Sephardic Heritage International in DC (SHIN-DC) will host a special Hanukkah program highlighting cooperation between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco and the UAE on each night of the holiday. The program's theme is "collaboration for the good brings more light into the world," said SHIN-DC in a press release.
SHIN-DC is a cultural diplomacy non-profit that focuses on celebrating Sephardic and underrepresented Jewish cultural heritages worldwide.
Culture and Sport Minister Chili Tropper, Emirati Culture Minister Noura Al Kaabi, Israel Ambassador to the UAE Amir Hayek, and other public figures will participate in the event which launched Sunday for the first night of Hanukkah.
The first night included a highlight on a collaboration by Israeli musician Dudu Tassa and Emirati musician Mahamed Al Shehhi.
Night two of the event will feature Jewish Council of the Emirates Senior Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, and a Hanukkah candle lighting by Hayek and former Ambassador of Bahrain in the US, Housa Nonoo.
Nights three through seven will feature additional collaborations between Israel, the UAE and more. On night eight, SHIN-DC will summarize the events of previous nights and highlight its own collaboration with partners in Israel, Morocco, Bahrain and the UAE.
"It is especially meaningful that this year's Hanukkah program overlaps with the day of the commemoration of the Jewish exodus from Arab countries and Iran, marked in Israel on November 30th," said SHIN-DC director Franz Afraim Katzir.
"The program highlights how a powerful desire for a brighter and collaborative future is stronger than in the past."
For more information about the program, visit http://shindc.org/morelight2021/.