Israeli media said that the Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yousef will open Jewish institutions in the Emirates today, Saturday, including a synagogue and a school for Jews, as part of the growing normalization between the two sides in various fields.
During the first visit of its kind to an Arab country, Yusef, the chief rabbi of Sephardi (Eastern religious Jews), is due to inaugurate a new synagogue in Abu Dhabi, according to Israel Today and The Times of Israel.
It is also scheduled to open in Dubai a new religious school for Jews, a nursery for the children of the Jewish community, and visit a new restaurant in the Burj Khalifa in the city that serves halal Jewish food (kosher), according to the same source.
The Rabbi’s program also includes participating in a ceremonial ceremony with the head of the Jewish community in the Emirates, Rabbi Levi Duchman.
The Chief Rabbi in Israel is scheduled to meet with prominent Emirati officials, according to what was reported by the Israeli press, citing his office.
The Times of Israel reported that Rabbi Yitzhak Youssef traveled Thursday to Dubai on a visit that will continue until tomorrow, Sunday.
According to Israeli estimates, the number of the Jewish community in the Emirates is approximately 3 thousand individuals, most of whom reside in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Since the Emirati and Israeli sides signed an agreement in mid-September to establish full relations between them, the pace of normalization has accelerated to include the political, economic, tourism and cultural fields.