Baking challah for Shabbat has traditionally been a women’s mitzvah (commandment). In recent years, it has become an opportunity for women to gather and bake challah together, saying special brachot (blessings).
But a recent November Thursday evening was the first time in history that women around the world – from Israel, Dubai, Bahrain, Turkey, Europe and the US baked challah simultaneously on Zoom to celebrate the new Abraham Accords, which brought normalization between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The organizers, the Shabbat Project of Ra’anana, sent out the recipe in advance and guided the participants step by step through the challah-making process.
Under a slogan of “Together” written in Hebrew, Arabic and English, hundreds of women prepared challah for Shabbat at the same time, kneading the challah by hand. What made the evening exciting was the participation of Jewish women from the UAE and Bahrain, including Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s ambassador to Washington from 2008 to 2013.
There are about 50 Jews living in Bahrain today, and one seat on the Shura Council, or parliament, is reserved for a Jew. There is a synagogue in the capital Manama, which has recently been renovated, and they are awaiting the return of the community’s Torah.
“Today’s Bahraini community is tiny, comprising less than 50 individuals, and I am related to all of them either from my father’s side or mother’s side,” Nonoo said during the challah bake. “Following the declaration of Israel in 1948 rioters attacked the Jewish community in Manama, destroying houses, looting property and ransacking the synagogue and left the community shocked.” At that time, she said, the Jewish community was about 1,500 people, and many decided to emigrate.
“The Bahrainis had given shelter and protection to their Jewish neighbors,” she continued. “Many families left of their own choice for better prospects, and unlike most Arab countries they were allowed to leave with their property. An estimated 500 Jewish remained in Bahrain until riots broke out after the Six Day War in 1967. Today you can find Jews with Bahraini roots in all parts of the world – in the US, UK, Canada, and Israel to name a few and a lot of them are also on this virtual challah bake.” Arriving in Israel on Gulf flight number 972 on November 18, Nonoo was a member of an official delegation led by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani. Noting that it was her first visit to the Jewish state, she said “it was the manifestation of a dream that I have dreamed since I was a young child.” “While it was historic and memorable for all, it was particularly exciting for me as a Bahraini Jew,” she later wrote. “As we embarked on the flight back to Manama, I thought about how one of the drivers for the Abraham Accords was to create a better future for our children – yours and mine,” she wrote. “We are setting an example for them that focuses on building relationships, not walls.One which reminds them that we are stronger together. I pray that all of us now dedicate ourselves to the great work ahead to make the dreams come true for the youth of our region and that’s broader than just the youth in Israel and the Gulf. It includes Palestinian, Libyan, Syrian and Yemeni children. We must aspire to create the same high-level opportunities for all of these children.” Efrat Raelbrok, one of the organizers, began the evening with the traditional “Shehecheyanu blessing” recited on special occasions. “It really was a dream come true,” Raelbrok said. “You have to dream big. After seven years of challah bakes, we invited Hooda Nonoo, and she really helped make it an international event with more than 1,000 people joining us on Zoom. She also later paid me a surprise visit at my home in Ra’anana before she left Israel, which was wonderful.” South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein is one of the initiators of the Shabbat Project, which sees women baking challah together all over the world.
“The whole world is thirsting for Shabbat and for Jewish unity,” he said. “In this Shabbat project we don’t talk about denominations – we are all Jews. Shabbat belongs to every Jew.”
By the end of the evening, the women (and even a few men) had fresh challot for Shabbat. They also had connections with women around the world, and hopes to visit the Jewish communities in Dubai and Bahrain.