As the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna plays a unique role. He isn’t preaching much from the pulpit. Instead, he’s more of a diplomat, building bridges with leaders in the United Arab Emirates and managing the country’s sudden booming interest in Judaism.
After the Abraham Accords established peace between the UAE and Israel in 2020, Rabbi Sarna, who was born in Montreal and took over the volunteer position in the Arab state in 2019, emerged as a prominent figure. He’s been involved in the country’s Jewish community for more than a decade, visiting multiple times a year to help with a New York University campus in Abu Dhabi.
Rabbi Sarna joins today to discuss his work and why so many Western Jews are finding a warm welcome in the unlikely Muslim nation.
What we talked about:
- Learn about the film Amen Amen Amen at amenthefilm.com, or watch it at thirteen.org
- Read about the Abrahamic Family House at forhumanfraternity.org
- Listen to our past episode, “Meet the woman at the centre of Jewish life in Abu Dhabi: Canada’s ambassador”, at thecjn.ca
Credits
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.
