Outside a cafe on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah reads a sign: “It is Passover, and we are going Matzah crazy.”
Today, in the UAE, a small but thriving Jewish community is gearing up to celebrate the eight-day festival that starts on Wednesday.
Following the 2020 signing of the Abraham Accords, the historic agreement that established relations between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, and later Morocco, many Jews have chosen to call the UAE home and start businesses.
Today, you can find an official synagogue, a Jewish nursery, kosher supermarkets and a community centre in the Emirates.
People are very excited. It is during Ramadan … and coincides with Easter. It is a very nice month
Rabbi Levi Duchman
Thousands of Jews are expected to travel to the UAE to celebrate Passover — the holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. They feel safe wearing the yarmulke and the community has become part of the UAE’s ethnic mosaic.
“Celebrating Passover in Dubai is always very powerful and has a kind of added relevance to it because it is a festival of spiritual freedom,” said Ross Kriel, one of the founders of the Jewish community in the UAE.
“For us, to be able to celebrate that festival in Dubai as Jews in a flourishing community that is embraced by the leadership of the UAE and the people of UAE is very, very beautiful and profound for us.”
Mr Kriel moved to the UAE about a decade ago from South Africa and, during his time here, he has seen the community grow.
No official data is available but he puts current numbers in the thousands.
“In the past five years, I would say the community has tripled in size. That’s a fair guess to make," he said.
“The accords gave … an assurance this is a good place for Jews to live as much as any other ethnicity. The confidence and optimism of Jewish community in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is very high,” said Mr Kriel.
The principal ceremony that takes place on the first night of Passover is known as a “seder”, which is Hebrew for "order". It involves a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt along with a festive meal, including Matzah — an unleavened flatbread that is an integral part of Jewish cuisine.
Before it was largely a private affair in the UAE but this year several large seders – some involving hundreds of people – are being held around the country.
They are drawing not just residents but an increasing number of tourists from Israel, the US and other parts of the Jewish world who are coming to the UAE to celebrate Passover.
Services are being held in multiple languages, such as Hebrew, English, French, and Russian, and some hotels are providing kosher food, tours, spiritual instruction and guest speakers to help visitors understand the UAE and the history of the community here.
While the Passover week in Israel has been hit by tensions, it is thought that between 5,000 and 10,000 could travel to the UAE this year for Passover, according to members of the community, attracted by the weather, interest in the Gulf and personal safety.
“Passover celebrates miracles. Jews that come to the UAE have a strong sense of this being a place of miracles,” said Mr Kriel.
“The fact they can be here, visibly showing Jewish identity and celebrating Jewish festivals with a sense of being welcomed and embraced is very much a miracle and a source of enormous hopefulness and optimism.”
No matter how large or small the gathering, every seder has important elements, and involves traditional food, prayer and songs.
For example, the bitter herbs Jews taste at the start remind them of the suffering of its people in Egypt.
“The evening is full of symbolic foods and practices that evoke slavery and redemption from slavery,” said Mr Kriel.
Vibrancy in community
The growing Jewish population ranges from liberal to orthodox and the vibrancy of the community can be seen everywhere, not least in the amount of times UAE-based Rabbi Levi Duchman’s phone rings.
“It is the busiest time of the year for me,” he said, with a chuckle. “The phone is ringing all day.”
People are asking him every question under the sun — from how to store matzah to how to make sure the oven is kosher.
“But people are very excited. It is during Ramadan … and coincides with Easter. It is a very nice month.”
This is his ninth year celebrating Passover in the UAE. In the early years, Rabbi Duchman used to bring kosher products to the country in a suitcase.
“But now I don’t have to fill a suitcase,” he said. “It is all available locally and this is something we built with the UAE government.”
Business going well
Dubai's Rimon Market, a kosher supermarket in Al Safa, opened just three months ago.
Kosher food is food permitted for Jews to eat such as land animals with (split) hooves that chew the cud. Rimon sells meat and matzah, along with other goods such as tealights and kippahs. Goods with Hebrew lettering line the shelves.
On Tuesday, a few people visited to pick up some last-minute supplies.
“Business is going very, very well,” said Shlomo Habib, the shop’s food and beverage manager. “I’m so happy to be in this country to develop this.”
The country’s first formal synagogue opened in Abu Dhabi in March as part of the Abrahamic Family House.
The Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue on Saadiyat Island will host its first Passover this year in what will be the first time in UAE history that a purpose-built synagogue hosts such an event.
In Dubai, these services have taken place for years in villas and other locations but now they mainly take place in hotels. Every day during Passover, it is important for Jews to go to the synagogue and read from the Torah.
Mr Kriel said the hope is to eventually have a purpose-built synagogue in Dubai.
“Ten years ago the Jewish community was just beginning,” said Mr Kriel. "We always felt embraced … but it was a very early time for us and very few people in the world knew about our community.
“Now we share the wonder of the UAE with thousands of Jews from around the world.”
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
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The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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EPL's youngest
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
On racial profiling at airports
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
