JERUSALEM – “How is this evening different from all the other evenings?” reads one of the most significant passages of the Hagadà, the story of the exodus from Egypt that the Jews read on the first evening of Pesach, the Jewish Passover that falls in these days. For a few hundred Jews living in the Gulf countries, this year was a very special evening. On August 13, the announcement of the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, followed by Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, opened a new chapter in Middle Eastern equilibrium. While new alliances are being redefined in the political arena, a dense network of economic, academic and cultural relations is changing the fate of the Middle East as we knew it until now. One of the most significant aspects of the new route is the gradual emergence of small Jewish communities that live not only in the Emirates and Bahrain, but also in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and which have recently come together under the umbrella of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), led by Rabbi Elie Abadie, Lebanese by birth, American by adoption and now back to breathe the Middle Eastern air from Dubai. The association oversaw the shipment of almost 300 kg of matzot – the unleavened bread that is eaten in the days of Pesach, in memory of the bread that did not rise due to the haste to leave Egypt – which reached the communities of the Gulf in coordination. with local authorities. For the most part, these are expats, foreign citizens who work in countries where until a year ago they had neither the will nor the ability to come out to celebrate Jewish traditions.
Washington, agreement between Israel, Emirates and Bahrain signed at the White House. Trump: “Historic day, dawn of a new Middle East”
curated by SILVIA LUPERINI
The Abrahamic Agreements inaugurated a new season of interest and tolerance for Jewish culture and traditions (complete with teaching the Hebrew language and tweaking school curricula). A presence that for centuries has been at home in the countries of the Levant and North Africa, up to the most recent exodus of almost a million Jews from Muslim countries starting in the 1940s, as a consequence of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Among the communities of the Gulf, the indigenous community of Bahrain stands out, about fifty people to date, descendants of Jewish families of Iraqi and Iranian traders who settled in Manama in the mid-19th century. Among them there is Houda Nonoo, former Bahraini ambassador to Washington and parliamentarian, who in her current position at the Foreign Ministry closely followed the opening of this new page, also attending the official signing of the Abrahamic Accords on September 15 at the White House.
Ambassador Nonoo, how was this Pesach evening different from the others?
“Like the other years, we sat with our families to recite the tale of the exit from Egypt, but for the first time we also held a virtual Seder (the traditional Pesach dinner, ed) with the rest of the Gulf communities. Like every year, in the Hagadà we read “next year in Jerusalem”, but this year for the first time we knew it was no longer a dream. I tweeted a photo of the matzots we prepare here in Bahrain and nearly 170,000 people shared the tweet. Seven months after the signing of the Abrahamic Agreements, the amount of opportunities that continue to present themselves, both of an economic and social nature, is impressive. At the heart of these Agreements is the desire to create a better future for this region, based on peace and prosperity for all “.
What new collaborations arise?
“The two main Israeli banks have signed several agreements with the National Bank of Bahrain, the first step to make possible the banking transactions that are defining cooperation in different sectors, business, health, education, tourism, e-commerce. But the Agreements of Abraham were not signed only for economic reasons: King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had the bold vision of promoting a horizon of stability and prosperity for the Middle East, based on a warm peace, creating opportunities for next generations. Together, we are changing history. We are doing it for our children, because by inculcating them now with lessons of peace and coexistence, they will become future political and business leaders extraneous to the abyss that previous generations have lived. The Agreements of Abraham they are the beginning of a new era for our region and we are all enthusiastic about it “.
For the first time we see the birth of an umbrella organization representing Jews in the Gulf countries, of which you are a member of the board: what are your goals?
“Last month we inaugurated the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC) to meet the needs of the growing Jewish life in the area. We have created a network within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that is playing an unprecedented role in the development of Jewish life in the region, for the benefit of both residents and visitors. We are about to establish several fundamental institutions to enable life according to Jewish traditions: the Beth Din of Arabia (Rabbinical Court ed), who will assist co-religionists on matters relating to personal status, inheritance and the resolution of commercial disputes; the “Arabian Kosher” certification will supervise compliance with Jewish dietary rules with a single standard that makes life and travel between the various Gulf countries easier. And this is just the beginning, each of our communities has a lot to offer the others and the AGJC allows us to pool our resources for the benefit of all Gulf Jews. “
Are we witnessing a revival of the ancient local Jewish communities?
“I believe that we will undoubtedly see a growth of Jewish communities and traditions throughout the Arab world. In some places it is not really a renewal because local communities have always existed, for a long time, especially outside the Gulf, as in Azerbaijan, or Morocco “.
Have you visited Israel?
“I had the honor and privilege of participating in the first official Bahraini delegation to Israel in November, led by Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani: we made the first direct flight with our national airline, the Gulf flight Air 972. It was my first time ever in Israel and less than a week later I returned again to attend a peace conference During my five years of service in Washington, I was often asked if I had ever been to Israel. I always said, “Not yet.” In my heart, I hoped and prayed for the opportunity, but I had to wait for the moment when circumstances would allow such a visit. For a long time, I could only dream. In November, that dream has come true “.
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