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Entwine’s Jewish Learning Corps Fellows celebrate Chanukah at the new Jewish community center in the United Arab Emirates.
The 2020 Abraham Accords opened up a direct path — both culturally and geographically — between the UAE and Israel. In 2019, JDC began establishing ties with the Dubai Jewish community. JDC has worked alongside local Jews who pioneered clandestine Jewish life, as well as local partners like the Jewish Council of the Emirates.
Through Entwine, JDC’s young adult initiative, JDC has assisted the growth of Jewish life in the UAE, placing a JDC Entwine Ralph I. Goldman (RIG) Fellow and Global Jewish Service Corps (JSC) Fellow in the city since 2019. These young leaders help cultivate and facilitate social, cultural, and educational programs — everything from holiday and children’s programming to developing the curriculum and calendar for the city’s forthcoming Abraham’s Miracles Centre for Learning (AMCL).
Set to open in 2022, AMCL will be a central hub for Jewish life in Dubai, a place where people can participate in a wide array of events — holiday celebrations, Hebrew language seminars, dance classes, leadership development training, as well as movie nights, book fairs, and more. AMCL will be a place where JDC can help the local community cultivate vibrant Jewish life in the heart of the UAE.
