The teaching of the Holocaust in UAE schools for the first time has been described as a welcome step for the Middle East.
Israeli government figures and Jewish community groups welcomed an announcement by the UAE embassy in Washington.
Teaching of the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War, will take place in primary and secondary schools in the Emirates, the embassy said.
Several senior members of government told The National the matter was being worked on. A timescale or further details have not yet been set out.
I feel like this region is understanding the importance of telling this story. I will no longer have to tell my story to teenagers who think I am talking fiction
Alex Peterfreund,
UAE Jewish community
The Holocaust is rarely taught in schools in the Arab world, with a few exceptions.
Israel's official Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem in Jerusalem is involved in additions to the UAE curriculum, the UAE embassy said.
“This is a welcome step in which Yad Vashem will be happy to extend its experience and archives towards, including in developing specialised study material in Arabic,” the authority said.
Alex Peterfreund, a co-founder of the Jewish community in the Emirates, has relatives who perished in the Nazi death camps.
He said the fight was largely against ignorance rather than anti-Semitism.
'Education strongest weapon against hate'
“I have been living here for nine years, if I told my Emirati friends about what happened it was something they had not heard about before,” he told The National.
“Not because they were not educated, but because it was not something that was taught in schools over here.”
The turning point was the signing of the Abraham Accords two years ago and the opening of a Holocaust memorial exhibition in Dubai, he said.
“My father and his siblings were hidden during the war by a family of Belgians,” he said.
“His parents and sister were deported to Auschwitz and never came back. The Holocaust is part of my DNA.
“I didn’t know my grandparents because of the Holocaust, and it affected our family a lot.
“I am a strong believer if we want history to not repeat itself, that comes through education.
“When Ahmed Al Mansoori opened his museum for the first time, I was moved to tears.
“I feel like this region is understanding the importance of telling this story, not because we want people to feel bad for us but because tolerance is also part of the DNA of the UAE.
“People from all cultures, religions and backgrounds are living here together. Now people can learn about the Holocaust I will no longer have to tell my story to teenagers or those who are a little bit older who think I am talking fiction.”
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the US special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, said the downplaying or denial of the Holocaust remained common in the Middle East.
“Holocaust education is an imperative for humanity and too many countries, for too long, continue to downplay the Shoah for political reasons,” Ms Lipstadt wrote on Twitter, using a Hebrew word for the Holocaust.
“I commend the UAE for this step and expect others to follow suit soon.”
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The UAE's decision is a historical precedent, as it is the first Arab country to take this step, and its decision stands in the face of the Holocaust deniers.”
The Times of Israel reported that the Tel Aviv and London-based Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education was working with the UAE Ministry of Education on educational standards, including assessing course content.
“In the wake of the historic Abraham Accords, [the UAE] will now include the Holocaust in the curriculum for primary and secondary schools,” the UAE embassy said, referring to the deal that also saw Bahrain and later Morocco also recognise Israel.
Jewish wedding in UAE - in pictures
Guide to intelligent investing
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Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
