From Kuwait to Oman, Jews are preparing for a Purim unlike any other

The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities is hosting a virtual Purim event on Thursday, February 25. It is the first of its kind and the first since the founding of the AGJC this month. It is also taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving it added value and resonance. 

There are hundreds of Jews across the Gulf states, but many of them have had no organized communal public activities until recently, due to a variety of reasons.

In recent years, however, the Jewish communities of Bahrain, which dates from the 19th century, and of the United Arab Emirates, have been more vocal. This was boosted by the Abraham Accords which saw 130,000 Israelis go to Dubai, and large public Hanukkah events in 2020.

There are Jews who also reside in the Gulf and are in the US military or large, multinational companies. Now everyone in the Gulf and around the world can participate in the virtual Purim that will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and 8:30 p.m. in Oman and the UAE, due to their different time zones. 

The megillah reading will be done by Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, with a keynote speech by Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence.  

“This historic event is important because for the first time, the Jewish communities of the six GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries will celebrate Purim together,” said Ambassador Houda Nonoo, who has been increasingly active on social media promoting the event, and is one of the leading lights of the Gulf today and a key voice discussing the Jewish community. 

“When we began creating the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, our vision was to create a people-to-people network of Jews in the Gulf who are developing Jewish life in the region,” she said. “With this in mind, it was important for us to kick off with an event right away – and what better time to do so than for Purim?

“AS WE prepared for this event, it was very important to us that we incorporate elements of interfaith and co-existence, which is what makes the Gulf so unique and special,” Nonoo said. “We are honored that H.E. Dr. Sh. Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa will be giving the keynote speech,” she said.

She also noted that famed Emirati calligraphy artist Thoufeek Zakriya will create a piece of Purim artwork live, and together with our friends from around the world, the Jewish communities of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will all join Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie for a live reading of the megillah. 

Across the Gulf, many are excited. Michael Sussman, a businessman currently in Dubai and CEO of Sussman Corporate Security, said that it is a real historic opportunity to participate in this virtual Purim. 

“It is the first time in history where representatives of the Jewish communities from across the Gulf will hear the Book of Esther being read together – it is the founding of something new,” he said. 

“In the early days of the State of Israel, people had to be physically present to experience its creation,” Sussman said. “In the case of the GCC, people just need to click a button and can participate from their homes, wherever they are in the world.  This is a very exciting time for world Jewry." 

IN OMAN, the local director of the AGJC, who asked to go by the initials M.K., is looking forward to the event. “This is important because the sharing of festivals and religious holidays highlights the importance of connecting Jewish life to Jews all over the world. The celebration of Purim is especially important for Jewish children, as their direct participation in the festivities with costumes and in the reading of the megillah is essential.” 

“This event is important, because for so many years, the Jewish communities and individuals in the Gulf would celebrate the holidays on their own. But through the AGJC, we are now able to celebrate as the broader Jewish communities of the Gulf,” says association president Ebahim Dawood Nonoo.  

“We can read the megillah together and celebrate the holiday of Purim together. We are part of something much larger now and it’s very exciting,” he said.

Alex Peterfreund, the board member representing the Jewish Community of the Emirates at the AGJC, also describes how different this Purim is.

“The pandemic that is now entering its second year has caused a lot of damage,” he said. “People more than ever need some positive news. One of the positive effects of the weekly pre-Kabbalat Shabbat [welcoming the Shabbat] Zooms of the Jewish Council of the Emirates is that it has brought together the Jewish Communities of the Gulf.

“I see the creation of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities as a direct result,” Peterfreund said. “The Purim Zoom of the AGJC will bring a message of peace and love that is so needed in those difficult times.” 

People from around the Gulf and world are invited to join the event. They can register online for the limited available space. 

Rabbie Elie Abadie referenced the historic importance of the holiday. "2,500 years ago a member of the Persian Empire‘s government official Haman, planned to annihilate the entire Jewish People in his empire. With God's help and the determination of the Jewish People, his plans were thwarted and turned against him and his fellow haters. Today as we see a similar hatred from the Persian nation toward the Jewish nation. We are blessed to see a new presence and growth of the Jewish communities in the Gulf, living together with other communities of faiths in peace, coexistence and harmony." He quoted from the Megillah of Esther "for the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor."