"Once I could only dream of visiting Israel, and then it became a reality," reveals Houda Nonoo, a leading Jewish influencer in promoting peace with Israel, and formerly the Bahraini ambassador to the United States. An optimistic interview about Jewish identity in the 'Kingdom of Two Seas,' about business opportunities and about the five-year plan for Gulf Jewry. Also: about two words of blessing that millions of people around the world wish one another every week – thanks to Nonoo.
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If there's one thing that's worth paying attention to in relation to the Jews of Bahrain, beyond their existence as the sole native Jewish community in the Gulf, it's the issue of their identity. In comparison with their brothers in the Emirates, the Jews in Bahrain see themselves first and foremost as Bahrainis, and also as proud Jews.
"The agreements didn't change the nature of our communal life, and no change occurred in our Jewish identity following the Abraham Accords – we always lived here openly as Jews and with coexistence," explains Houda Nonoo, Jewish-Bahraini diplomat at the Bahraini Foreign Ministry. Her cousin, Ebrahim Daoud Nonoo, is the leader of the Bahraini Jewish community, and in 2001 became the first Jew to be appointed to the upper house of the Bahraini Parliament's Shura Council.
"The impact of the agreements on us is that now we can visit our relatives in Israel, and Israelis can come to visit us here. The moment when more people are vaccinated and the scope of travel increases, we will see many more Israelis come to visit us in Bahrain," says Nonoo, who was the first – and until now the only – Jew who served as an ambassador for an Arab country.
Nonoo was also one of the members of the first official Bahraini delegation to Israel, a visit that was both profound and surreal. "During my five years in Washington I made many new friends, and sometimes they asked if I had been to Israel. I always said: 'Not yet.' In my heart I hoped and prayed for the opportunity, and I was determined to wait for the chance when the circumstances would allow such a visit. As a faithful and committed citizen of Bahrain, I naturally respected the reality. I could only dream – and then my dream became a reality."
It is not only glorious history that is reflected in the past of the Jewish community of the Kingdom of Two Seas, which reached the Arabian Gulf archipelago at the start of the 1880s, and at its height counted around 1,500 members. The community's pioneers, who arrived mainly from Iraq, with some from Iran, looked for a better source of income and way of life, and soon became a force in the clothing trade.
The first synagogue in Bahrain was already established in 1931, but it was destroyed in 1947 following the UN Partition vote. Around two decades ago the building was renovated and in June 2019 the first minyan took place there, in the presence of American-Jews and government officials, including the United States emissary to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt.
Therefore, it was only natural that the first and most symbolic step that was taken following the Abraham Accords was the launch in February 2019 of the House of the Ten Commandments Synagogue, whose renovation had begun even before the signing of the agreements. "Since the renovation was completed, we have held programs for Holocaust Memorial Day and for Tisha Ba'av, we had a number of minyans, and we hope that there will soon be regular Shabbat services."
There is also optimism in relation to the size of the community in the kingdom. "While our native community continues to have the same numbers, we are happy to also include Jews from the American naval base in the framework of our programs and services. The Gulf has a lot to offer," Nonoo says.
"For example, while antisemitism is trending upwards in the West, we don't have any problems like that, and we hope that more Jews will come here following the Abraham Accords, since Bahrain offers tremendous business opportunities and a wonderful quality of life. It's a wonderful place to raise a family, and I believe that Jewish life will continue to develop. As long as more Jews come to the area thanks to the business opportunities, there will be a greater need for more kosher food possibilities, for Jewish infrastructure, including Pesach programs at hotels, Jewish schools, youth programs and more."
Part of the fabric of society in Bahrain
A special strategic significance lies also in the fact that the headquarters of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), which was established in February 2021, is in the Bahraini capital of Manama. While every community is independent, the AGJC has a shared goal and vision: that Jewish life in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – a regional, inter-government union of Gulf states – will flourish for the benefit of residents and visitors as one.
Nonoo: "The union's board of directors is made up of members from all six Gulf states, who together design the way forward for widening Jewish life in the Gulf. In this framework, we're getting ready to examine how Jewish life will look in the Gulf in the coming five or 10 years. We are in the process of creating the Beth Din of Arabia and the Arabian Kosher Certification Agency.
"The Gulf states have greatly supported the blossoming of Jewish life, but the more people who come to visit the more we have to take care of their educational, cultural, spiritual and religious requirements, by setting up programs and institutions to service these increased needs – and we will do it! Despite our size, the Bahraini Jewish community has already been part of the fabric of Bahraini society for over 100 years. We believe that we will be able to help the communities in the Gulf to blossom and to navigate their growth in this part of the world, and we recognize the critical role that we are playing in achieving this goal," Nonoo declares with excitement.
Every week, close to the start of Shabbat, Nonoo shares content with her social media follows under the 'Shabbat Shalom' blessing in three languages – English, Arabic, and Hebrew. About the inspiration for creating the photo series on her Twitter account (@hnonoo75), she says: "Following the Abraham Accords I received many inquiries from the media and from Jews all over the world. I asked myself what the significance of this period was for me, and I had the inspiration to create the 'Shabbat Shalom' series, the responses to which have been far stronger than what I had expected."
"Every Friday I upload traditional Jewish items like my Shabbat candles and my kiddush cup, and I picture them alongside the kingdom's landmarks like the Bahraini National Theater, the Bahrain International Circuit, the tourist site the Tree of Life and more. Just these two words, Shabbat Shalom, have created a buzz so far and have reached more than 2.2 million people around the world, who wish each other Shabbat Shalom – it's simply wonderful!
"Jews, Muslims and Christians from around the world [from the United States, Britain, Europe, the Gulf, Israel, other Middle Eastern countries and from Asia] – everyone replies to the Shabbat Shalom greeting on their own and at the same time learn about Bahrain. Until the number of vaccinated people will significantly increase and they will come to visit Bahrain personally and will experience these sites for themselves, I will continue to enjoy sharing these small pieces of Bahrain with everyone," Nonoo concludes hopefully.
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