The Jewish community in the Gulf country of Bahrain celebrated on Sunday a bar mitzvah for the first time in 16 years.
The ceremony was held at the House of Ten Commandments, the oldest functioning synagogue in the region. A Torah scroll commissioned by former White House adviser to the Middle East, Jared Kushner, in honor of King Hamad bin Isa Al Klalifa, was used in the ceremony.
ממאורעות הסופ"ש: אחרי 16 שנה טקס בר מצווה בבית הכנסת בבחריין @gulfjewish pic.twitter.com/umptLbqmG7
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) August 22, 2021
The ceremony was made possible through the efforts of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities.
With increased normalized relations between Israel and the surrounding region in light of the Abraham Accords, there's a desire for an expansion of Jewish life in the area.
As a result, the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities was formed in 2021 to oversee Jewish life in the six Gulf countries. Rabbi Elie Abadie leads the association, and they are in the process of establishing a beit din and a kosher certification agency. On August 22, they are livestreaming their first Selichot event.
AGJC President Ebrahim Dawood Nonoo wished the bar mitzvah boy and his family a mazal tov and hopes for future Jewish celebrations in the region.