UAE ambassador tours Belgian Jewish sites, a 'major milestone'
The visit included a traditional kosher and halal lunch at the well-known Hoffy’s restaurant.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFHistoric visit of UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab to the Jewish community of Antwerp. July 12, 2021(photo credit: COURTESY TAL RABINA)
The ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Belgium and the European Union paid a historic visit to the Jewish community of Antwerp on Monday, his advisor said in a press release.Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab reportedly toured several Jewish hotspots in the Belgian port city, home to about 20,000 Jews and sometimes referred to as "the Jerusalem of the North." He was invited by Jewish community leader and Belgian federal Member of Parliament Michael Freilich.Among the sites visited was the Romi Goldmuntz Synagoge, where the ambassador learned about Jewish customs such as daily prayers and wearing Tefilin.He reportedly also participated in a moment of silence in front of the Holocaust Memorial monument, commemorating the more than 25,000 Jews deported from Belgium during World War II.The tour also included a traditional kosher and halal lunch at the well-known Hoffy’s restaurant.Belgium has five Jewish newspapers and more than 45 functioning synagogues; 30 of which are in Antwerp.Freilich called the visit a "major milestone" in growing Middle East-Jewish relations.“The Abraham Accords, signed last year between Israel and a number of Arab states, will not only have an effect in the Middle East, but also foster closer bonds between those nations and Jewish communities around the world. The fact that kosher food options are now being offered in Dubai and elsewhere also means that the UAE can expect to see an inflow of Jewish visitors, tourists and businessmen alike, from around the globe," he said. The trip was held just days prior to the UAE opening its embassy to Israel in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building on Wednesday, marking a new phase in the blooming relations between the countries.
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