Two years after the momentous signing of the Abraham Accords, guests from all over the world traveled to Abu Dhabi to join the celebrations of the largest Jewish wedding held in the UAE.
Over 1,500 guests attended the wedding of Rabbi Levi Duchman, a New Yorker who has lived in the UAE for eight years, and Lea Hadad, a Belgian, on Wednesday night at the Hilton Hotel on Yas Island.
Over 1,500 guests attend the UAE's first wedding of a rabbi
— Øسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) September 14, 2022
The #rabbi to the #UAE, Rabbi Levi Duchman, @RabbiUae married Lea Hadad of Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday, September 14, at a magnificent ceremony held at the Hilton Yas Hotel.
📸: @khaleejtimes https://t.co/M01QGJ3CXY pic.twitter.com/g79vLb76X4
The wedding served as the most recent illustration of the UAE's dedication to religious diversity and coexistence, as there are now about 5,000 Jews living there.
From their home in Abu Dhabi, the pair will carry on Rabbi Levi's commitment to growing the Jewish community in the UAE.
The longest continually running charity in Israel for individuals of various backgrounds, Colel Chabad, was started in 1788 and is run by his father, Rabbi Sholom Duchman. Additionally, it is Israel's biggest organization for food security.
The UAE is the definition of hospitality, according to Rabbi Sholom.
"It's amazing how much more at home we all feel than at home.
"Spending a special day with this amazing couple is important in and of itself, but the knowledge that they have managed to establish a home and a life in this nation make it all the more reason to rejoice.
"Levi has made the decision to pioneer the development of Judaism in this region of the world.
Rabbi Levi, 29, a Brooklyn native, spent two years in Morocco with his sister Chana and her family, which gave him the idea to support the expansion of Jewish life in the Arab world.
The daughter of Chief Rabbi Menachem Hadad, Lea Hadad, 27, was born and reared in Belgium but is of Moroccan descent. When he founded the Chabad group in Milan, her grandpa started the tradition of emissary service.
Families and friends gathered for a welcoming ceremony in Abu Dhabi, many of them reuniting together for the first time since the outbreak.
Together, the mothers of the bride and the groom broke a ceremonial plate as a sign of goodwill for a happy, long-lasting union between their children.
Israelis and Emiratis engaged in conversation before Rabbi Levi's father and father-in-law took him to the chuppah, the bridal canopy.
The bride arrived shortly after, being led to the chuppah by her mother Batcheva Hadad, and mother-in-law Feige Duchman while wearing an opaque veil to protect her modesty.
A young couple getting married in the UAE according to Jewish law is simply fantastic, said Feige, a father of 13 kids.
It is a celebration for them to start a new life, create a family, and contribute to the growth of the Jewish community in Abu Dhabi.
Lea had been away from her future husband for a week before the wedding ceremony, as is traditional.
Jewish law required the pair to sign the Ketubah or marriage contract after they were reunited.
As part of the intricate procedures of the wedding, the new bride circled the groom seven times, which is a Jewish metaphor for a long and happy life together.
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