Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is chief rabbi for the Jewish community of the Emirates
The UAE is, believe it or not, home to some 1,000 Jews. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, chief rabbi for the Jewish community of the Emirates, says the changes he’s seen the past few months have been historic. It started in 2019, which the government designated as “the year of tolerance.”
“I can’t overstate how important it was,” Rabbi Sarna tells Mishpacha. “A few different things happened. The government published a detailed history of all religious groups that included the Jewish community. The Pope visited for the first time, and local Jewish leaders were included in the observances.”
During the papal visit, the UAE announced it would be building an “Abrahamic Family House,” set to open in September 2022, to celebrate the three main monotheistic religions.
Then, Rabbi Sarna says, he was recognized by the UAE ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, at an event held in the embassy in Washington that included other Muslim ambassadors and US administration officials.
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