Jewish Community Center of UAE

{{Short description|Jewish community center in the United Arab Emirates}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Jewish Community Center of UAE

| image = JCC_of_UAE_Logo.png

| alt = Logo of the Jewish Community Center of UAE

| caption = Logo of the Jewish Community Center of UAE

| formation = 2019

| founder = Naum Koen{{Cite web|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|title=Muscling in on Dubai's existing Jewish community, a Chabad rabbi stirs discord|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/muscling-in-on-dubais-existing-jewish-community-a-chabad-rabbi-stirs-discord/|access-date=2020-12-21|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US}}

| type = Jewish Community

| region = United Arab Emirates

| services = Kosher food, Jewish education, synagogue, and other Jewish communal services

| leader_title = Rabbi

| leader_name = Levi Duchman

| leader_title2 = President

| leader_name2 = Vacant

| website = {{url|https://jewishuae.com}}

}}

The Jewish Community Center of UAE is a Jewish community center in the United Arab Emirates led by Chabad Rabbi Levi Duchman.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=10 June 2020|title=Jewish Life in a Gulf State: A conversation with Mr. Solly Wolf, president of the Dubai JCC|url=http://www.amimagazine.org/2020/06/10/jewish-life-in-a-gulf-state/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-07-01|website=www.amimagazine.org}}

History

Since the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1971, a small Jewish community grew and lived in the UAE for many years, but was mostly living in the shadows.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-04|title=Out of the shadows: UAE's Jewish community thrives after political agreement|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/world/dubai-jewish-uae-passover-wedding-politics-b1826575.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220608/https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/world/dubai-jewish-uae-passover-wedding-politics-b1826575.html |archive-date=2022-06-08 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-26|website=The Independent|language=en}} As improved relations between Israel and the UAE, Jews in the UAE started to openly pray and practice Judaism and established the Jewish Community Center of UAE.{{Cite news|last=Odenheimer|first=Alisa|date=June 3, 2020|title=Jews of UAE Tweet Prayer for State as Ties with Israel Warm|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-03/jews-of-uae-tweet-prayer-for-government-as-ties-with-israel-warm|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-22|newspaper=Bloomberg.com}}{{Cite web|title=As Thousands Of Israeli Tourists Visit Dubai, A Small Jewish Community Gets A Boost|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/29/950818576/as-thousands-of-israeli-tourists-visit-dubai-a-small-jewish-community-gets-a-boo|access-date=2021-04-26|website=NPR.org|language=en}}

The president of the center, Solly Wolf, died on February 4 2025.{{Cite web |last=Woolf |first=Avi |date=2025-02-04 |title=UAE Rabbi Levi Duchman: Solly Wolf has passed away |url=https://www.jfeed.com/jewish-world/sr68py |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=JFeed |language=en}}

Synagogue

The JCC (Jewish Community Center) of the UAE, is led by Chabad Rabbi Levi Duchman.{{Cite news|title=צפו בבית הכנסת היהודי הראשון ב...דובאי|url=http://www.kikar.co.il/361427.html|access-date=2020-05-26|website=כיכר השבת|language=he|last1=השבת |first1=כיכר }}{{Cite web|title=Kiddush, Torah learning, and gefilte fish in Dubai - Jewish World|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281713|access-date=2020-06-18|website=Israel National News|date=11 June 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite news|title=A robust Jewish life exists in the U.A.E.|first=Daniel|last=Salami|date=June 11, 2020|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HkuTEWg6I|access-date=2020-06-18|work=Ynetnews|language=en}} A Jewish benediction is recited to the president of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan as well as to the rest of the rulers of the UAE during Shabbat.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Our blessings for the UAE|url=https://twitter.com/jewishuae/status/1267504374051483651|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-07-01|website=Twitter|language=en}}

Kosher food

The supply of 1,000 kosher chickens per week is provided to the community by local Kosher Shechita. In May 2020, it was reported that the JCC of UAE has imported the largest meat shipment in the history of the community.{{Cite web|last=Sarare|date=2020-05-26|title=United Arab Emirates: Largest Meat Shipment In History To Jewish Community|url=https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1864777/united-arab-emirates-largest-meat-shipment-in-history-to-jewish-community.html|access-date=2020-05-27|website=The Yeshiva World|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=UAE|first=Jewish Community of the|date=2020-05-24|title=#EidMubarak #KosherUAE #KosherDubai #KosherMeatUAEpic.twitter.com/TajgtxTtSn|url=https://twitter.com/JewishUae/status/1264644423671066626|access-date=2020-05-27|website=@JewishUae}}{{Cite news|title=Kosher meat sent from the United States to Jews living in UAE|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/kosher-meat-sent-from-the-united-states-to-jews-living-in-uae-629657|access-date=2020-05-31|newspaper=The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com}}

Following the normalization agreement, Duchman opened an upscale kosher restaurant in the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, serving Mediterranean fare and wine and sporting a "sleek Asian decor".

Jewish Education in the UAE

In place of the original Talmud Torah established in 2020, the Jewish community in Dubai has since expanded its educational infrastructure with the opening of Mini Miracles, an early childhood education center founded under the leadership of Rabbi Levi Duchman. Located in Dubai, Mini Miracles serves as the first nursery in the Gulf region to incorporate Jewish vales, offering a bilingual curriculum in English and Hebrew and including Jewish values, holidays, and traditions into its programming. The nursery caters to children from 18 months to 4 years old and emphasizes both academic development and Jewish identity in a nurturing, pluralistic environment.

For the 2023–24 academic year, Mini Miracles offers a variety of programs beyond early childhood care, including a Sunday Kid’s Club (Hebrew school held on Sundays), Friday Club, Bar and Bat Mitzvah preparation, private tutoring, and a seasonal Camp Gan Izzy.{{Cite web |title=Mini Miracles Training Institute Talmud Torah |url=https://www.mini-miracles-training-institute.com/ |website=Mini Miracles Training Institute |access-date=July 9, 2025}} Enrollment has grown from just a few children at its launch to approximately 45 pupils, with plans underway to open a new campus in Abu Dhabi.{{Cite web |last=Rizvi |first=Anam |title=Pupil numbers at Dubai’s first Jewish nursery grow as new campus set to open in Abu Dhabi |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/2022/09/08/pupil-numbers-at-dubais-first-jewish-nursery-soar-as-new-campus-set-to-open-in-abu-dhabi/ |website=The National |date=8 September 2022 |access-date=July 9, 2025}}

Mini Miracles is part of Rabbi Duchman’s broader vision to support Jewish life in the UAE. He also oversees Sunday and after-school Hebrew and Jewish education programs for students attending non-Jewish schools, aiming to strengthen Jewish identity and literacy within the community.{{Cite web |last=Michanie |first=Yoni |title=Meet the rabbi who made it possible to live a Jewish life in the UAE |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-the-uae-a-chabad-rabbi-builds-jewish-life-one-kiddush-at-a-time/ |website=The Times of Israel |date=12 October 2022 |access-date=July 9, 2025}}

Public sukkah

For the Sukkot holiday in October 2020, Duchman erected a public sukkah next to the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai.{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/sukkah-rises-at-base-of-worlds-tallest-tower-in-uae/|title=Sukkah rises at base of world's tallest tower in UAE|first=Isabel|last=Debre|date=October 5, 2020|accessdate=October 5, 2020|work=The Times of Israel}}{{cite news |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rye8B9PIP|title=Following peace deal, UAE erects first-ever public sukkah in the heart of Dubai|first=Itamar|last=Eichner|date=October 4, 2020|accessdate=October 5, 2020|work=Ynetnews}}