First-ever Jewish school to open in Dubai

Following the Abraham Accords 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 about 200 next year.

By TPS

For the first time in history, a Jewish school will open in Dubai, a result of the connection between Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The decision was made by Minister of Diaspora Affairs Omer Yankelevich following a series of discussions with Ross Kriel, the leader of the local Jewish community.

The move will be made through the Diaspora Initiative – UnitEd organization, which is responsible, on behalf of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, for Jewish education in the world, and in partnership with “significant philanthropic elements” from the Jewish world.

The plan is to open the school 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 government.

Following the Abraham Accords 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 about 200 next year.

Most of the community’s members are English speakers who came to the UAE in the last decade from the U.S. and Europe for business reasons.

Since the historic announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has been in contact with the community.

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.”

Kriel said that Jewish education “is as vital to the future of our community as it has been throughout history for Jewish communities around the world.”