UAE ambassador to Germany holds historic meeting with Berlin city rabbi, agrees to hold Hanukkah candle lighting at embassy.
A delegation from the United Arab Emirates embassy in Germany visited the Jewish community center in Berlin where they met the city’s rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal.
The visit began with a comprehensive tour of the Chabad educational institutions in the city, the magnificent synagogue as well as the construction site of the new campus that is being built.
The visit follows the normalization agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks and is intended to deepen ties with the Jewish community and promote joint efforts for the fight against anti-Semitism. “The issue here is not political, but a golden opportunity to promote moves that will benefit all of humanity and have implications for Jewish communities around the world,” Rabbi Teichtal explained. “We must fight together in the fight against anti-Semitism, against those who show a lack of understanding of human values.”
The UAE ambassador said that “the peace initiative between Israel and the United Arab Emirates comes from the belief that we are all children of Abraham.” She added that “the many years of hostility and war have not brought a solution to the people of these countries.”
She added that because “there is no anti-Semitism in the Qur’an. As far as the United Arab Emirates is concerned, it has always been a priority to meet all religions with openness, respect and tolerance.”
At the historic meeting, Rabbi Teichtal made a proposal to light a Hanukkah candle next month at the UAE embassy. The ambassador agreed to his request.
Rabbi Teichtal, who himself was a victim of anti-Semitism last year, added that “there is anti-Semitism in parts of the Muslim world. Many Jewish citizens live with the fear of anti-Semitic attacks. That is why it is so important that with the peace initiative between Israel and the United Arab Emirates we open a new path of mutual respect and appreciation. We will never forget what was in the past – but we must create a better future.”