An Israeli rabbi, born and raised in Beirut

He appointed Elie Abadi, the first Israeli rabbi to reside in the Emirates, a physician and researcher born and lived in Beirut, before emigrating from there, founding the “Edmund J. Safra” Jewish temple in Washington, and is supposed to be the official official spiritual officer of the Jewish community in the Gulf state. Once the necessary procedures have been completed.

Abadi revealed, in an interview with the “Jerusalem Post” newspaper, that his first visit to the United Arab Emirates was about two years ago, when he met the Jewish community, bringing them the Sefer Torah, at the invitation of a friend who had been visiting. this region frequently for almost 30 years.

And according to watchers at the temple he presided over in Washington, many American Jews are considering moving to Dubai, or at least visiting it for a long time.

The rabbi expressed his hope for the growth of the Jewish community in the Emirates, given the welcome, tolerance, freedom and an atmosphere of coexistence and harmony among all segments of the society in the UAE, he said.

He stressed that the United Arab Emirates will become the new safe haven for Jews and persecuted peoples in the world, adding that “anti-Semitism in Europe and the United States will push Jews, especially if they are of Arab origin, to choose the United Arab Emirates as a place to live and settle. “

He noted that “the Jews of the world will do business in this Gulf country, stressing that its main mission is to build community institutions, lay the foundations of Jewish thought and promote interreligious dialogue, especially between Jews and Muslims.”

Regarding his life in Lebanon, Al-Hakam explained that he was born and lived in the capital, Beirut, and that all specters of Lebanese society, including Christians, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze resided in the building, highlighting that Lebanese Jews and Syrians were not afraid to live there.

And he considered that “despite the freedom, the orientations and the western culture of Lebanese society, this country is worrying because of the ethnic-religious imbalance”, noting that “he emigrated with his family in 1971, after the expulsion of the Organization to the Liberation of Palestine from Jordan, and the arrival of Palestinian armed elements in Beirut. ” Especially since the image of his father was distributed with other rabbis under the phrase “agents of the Zionists.”

Abadi noted that “Lebanon does not deny citizenship to refugee Jews, and today includes fewer than 3,000 Jews, who are not organized in a community and are scattered in all governorates.”