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Monday, February 15, 2021

New organization formed for Jews who live in six Gulf countries - including Saudi Arabia




Here's another news story that would have been literally unthinkable eight months ago. 

From The Daily Tribune (Bahrain):

As Jewish life continues to flourish and grow in the Gulf, a first-of-its-kind association has been formed to boost their development.

On Monday, local Jewish communities from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar announced they had come together to form the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC).

The AGJC is a network of Jewish communities from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries who are developing Jewish life in the region. While each community is independent, they share a common goal and vision: for Jewish life in the GCC to flourish for the benefit of both residents and visitors.
The organization includes Jews in countries that have no formal relations with Israel. 

The webpage of the AGJC includes things we never thought we'd see:




Even though only two of the Jewish communities listed are from countries that have formal relations with Israel, none of this would be possible without the Abraham Accords - just another indication of the huge impact made by peace between Israel and the UAE/Bahrain.

The story is being reported in Arab media without any negative or antisemitic overtones - again, something that would be virtually unthinkable not long ago.