New York, NY, September 2, 2020 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and the Jewish Council of the Emirates today announced plans to explore cooperation in the wake of the historic Abraham Accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates facilitated by Washington.
“ADL works to support the well-being of Jewish communities around the world and looks forward to partnering with the Jewish Council of the Emirates in the months ahead,” said Sharon Nazarian, ADL Senior VP for International Affairs. “As a world leader in advising Jewish communities and in fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate, ADL will share our expertise with the growing Jewish community in the UAE and engage however we can be helpful in finding ways to combat intolerance, extremism and stereotypes targeting Jews, Christians and other minorities throughout the Gulf region.”
Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, added: “Our vibrant community, the first new Jewish community established in centuries on Arab soil, is preparing to grow many times over in the wake of the landmark Abraham Accord. We are planning for a flourishing ‘lighthouse’ community, a platform open for interfaith engagement throughout the region. We anticipate the Jewish population will increase tenfold over the next three years and intend to do so along with ADL’s mentorship on a broad array of best practices.”
ADL and the Jewish Council of the Emirates will kick off consultations in the coming weeks in the form of a research group chaired by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and Chief Rabbi Sarna, who also serves as a chaplain and adjunct professor at New York University and NYU Abu Dhabi.
The upcoming consultations will explore how ADL’s educational resources, best practices for houses of worship, and research and analysis can help the Jewish community in the UAE to monitor extremism in the region and help dismantle harmful stereotypes about Jews, Israelis, Americans, Muslims, and Christians.
In recent weeks the Emirati Jewish community has also been subjected to a spike in cyberhate from abroad, so ADL will advise on best practices for responding and engaging with social media administrators in responding to hate on social media platforms.