This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
There are some synagogues for Jews scattered across the Muslim-majority nations of the Middle East.
But they are rare.
Now, their number has risen by one, following the opening of a synagogue in the United Arab Emirates.
According to a report from Israel365 News, it is the first synagogue in the UAE.
The report described it as “a historic event not just for the Middle East but for the world.”
It’s part of a development in the UAE that includes three structures, almost identical, for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
“Elie Abadie, the senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, told JNS that it is very notable for an Arab country to build a Jewish house of worship,” the report explained.
“In fact, this is the first one built in the region in almost a century. By doing this, the government sends out a great message – one of tolerance and acceptance, as they allow the different Abrahamic faiths to come together here to worship.”
David Rosen, of the American Jewish Committee, told JNS, “It is a great gift from Sheikh Mohammed to the Jewish people.”
He added, “For a people that have suffered and still suffer from prejudice and bigotry born out of ignorance and misrepresentations, this place offers an amazing opportunity to educate the world about the beauty and true values of Jewish tradition.”
The site was opened on Feb. 16.
Israel365 said, “The interfaith site comes a few years after the signing of the Abraham Accords in the fall of 2020, under whose auspices the UAE and Bahrain, followed by Morocco and Sudan, officiated ties with Israel. The accords are widely viewed as a sign of tolerance, and many take it to be a bellwether of positive relationships between Jews in the Middle East and the Islamic world.”
The Abraham Accords are precedent-setting agreements between Israel and its Muslim neighbors that were developed and made official by President Trump.
The report said, “An oil-rich nation, the Emirates has a population of nearly 10 million, of which about 10% are citizens and overwhelmingly Arab Muslims. Non-citizen residents come from all over the world and practice a variety of faiths, but Jews largely did not come prior to the Abraham Accords. When American or European Jews did visit, they tended to keep a low profile. Israeli nationals were not permitted. Since the accords, nearly half a million Israelis have visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”
