Yousef Al Otaiba Kicks Off Shabbat Service Following Abraham Accords Signing
Days after the UAE, the United States and Israel signed the Abraham Accords, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba addressed the Jewish Council of the Emirates to celebrate the 2020 New Year and remark on the Accords as a step toward peace and tolerance. With his message, Ambassador Al Otaiba kicked off the first Shabbat service of the year. He also talked of the significance of the Accords and how it would open doors for members of the Jewish community around the world. Since the signing of the Accords, the Emirati Jewish community in Dubai has significantly grown as the agreement opened travel to the UAE for Jewish tourists from Israel and around the world.
As a forward-looking country driven by a vision of peace and equality, the UAE considers religious inclusion one of its top priorities and has historically encouraged these values. The UAE’s own Founder and First President, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, even joined a delegation of Emirati leaders to visit prominent churches including the Vatican and Notre Dame Cathedral in 1951, two decades before the country’s founding.
Today, the UAE is home to people of more than 200 nationalities and multi-national congregations. To reflect the country’s coexistent environment and dedication to harmonious living, the Abrahamic Family House was constructed in the UAE’s capital as a physical beacon of interfaith acceptance and peace. The facility officially opened in February 2023 and features three religious spaces — a Jewish synagogue, a Catholic church and an Islamic mosque — united on one campus.
Read more about the UAE’s efforts to further harmony and inclusion:
https://www.uae-embassy.org/discover-...
https://www.uaeusaunited.com/stories/...
• Highlights from the UAE Embassy’s Ramadan ...
Learn more about the Abrahamic Family House:
https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae/
About Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba
MOFAIC: https://www.mofaic.gov.ae/en/bio/yous...
UAE USA United: https://www.uaeusaunited.com/yousef-a...
Official Website: https://yousefalotaiba.com/
UAE Embassy in DC: https://www.uae-embassy.org/ambassado...
#ReligiousInclusion #UAEEmbassyinDC #Coexistance #AbrahamAccords
Time Stamps:
00:00 Amb. Al Otaiba extends New Year’s greetings
00:23 UAE’s role in promoting religious tolerance
01:21 Al Otaiba on the UAE’s values
01:37 The Significance of the Abraham Accords
02:02 Recognizing the Emirati Jewish community