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The Jewish Community is excited to welcome President Herzog

Chief Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Jewish Council of the Emirates, on the UAE becoming the centre of gravity for global Jewry

Dear Mr. President, Welcome to the United Arab Emirates, home to residents from over 200 nationalities and an oasis of tolerance. When I first came to the UAE in 2010, I was amazed by its bold and visionary leadership. My amazement has never ceased, and neither, I believe, will yours.

The Jewish population here has doubled over the past year, a trend which I believe will continue. Jews come to live here from all over the world for the same reasons that many others do: opportunity, safety, and quality of life. But increasingly, Jews are moving here because they identify with its transformative vision and want to further its fulfillment. It is no exaggeration to say that the UAE is rapidly becoming a new centre of gravity for global Jewry. Nothing short of amazing.

Our community has done its very best to keep and set the pace. As you well know from our partnership when you served as Chair of the Jewish Agency, we have worked together to establish the necessary communal infrastructure for Jewish life, including multiple religious services, kosher restaurants and caterers, inter-cultural and educational programmes. With hundreds of thousands of Jewish visitors every year, one could say we have become the world’s ‘largest small Jewish community’. Nothing short of amazing.

We are proud of our positioning at the crossroads of civilisations, as active catalysts of one of the world’s greatest family reunions: the Children of Abraham. The first permanent exhibit of the Holocaust in the Arab world opened here in Dubai. The first intentionally multi-faith complex in the Arab world is being built in Abu Dhabi. The teams with which I have worked on these projects are as thoughtful as they are talented, as aware of the historic significance as they are of the contemporary. Nothing short of amazing.

President Herzog, welcome to the family reunion. May God bless you in this and other journeys!