Bahrain Mirror: The Jewish Telegraph Agency revealed that the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, launched a fundraising campaign to restore and care for Bahrain's Jewish cemetery.

Part of the initiative, which will launch on Tu Bishvat, the Jewish new year for trees, included planting trees in the cemetery.

Ebrahim Daoud Nonoo, president of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, said "Over the past few years, we have seen Jewish life in the region growing, and it looks like it will continue to do so in 2022. It is important for us to build additional infrastructure in the first half of the year."

"The coming year will be one of growth for Jewish communities in the GCC. In many ways, it will be a year in which we establish deeper foundations in regard to Jewish education, food, and cultural activities to support generations to come," the Arab News newspaper reported.

Early in 2022, the first Jewish court will open in the GCC. The Beth Din of Arabia will assist with issues pertaining to personal status, inheritance and voluntary business dispute resolutions in the region.  

The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC) is the umbrella organization for the Jewish communities of the GCC, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Israel normalized relations with the UAE and Bahrain in September 2020 in a ceremony in the White House in Washington.

The cemetery was established by the Jewish community in the 1930s, along with the Synagogue, which remains the only synagogue operating in the GCC. The Jewish house of worship was recently renovated, and prayers have been held in public for the first time since decades.

Arabic Version