The UAE, on the Persian Gulf, has become the ultimate corona wedding location for dozens of Israelis, most of them Haredi. The reasons include strict kashrut, kosher slaughter, and "[its] suitability for a full and empowering Jewish life," according to the Chabad emissary in Dubai, Rabbi Levi Duchman. An Israeli event organizer who operates in the city adds: "Also the sea, a sought-after commodity for weddings, can be the backdrop if necessary."
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"Repeat after me," Hamed, the officiating Emirati rabbi, tells the excited groom, "If I forget Dubai, let my right hand lose its cunning," and the young couple enter a new era in their lives.
This entertaining sketch from the television program That's It (Kan) has become reality for dozens of couples over the past year, although in real life the rabbi is Jewish, of course, and the weddings are in Dubai. And still, the fact that many Israelis over the past year chose to hold their weddings, the opening ceremony of the marriage covenant, in Dubai, is now seen as a truly natural step, like it was something that one could always do.
It's true that the trend was born out of the distress of the corona restrictions in Israel, which at that time only permitted small weddings (and weddings where the bride and the groom were from different places and met in Dubai). Yet the decision to openly hold the most important ceremony of their lives in an Arab-Muslim state is no a trivial matter.
Three hours flight from Israel, many dozens chose to hold their weddings as described above, most of them Haredim who are strict about high levels of kashrut, as well as mixed families, with a 'strict' side and a less strict side; while the issue of modesty for the family is also, especially in the desert kingdom, taken into account and calculated precisely.
"There are no cutting corners with laws," emphasize those active in the field. "You need to know what's permitted and what's forbidden, and to make adjustments accordingly." According to them, the average cost of a wedding in the Emirates is higher than Israel, and today, after the initial difficulties, the local infrastructure is ready for Jewish ceremonies, even if the number of weddings has significantly dropped.
Schnior Fleishman from Fleishman Peles Events & Production, who maintains an office in Dubai, explains that "we went through an ongoing and complicated process with the locals because of the heavy bureaucracy in Dubai, even though at the beginning we saw that they came with the real desire of seeing how they could help us, and this was really felt over time. The issue is their understanding with regards to the elements of a Jewish wedding, like for example the need for a local license for kosher wine.
"Or, for example, there was an event in which we were forced to work hard in order to free 300 kilograms of meat from the customs warehouses, and they looked at us like we had fallen from the moon…but the event took place properly the following day," he smiles. "An important event I remember took place at an extremely exclusive hotel, and at the end they decided to think big and set aside a whole storeroom for kosher utensils – including a kosher kitchen that a local person doesn't enter without the permission of the local kashrut supervisors, as well as utensils that are stamped by the kashrut supervisor - a number of hotels have already adopted the idea.
"Today we know how to ship kosher food to Dubai up to the level of the challot of the Vizhnitz from Bnei Brak, including an Israeli chef for Shabbatot. If there will be a fifth wave, there is nothing to worry about – we already know how to do kosher weddings in Dubai, with all the products. And if you need, the sea, which is always a sought-after commodity for weddings, can be the backdrop," Fleishman concludes with a smile.
'The grand vision of Mohammed bin Zayed'
Duchman sees the wider context of holding weddings in the Persian Gulf. "The Abraham Accords brought the vision of Mohammed bin Zayed to create equal systems, not only in the Emirates, but in the entire Middle East. To build cohesive communities and to actualize coexistence and tolerance. It's an act of truth." In order to illustrate, he says: "When someone is in the forest and is cold, he can wear a jacket or he can light a fire that will also warm others. And that's precisely the point here – to help others – and therefore it's catching on in other countries [in addition to the Emirates].
"Now it's natural to see Israelis doing business here or celebrating their most important milestones – their weddings and bar mitzvahs. This, together with the support of the local government, who have succeeded in building an equal system for that – one that supports suitable kosher food, kosher slaughter, approving weddings according to federal law – and includes, of course, a range of adjustments that allow a full and empowering Jewish life in the Emirates."
On a personal level, Duchman notes that, "as the first rabbi of the UAE [he has lived there for seven years], it's simply amazing to be part of this expansive vision and to be at the forefront of building this system. Over the past year, we built the first kosher nursery school and kindergarten; a Talmud Torah and Mikveh will follow. All of this allows us to fulfill the grand vision of Mohammed bin Zayed and of the leadership in the UAE."
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