Jews, Muslims and Christians came together in September 2022 to celebrate the monumental union of Rabbi Levi Duchman and Lea Hadad, and the fruits of normalization, cooperation and peace. This was the first Jewish wedding ever held in Abu Dhabi with the wedded couple both being emissaries of the Chabad movement. With a large guest list which included the Egyptian, Moroccan and Chinese ambassadors to the UAE, the wedding simultaneously celebrated the second anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. Duchman is the first and chief rabbi of the Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates and has committed himself to building strong ties between Jews and the larger Arab world.
“I have lived in the United Arab Emirates for approximately eight years. Before the normalization agreements, I was living in Casablanca, Morocco. During my time in Morocco, I had the opportunity to travel to the UAE and host a Passover seder for New York University in Abu Dhabi. Nearly six years before normalization, I moved to the UAE.” said Duchman in an exclusive interview.
