The people who will take care of you for trips adapted to a Jewish-religious lifestyle and some of the most intriguing sites • Everything you need to know before arriving in the UAE

Meet the people who will take care of you in the UAE: a startupist, fashion designer, travel company manager, chef and more. Netanyahu and Ben Zayed have not yet shaken hands, but in the Jewish world preparations are already being made for the moment when they will announce that it is possible to fly to the United Arab Emirates. What is certain is that when you board the plane to Dubai, there will already be those who will take care of you on trips that will suit a Jewish-religious lifestyle. One of them could not resist - and has already flown to visit one of the most coveted tourist sites in the world.

Joint Shabbat reception from Israel with the Jewish communities in the United Arab Emirates

Yossi Peles from the "Fleischman Peles Tourism and Luxury Events" company has already established contacts with the local tourism professionals in order to formulate the perfect vacation. "As a company that serves VIP Jewish customers from around the world, we are working on the event and luxury travel program for 2021. From the moment we learned of the peace agreement, we began receiving inquiries from customers seeking luxury vacations and kosher concept events. In recent days we contacted local tourism officials. "The prestigious locations and the accommodations required for a Jewish audience. Already in the initial stages of business relationships, one can notice the outstanding service and the courtesy to the customers in which the residents excel."

Joining the vigorous preparations for the agreement is Haim Bornstein, an ultra-Orthodox chef and culinary consultant who scooped first place at the 2018 National Championships for Chefs. "As someone who has lived in the culinary field for over a decade and helps promote the kosher gourmet in all fields and directions, with the abundance of modern culinary there is today I do not think that mehadrin kosher will harm the ability of such a restaurant to bring out international dishes. "We can certainly see this trend opening up and developing in other tourist places in the world as well."

"Las Vegas on Steroids and No Gambling"

Exquisite Overseas CEO Dudi Rubinstein, tourism consultant and travel planner, says that among travel agents Dubai is already considered a favorite destination: "At the 'Exquisite Overseas 2' conference held in Ramat Gan just before the Corona, which was attended by tourists, Aviation, travel agents and frequent flyers whose plane is their second home (or first before the Corona) A survey was conducted: 'What is the destination you would like to reach in the coming year?' And Dubai won first place, by a considerable margin from second place. "

Rubinstein talks about the interest in the sector among passengers who have already seen Europe and America. "There is an opportunity here, to experience Las Vegas on steroids and without gambling, without the atmosphere of permissiveness on the street. The conservative nature of the Emirates will be very appropriate for the sector," he says.

Regarding kosher food, he says there are two places that are willing to accept the Israeli tourist. It used to be the old Jewish community and now there is also a relatively new Chabad house, strictly kosher as at home. In addition, many of the products are imported from America, so by searching supermarkets you can find quite a few products with good kosher from abroad.

Rubinstein's tip: "There is a page on Instagram kosher dubai, which photographs the kosher products that can be found in writers in Dubai and the kosher symbol on them."

Another important point: apart from the luxury hotels that ignite the imagination of tourists, Dubai has a variety of homes and holiday villas for rent, both in the marina and on the artificial palm island, an excellent solution for kosher keepers who prefer to cook alone plus a private courtyard pool. Either way, the fountain show in front of Burj Khalifa, or skiing in the middle of the hot summer in ‘The Magnificent Mall of Dubai’ awaits us all.

And there are some tourist sites in Dubai that may be of particular interest to traditional Jews. The first is a painting that is several hundred years old and is in the Louvre Museum in Dubai. This is an ancient painting of the Tower of Babel that belonged to ancient Jewish communities. In the Ras al-Haims Museum, there is a stone - probably about 500 years old - that was located in the Gulf states and taken from the grave of a Jew named David. An inscription in Hebrew appears on the stone.

In the culinary field one can find Eli's kosher kitchen, one of the few kosher kitchens currently in the Emirates, operated by Eli Kriel. It is likely that in the near future we will see more kosher kitchens in the Emirates. A must-see hotspot for any tourist who comes to the Emirates is "Avraham's Family Home." Currently, the place is still under construction, but in the same project a synagogue will be built next to it, a mosque and a church, three prayer houses belonging to Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Jobs: Kosher food products

Rabbi Aharon Haskel, one of the heads of the global kashrut system STAR K, says: "We operate in 102 countries around the world as one of the two largest kashrut organizations in the world. About three years ago, our kashrut system received a phone call from a Muslim cleric who introduced himself as an organization "Halal for food products for consumers who demand it. In this conversation, it became clear to us that according to Muslim religious writings, in addition to alcoholic products, what is considered kosher for Jews is also considered 'halal' for Muslims."

The conversation opened up a ramified system of collaborations in the production of kosher food, which is also marketed in Arab countries under the kosher stamp. The activity helps organizations get approved products even in places where inspectors on their behalf cannot be moved. And so every year hundreds of containers of strictly kosher meat are supplied to Saudi Arabia.

"Working with Muslims has led to mutual appreciation," Rabbi Haskel adds. "They see the ultra-Orthodox as a bridge to connect with the Western world due to the similar conservative characteristics, and due to the developed social ties of ultra-Orthodox businessmen. The peace agreements with the Gulf states will lead to significant cooperation in kosher food and open new markets in Israel and these countries."

On target: Haredi startups

Itzik Crombie, CEO of BizLemx, which operates BizLabs - the ultra-Orthodox startup incubator: "As an incubator for advanced-stage ultra-Orthodox startups operating in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, we weave business relationships all over the world to create quality collaborations and investments. The employees at the BizLabs incubator bring groundbreaking solutions in various fields that address challenging challenges all over the world including countries in Europe, Africa and South America.

"Recently we have begun to examine the feasibility of collaborations and investments with businessmen and corporations from the Gulf states. There is interest in some of our startups, such as advanced water purification systems and improvements to agricultural products in desert countries and other solutions that can suit the needs and challenges of Gulf states." We are cooperating and we hope that in the coming months, the contacts will mature into real deals. "

According to Ruhi Horowitz, fashion designer and owner of the "Rachel H" fashion store chain, the cooperation out of peace and mutual respect is not new to her, and for years the chain's customers can see the Arab sector in Israel and around the world. "The message of peace with the United Arab Emirates brings with it a real message to increase the realization of cooperation officially and continuously," she says. "It is very interesting to see how the same nuances that are important to fashion in the ultra-Orthodox sector are also important in other audiences, including the Arab sector. Our customers in the Arab sector are looking for quality and fashion at the advanced level without compromising on modesty.

"I have no doubt, with the help of the name, that soon the gospel of peace will also bring with it a business line. As one who works a lot with suppliers and enterprises around the world I know the culture and business mentality, and I have no doubt the fashion we produce will find a place of honor in Dubai."

The Jewish Angle of Dubai

Mickey Spitzer, a nature and landscape photographer, says that "as a Torah and mitzvah observant photographer, reaching a country like the United Arab Emirates is a bit of a challenge. To my delight, it turned out that there are two Jewish centers in Dubai. A local Jewish community built on European businessmen and a local Chabad house. At the time, about a year ago, when I was not sufficiently developed, there were quorums, especially on Saturdays or Beersheit. I believe that now with the opening of the gates to Israelis, Judaism will break out there even more.

"I slept every night in a different hotel to capture a different and special angle of the city every day. The picture published from my trip is the picture of a Jew adorned with a tallit and tefillin at sunrise in the deserts of Abu Dhabi. It reached many people around the world and was even covered in Al Jazeera. There.

"After the peace agreement was revealed, many people from the UAE wrote to me and invited me to visit them again. By the way, some journalists and influential people have now published my photos under the headline: 'Come visit Dubai, look what the Israeli photographer photographed with us.'"

Spitzer estimates that "a Torah and mitzvah-observant tourist can certainly enjoy the glittering luxury and glorious city, huge malls, luxury cars, hotels of a very high standard. It is important to note that the pools in hotels are mixed. Although the residents are Muslims, the tourists are honest."