The bar mitzvah was just one of a weekend of celebrations at the Association of Jewish Communities in the Gulf, established in February this year, centered in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, and aimed to develop Jewish life in the area.
In addition, on Friday evening a gala dinner was held with the participation of many diplomats from Bahrain, and residents of other countries who flew to the event.
The weekend will end when the group hosts today (Sunday) a joint authentic Slichot event, in the Spanish style, ahead of the Tishrei holidays at the "House of the Ten Commandments".
In addition to the participation of the Jewish communities in the area, more than a thousand people will watch the live broadcast around the world.
Rabbi Dr. Eli Abadi, the local senior rabbi of the community in the UAE, said that “this is a very exciting time for Jewish life here, as more families are celebrating Jewish landmarks in public.
In addition to this young man's bar mitzvah, we recently celebrated a bat mitzvah for a young woman in Oman, and we have a number of other Jewish 'life cycle' events that will take place before the end of the year.
This is a confirmation of the continued growth of Jewish life in the area. "
The President of the Association of Jewish Communities in the Gulf and the President of the Jewish Community in Bahrain, Ibrahim Daoud Nono, added that "this weekend's bar mitzvah was a happy occasion for our entire community, and we wish the young man and his family good luck. It is special for us to use the Torah His Excellency for the first time this coming weekend, ahead of Bahrain's first anniversary of the signing of the Abrahamic Agreements - which is essentially creating a better life for our youth in the region.
"We are pleased to share the weekend with the wider community from the Gulf and our Muslim friends, who have joined us for the celebrations, including the Bar Mitzvah," Nano added.
"One of our guests shared that this was her first time in Bahrain, and she came for a Shabbat dinner and a bar mitzvah."
