WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jewish Council of the Emirates (JCE), which represents the United Arab Emirates' burgeoning Jewish community, hailed today's signing of the Abraham Accords as a peace agreement that can have a transformative effect for Muslim-Jewish understanding and cooperation across the Middle East.
A community no longer contained to a "hidden synagogue" in Dubai, the JCE celebrated on the White House lawn at Tuesday's official signing, represented by its president, Ross Kriel, and JCE Chief Rabbi Yehuda Sarna.
"This historic deal would not have been possible without an abundance of both faith and political fortitude. We stand in admiration for the leaders of the United States, United Arab Emirates, and Israel for brokering this epoch-making event, heralding in a new era of peace," Kriel said. "We've been praying for this day for years, and today, those prayers have been answered. This moment will forever redefine life in the Middle East."
Kriel added: "The news that Bahrain followed thereafter gives us even greater hope for the future of a peaceful, welcoming, and inspired Middle East –– one in which this type of interfaith harmony is not the exception, but the norm."
Rabbi Sarna also lauded the Accords' signing as a history-making milestone and one worthy of bearing the name of Abraham –– the common patriarch of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
"What distinguishes Abraham –– in the Torah, the Bible and the Quran –– is not that he was the first to make a covenant with God, but that he was the first to establish peace agreements with others. Bearing his name, the Abraham Accords honor that legacy of peace by opening a new chapter of coexistence," said Sarna. "Today was not just the eve of the Jewish New Year, but the dawn of a new era for the entire Middle East. The true significance of these Accords is not to be found in some 'room where it happened', but in the doors it will open."
The Jewish Council of the Emirates is the representative body approved by the Jewish community of the UAE. The JCE constitution provides for our mission to advance the unity, welfare, standing and security of Jews residing in the United Arab Emirates and to contribute to the flourishing diversity and pluralism of the UAE.
