First-ever Jewish school to open in Dubai

UAE Jewish community, which expects to significantly grow following signing of Abraham Accords, plans to open school in cooperation with Ministry of Diaspora Affairs as early as next year
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The Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in cooperation with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, will open a Jewish school in Dubai, the first of its kind in the Gulf state.
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  • Minister of Diaspora Affairs Omer Yankelevich decided to greenlight the move following a series of discussions with the leader of the local Jewish community Ross Kriel, in which they touched on the developing Jewish community in Dubai and its needs.
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    The Emirati, Israeli and US flags sway in the wind at the Abu Dhabi airport
    The Emirati, Israeli and US flags sway in the wind at the Abu Dhabi airport
    Emirati, Israeli and U.S. flags hoisted at an Abu Dhabi airport
    (Photo: AFP)
    UnitEd, the ministry's worldwide Jewish education initiative, will direct the process in tandem with “significant philanthropic elements” from the Jewish world.
    The school is planned to open as early as next year.
    The Jewish community in the UAE, numbering about a thousand members, is in the process of gaining formal recognition from the Emirati government.
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    Ross Kriel, the president of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, in front of the community's Torahs in Dubai, Aug. 16, 2020
    Ross Kriel, the president of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, in front of the community's Torahs in Dubai, Aug. 16, 2020
    Ross Kriel, the president of the Jewish Council of the Emirates
    (Photo: AP)
    Following the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords the Gulf state signed with Israel in September, the community is expected to grow significantly in the coming years and the number of children is expected to stand at around 200 next year.
    Most community members are English speakers who moved to the UAE in the last decade from the U.S. and Europe for business purposes.
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    Jewish Kids at the Jewish community in the U.A.E
    Jewish Kids at the Jewish community in the U.A.E
    Jewish Kids at the Jewish community in the UAE
    (Photo: Courtesy of the Jewish community)
    Diaspora Affairs Minister Yankelevich said that “Jewish education in the Diaspora is at the forefront of our minds and we make every effort to preserve the Jewish identity and connection to the State of Israel of the Jewish children, for the continuity of the Jewish people in future generations.”
    Local Jewish leader Kriel said that he believes Jewish education “is as vital to the future of our community, as it has been throughout history for Jewish communities around the world.”
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