Out of the shadows: UAE’s Jewish community thrives after political agreement

The normalisation of relations between the UAE and Israel is having a marked impact on the lives of ordinary people, reports Bel Trew in Dubai

Rabbi Levi Duchman performs morning prayers on the roof of the Jewish Community Center of the UAE (Getty)

For the French-Moroccan-American couple, Dubai was among the last places they would have imagined picking for their Orthodox Jewish marriage ceremony which took place two weeks ago.

Despite being a long-term favourite for luxury weddings and winter breaks, the UAE has not been an easy place for observant-Jewish visitors.

Until recently the 1,000 or so members of the resident Jewish community had kept a low profile. Despite there being at least 45 official churches servicing the 800,000-strong Christian community in the UAE, there is still no permanent synagogue in any of the Emirates. Kosher food options used to be so non-existent that long-term visitors to Dubai described bringing their own cling-film wrapped kosher supplies, and even pots and pans, with them.