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The Tiny Jewish Community In Bahrain


Ebrahim Dahood Nonoo, the head of the tiny Jewish community in Bahrain, welcomed the announcement of the country’s peace deal with Israel, saying: “This is a historic moment that we have never expected to see in our lifetime.”

The statement also thanked Bahraini King Hamad bin Salman al-Khalifa “for having the foresight to go ahead with this decision and his belief in co-existence and his faith and ability to break down the barriers that restrict cohabitation. We look forward to a prosperous relationship benefiting both countries.”

Bahrain has a tiny Jewish community, consisting of roughly 34 members, most arriving from Iraq in the 1880s, with the community saying it is the Gulf’s only indigenous Jewish community in the Persian Gulf.

Despite its small size, it makes its presence known, with Nonoo having served two terms in Bahrain’s parliament, the Shura Council. Another Jew, and in fact, another Nonoo, served as the Bahraini ambassador to the US from 2008 to 2013. Houda Nonoo was the first Jewish ambassador ever appointed by an Arab state and she was appointed despite having no diplomatic experience.

The government maintains friendly relations with the community and a member of the Bahraini royal family visits the community’s Chanukah party every year.

Chanukah celebration in Bahrain (YouTube)

The Jewish community established a cemetery in the early 1900s which is still in use today.

There were about 1,500 Jews in Bahrain prior to the announcement of the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, which sparked violence toward the Jewish community. Although unlike other Arab countries, no one was killed in the riots, the shul was attacked and community members began leaving until it eventually dwindled to its current small size.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)



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