So far, there are functional synagogues in Abu Dhabi and also in Dubai, the financial hub of the UAE, but it is hoped that more will be opened in other cities where Jewish businessmen and tourists are likely to visit in the wake of the Abraham Accords.
During his visit, the Chief Rabbi prayed the morning prayer in the Jewish community center in Abu Dhabi, where around twenty Jews from Yemen are currently living, after having fled their homes several months ago. Rabbi Yosef noted the favorable conditions in which they are living, thanks to the generosity of the UAE government, but stressed that “they should ultimately settle in Eretz Yisrael, in the Holy Land.”
Maya, a Muslim resident of Dubai who paid a special visit to Abu Dhabi to see the Chief Rabbi, said that “It is a great honor for us that the Rabbi of Israel is visiting the Emirates. I am delighted to be part of the celebrations of the Jewish community here, and I will remember this visit always.”
Echoing her words, Rabbi Duchman expressed how “emotional the meeting has been for the Jewish community here, and also for the non-Jewish community. This is the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the Jewish community in the Emirates, and we are confident that the connections forged during this visit will influence the future of Jewish life here for many years to come.”