Bahrain Mirror: A press report revealed on Monday (February 15, 2021) the establishment of an association for the Jewish communities in the Gulf States.

Representatives of the organization, called "The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC)", will be in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, although the last four countries have no official relations with Israel, Israel's Kan news agency reported

The purpose of this association is to provide religious services to Jews who come to certain countries in the Gulf, whether to settle or for tourism.

It also includes the creation of an infrastructure for a unified kosher food agency in all the Gulf States as well as a Jewish court that serves the Jewish communities.

Rabbi Eli Abadi, one of the top rabbis in the Emirates who is considered the spiritual leader of the organization, said that this initiative will increase the number of Jewish communities' members in the Gulf.

He explained that the new association is a private initiative, but it is believed that all the Gulf States will take part in it "as they started opening their doors for Jews".

Ibrahim Nono, head of the Jewish community in Bahrain and who will be the president of the new association, said that the goal is to unite the resources of the communities like kosher food, religious aid, burial and other services.

A representative of the new association in Kuwait told "KAN" that they hope this initiative will make Jews in the Gulf feel less lonely and upgrade the lives of the few Jews who are in Kuwait and other Gulf States.

Israel signed in mid-September normalization agreements with the government of Emirates and Bahrain under the auspices of the former US president Donald Trump.

Arabic Version