The signing of the Abraham Accords was a beacon of hope for the Middle East in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UAE’s chief rabbi has said.
Yehuda Sarna spoke to The National after creating a special prayer to mark the first anniversary of the historic accords between the UAE and Israel.
The prayer has been shared with more than 1,000 synagogues around the world before the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords on August 13.
Rabbi Sarna said the benediction was for the whole Middle East region, and focused on shared blessings including “empowered youth, good health and blooming deserts”.
“For so many people the signing of the Abraham Accords was the silver lining of 2020, a year of so much suffering and isolation,” he said.
“It absolutely lifted so many people up in a difficult year.”
Rabbi Sarna said the positive effects the accords had on international relations could not be overestimated.
“For many, many people the Abraham Accords came out of nowhere,” he said.
“Many Jews around the world did not know about the UAE and its deep history of religious tolerance, nor did they know about the organic emergence of the Jewish community in the UAE.”
He estimated there was a community of close to 1,000 Jewish people living across the Emirates, and next year they will have a new house of worship, with a new synagogue being built as part of the Abrahamic House project on Saadiyat Island.
The project includes a church, synagogue and mosque on one plot – another sign of the culture of openness and tolerance in the UAE, he said.
Changing perceptions in Israel
Shortly after the signing of the peace accord last year, commercial flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi started – one of many measures normalising relations.
Rabbi Sarna said the influx of Israeli visitors to the UAE, despite the pandemic, showed attitudes were beginning to change.
“Over the past year, an increasing number of Jews all over the world have begun to feel differently about the relationship between Jews and Arabs,” he said.
“The kind of openness and hospitality that hundreds of thousands of Jewish visitors to the UAE have experienced has absolutely transformed their notion of the Arabic world.
“There previously had been a perception of Arabs, shaped by western media and Hollywood.
“However, the experience of visiting the UAE has transformed the possibility of resetting the conversation between Jews and Arabs worldwide.”
He said he hoped his prayer would help to highlight the shared aspirations that Arabs and Jews had for the Middle East.
“We are very excited to celebrate the first anniversary with the rest of the region, and prayer is one way we can do that,” Rabbi Sarna said.
“Our community has had the opportunity to host many Emiratis for Shabbat over the last year and we have had dynamic conversations about our commonalities and what unites us. This prayer furthers that.”
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Match info
Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
The%20specs
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
