By Seth J. Frantzman
On Thursday April 29 in the evening, Ambassador Sheikh Abdulla Rashed Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the US, will be joined by UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba, and Ambassador Marc Sievers, the former Ambassador of the US to the Sultanate of Oman, and they will participate in the first ever Lag B’Omer – Iftar celebration in the Gulf which is being hosted by the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities. Ambassador Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s former Ambassador to the US and a board member of the AGJC, will speak during the program as well.
The Muslim and Jewish ambassadors will discuss how interfaith and co-existence is propelling the GCC region forward, a statement noted.
“We have always believed that it is important to include interfaith conversations in all of the AGJC programming as the reason Jewish life in the Gulf continues to flourish is because of the focus that our countries put on interfaith dialogue. As Sefirat HaOmer and Ramadan coincide this year, we wanted to plan a special Lag B’Omer – Iftar. We are honoured to have H.E. Ambassador Sh. Abdulla Rashed Al Khalifa, H.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba and Ambassador Marc Sievers join us for a panel discussion about the critical role that interfaith and co-existence play in propelling our region forward,” said Ambassador Houda Nonoo shared the following regarding the upcoming event.
“Both Sefirat HaOmer and Ramadan share a common theme as they are a time for reflection. As we celebrate the Lag B’Omer holiday and Iftar dinner together as the AGJC with our Muslim neighbors, it’s a time for us to reflect on where the region is today and the role that interfaith diplomacy has played in getting us here,” said the AGJC’s Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie.
Details: On Thursday, April 29, at 7:00 p.m. in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia / 8:00 p.m. in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the AGJC will host a webinar moderated by the American Jewish Committee’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs Rabbi David Rosen featuring H.E. Ambassador Sh. Abdulla Rashed Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States; H.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; and Ambassador Marc Sievers, Former Ambassador of the United States to the Sultanate of Oman. Bahrain’s H.E. Ambassador Houda Nonoo will speak during the program as well. Those who are interested can register at https://www.gulfjewish.org/RLB.
The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC) is the umbrella organization for the Jewish communities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that are building and enhancing Jewish life in the region.