Shacharis and Shofar With Chabad of Abu Dhabi

Members of the joint American-Israeli delegation to the United Arab Emirates joined local Emirati Jewish community members led by their rabbi for shacharit morning prayer services at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi this morning.

Heading the Emirati Jewish delegation was Shliach Rabbi Levi Duchman, the community’s leader, who is the only rabbi who resides in the UAE. He was joined by Dubai JCC President Solly Wolf and Attorney Russ Kriel, who heads the JCE, as well as other prominent local business people.

They were joined by Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, who heads Israel’s delegation to the UAE, Senior Adviser to the President of the United States Jared Kushner, Mideast envoy Avi Berkowitz, and numerous other members of the delegation.

In his remarks, Duchman thanked Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for their visionary leadership, which brought about the historic Abraham Accord. Duchman then quoted Maimonides, the medieval scholar who commands great reverence in the Jewish and Islamic worlds. “Great is peace, as the entire Torah was given to create peace in the world,” he said, echoing the 850-year-old words of the sage whose life embodied the reality of peace between Jewish and Islamic communities. “I salute each and every one committed to peace. Welcome to the United Arab Emirates. You are all invited to the JCC and we look forward to great things together,” he concluded.