Rabbi Searches for Congregation in Saudi Arabia...
Nov 2, 2021 21:48:08 GMT
clusium and paulslaugh like this
Post by basmaticathury on Nov 2, 2021 21:48:08 GMT
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—In his flat-brimmed hat and long black coat, Jacob Herzog turned a few heads during his first trip to Saudi Arabia last month.
Locals stopped him for photographs as he strolled or shopped for traditional Arabian robes. At a trendy cafe, where the young Saudi hostess surprised him with a greeting of “Shalom,” he sipped from tiny cups of cardamom-scented coffee and ate sticky dates—a kosher option available in the country.
Mr. Herzog concluded the trip was a useful step forward in his bid to become the conservative Muslim kingdom’s first chief rabbi. “You have to make a leap of faith and see what the reaction is,” he said.
In Mr. Herzog’s dream, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will give the go-ahead for him to work here, and also help fund a string of Jewish community centers, including synagogues, schools and a ritual bath. “I understand that, for the kingdom, it’s a very big major leap,” said Mr. Herzog.
Practicing any religion other than Islam isn’t allowed in Saudi Arabia. Christian services have long been conducted in secret and are now tolerated by the authorities, but there are not known to be Jewish services.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington confirmed that Mr. Herzog had entered the kingdom as an American tourist. “Although Saudi Arabia has long promoted interfaith dialogue, and our leadership has met with many leaders representing different faiths to further that effort, Mr. Herzog’s visit to the kingdom was not part of that effort,” an official said.
Locals stopped him for photographs as he strolled or shopped for traditional Arabian robes. At a trendy cafe, where the young Saudi hostess surprised him with a greeting of “Shalom,” he sipped from tiny cups of cardamom-scented coffee and ate sticky dates—a kosher option available in the country.
Mr. Herzog concluded the trip was a useful step forward in his bid to become the conservative Muslim kingdom’s first chief rabbi. “You have to make a leap of faith and see what the reaction is,” he said.
In Mr. Herzog’s dream, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will give the go-ahead for him to work here, and also help fund a string of Jewish community centers, including synagogues, schools and a ritual bath. “I understand that, for the kingdom, it’s a very big major leap,” said Mr. Herzog.
Practicing any religion other than Islam isn’t allowed in Saudi Arabia. Christian services have long been conducted in secret and are now tolerated by the authorities, but there are not known to be Jewish services.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington confirmed that Mr. Herzog had entered the kingdom as an American tourist. “Although Saudi Arabia has long promoted interfaith dialogue, and our leadership has met with many leaders representing different faiths to further that effort, Mr. Herzog’s visit to the kingdom was not part of that effort,” an official said.
The modern-day Jewish population here is made up of expats, and estimated to be in the hundreds or low thousands. Historically, Jewish people have lived in the Arabian Peninsula for nearly a millennium. Most left by the middle of last century after a local ruler required they convert to Islam or be expelled. A handful of Jews are believed to have stayed, with their descendants living in obscurity.
The New York-born Mr. Herzog, 45, sports thick glasses and a long beard and crops his hair short beneath his yarmulke. He lives in Jerusalem, speaks some Arabic and is encouraging his wife and eight children to learn the language.
He said he is driven by a desire to serve Jewish communities in far-flung places.
Having a chief rabbi in Saudi Arabia, guardian of Islam’s two holiest cities, might not be as far-fetched as it seems. Since Israel established diplomatic relations with a number of Arab states—although not Saudi Arabia—some Jewish communities in those countries have been more public.
Bahrain, which has an indigenous Jewish population of a couple dozen, is now setting up a Jewish court and a kosher food certification agency. Last month, it hosted the first Jewish wedding in over half a century.
In the United Arab Emirates, at least four different rabbis and community leaders have popped up, competing in the past year to provide prayer services to Jewish schools and nurseries for the country’s few thousand Jews, made up of expats.
Mr. Herzog, a dual U.S.-Israeli national, figured Saudi Arabia could be next, spurred by Prince Mohammed’s pledges to relax the kingdom’s strict social restrictions and attract more foreign talent. He said the crown prince’s plan to build a high-tech, futuristic city called Neom could eventually attract Jewish people to move there for work.
The New York-born Mr. Herzog, 45, sports thick glasses and a long beard and crops his hair short beneath his yarmulke. He lives in Jerusalem, speaks some Arabic and is encouraging his wife and eight children to learn the language.
He said he is driven by a desire to serve Jewish communities in far-flung places.
Having a chief rabbi in Saudi Arabia, guardian of Islam’s two holiest cities, might not be as far-fetched as it seems. Since Israel established diplomatic relations with a number of Arab states—although not Saudi Arabia—some Jewish communities in those countries have been more public.
Bahrain, which has an indigenous Jewish population of a couple dozen, is now setting up a Jewish court and a kosher food certification agency. Last month, it hosted the first Jewish wedding in over half a century.
In the United Arab Emirates, at least four different rabbis and community leaders have popped up, competing in the past year to provide prayer services to Jewish schools and nurseries for the country’s few thousand Jews, made up of expats.
Mr. Herzog, a dual U.S.-Israeli national, figured Saudi Arabia could be next, spurred by Prince Mohammed’s pledges to relax the kingdom’s strict social restrictions and attract more foreign talent. He said the crown prince’s plan to build a high-tech, futuristic city called Neom could eventually attract Jewish people to move there for work.