Chabad Lubavitch of Bahrain
Chabad-Lubavitch contacts with Bahrain, which has no resident Chabad emissary or centre: royal contacts since 2008, visiting rabbis, Hanukkah events and US military chaplaincy
| Chabad-Lubavitch in Bahrain
| |
|---|---|
| Type | No resident Chabad emissary or centre (as of October 2026) |
| Founded | No local Chabad body found |
| Headquarters | None in Bahrain |
| Area served | Bahrain, served from abroad and through US military chaplaincy |
| Key people | Visiting: Levi Shemtov (Washington, DC); Levi Duchman (UAE) |
| Remarks | Bahrain's Jewish community (about 50 people) has no resident rabbi; rabbinic help comes through the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Bahrain has no resident emissary (shaliach), Chabad house or registered local body, according to the sources reviewed for this page. The World Jewish Congress says of Bahrain's Jewish community of about 50 people that "There is no rabbi in Bahrain".[1] Chabad's links with the kingdom have run through visits and contacts with the royal court instead. They include a 2008 meeting between King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Washington-based Chabad rabbi Levi Shemtov, Hanukkah gatherings in Manama from 2015, visits and a funeral conducted by Levi Duchman of the UAE Chabad, and US Navy chaplaincy at the Fifth Fleet base.[2][3][4][5] The community's own rabbinic needs are met through the non-Chabad Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), whose rabbi, Elie Abadie, is based in Dubai.[6][7]
Emissaries and local bodies
No resident emissary. None of the sources reviewed names a resident Chabad emissary in Bahrain, a Chabad centre or a Chabad-registered entity there.
- The World Jewish Congress profile says that "Religious services are conducted privately", that "There is no rabbi in Bahrain", and that rituals such as bar mitzvahs and weddings "must be conducted overseas". The community is represented by the Jewish Community of the Kingdom of Bahrain, headed by Ebrahim David Nonoo.[1]
- In September 2021 Nonoo told AFP: "Our target is to have a rabbi, a young rabbi here in Bahrain, to develop Jewish life".[7] No report of an appointment since then was found.
- Bahrain is not among the communities listed by the Chabad-led Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, and no ARIS rabbi is assigned to it (see below).[8]
Directory status. The Chabad.org centre directory page for Bahrain, "Chabad Centers in Bahrain", showed no listings when fetched on 19 October 2026.[9] The Chabad headquarters directory on Lubavitch.com lists only Cyprus and Israel under "Middle East".[10]
- Editor's note: Neither directory is conclusive. The Chabad.org page is drawn by script and gave the same empty result for the UAE, where Chabad clearly operates. Lubavitch.com also omits the UAE. A browser check of the Chabad.org locator is still needed. The finding of "no resident emissary" rests mainly on the WJC profile, the 2021 AFP report and the absence of any contrary report, not on a Chabad statement.
Rabbinic arrangements for the community
The Bahraini community's rabbinic support comes mainly through the AGJC, not Chabad. The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities was founded in February 2021 by communities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE "under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, based in Dubai, and president Ebrahim Dawood Nonoo, based in Bahrain". It planned a Beth Din of Arabia and an Arabian Kosher Certification Agency.[6] When Manama's renovated synagogue, the House of Ten Commandments, held public services in 2021, Abadie was quoted as "head of the association of Gulf Jewish communities".[7]
Relations with the royal court and state
- 2008, New York. Chabad.org reported that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa "extended a personal invitation to Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Levi Shemtov" to a meeting in New York with about 50 Bahraini Jews living in the United States. There the king said expatriate Bahrainis of any religion could return: "It's open, it's your country". Shemtov, the Washington director of American Friends of Lubavitch, led a blessing on the king and praised his appointment of Houda Ezra Nonoo as ambassador to the US.[2] (Chabad-side.)
- 2015–16, Hanukkah in Manama. CrownHeights.info, a Chabad news site reprinting VIN News, called the December 2016 menorah lighting in Bahrain "the second consecutive Chanukah gathering". It said the event was "reportedly organized by American philanthropist Eliezer Scheiner" (Eliezer Scheiner). Those present included Rabbi DovBer Pinson, director of Chabad of Carroll Gardens, and Rabbi Levi Banon, Chabad emissary to Morocco. Hamas attacked the video as "a humiliating and disgraceful spectacle". The report quoted King Hamad, from the 2015 event: "Here in Bahrain members of all religions live with no fear".[3]
- 2019. Levi Duchman of the UAE was "a member of the UAE's delegation to the Peace and Prosperity conference in Bahrain" and "conducted a funeral in Bahrain", according to a Chabad.org article republished by JNS.[4]
- 2022. During a regional tour, Levi Shemtov met Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, described as foreign policy adviser to King Hamad. He also met the commander of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Manama, Vice-Admiral Brad Cooper, and "Shliach Chaplain (Lt.) Levi Ceitlin, who is currently stationed there".[5] (Chabad-side.)
Israel and the Abraham Accords. Bahrain normalised relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, signed on 15 September 2020.[4] AFP reported that the Accords "opened everything" for the local community, in Nonoo's words.[7]
- Editor's note: No source was found showing a Chabad role in the Bahrain–Israel normalisation. The Chabad contacts above are courtesy meetings reported by Chabad media.
Holiday, kosher and military services
- US military. Chabad's Aleph Institute said in December 2023 that its endorsed chaplains were holding Hanukkah events for troops in several countries, including Bahrain.[11] In 2022 COLlive reported that a US Navy chaplain, Lt Levi Ceitlin, whom it described as a shliach (emissary), was stationed in Manama.[5]
- Visitors. Apart from the Hanukkah events above, no regular Chabad holiday or kosher service for visitors in Bahrain was found.
Funding and donors
No Chabad funding in Bahrain was found. The only named sponsor is Eliezer Scheiner, reported as organiser of the 2016 menorah lighting.[3] AFP reported that the 2021 renovation of the synagogue, a community project not run by Chabad, cost 60,000 Bahraini dinars.[7]
Controversies and incidents
In June 2020 The Times of Israel reported that in 2016 Levi Duchman "brought to Bahrain a group of Jewish businessmen, who were filmed singing songs about the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple at Manama's historic Bab al-Bahrain building". It said this caused "waves in the local press, to the chagrin of the Bahraini hosts". An unnamed source called it "totally unacceptable".[12] (Critical press; unnamed source.)
- Editor's note: It is not clear whether this is the same December 2016 Hanukkah event reported by CrownHeights.info. No Bahraini press report of it was found.
Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
The Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States lists no member rabbi for Bahrain, and Bahrain is not on its communities list.[13][8] In 2021 its chairman, Mendy Chitrik, included Bahrain among "the smaller communities" of Jews in the Islamic world.[14] The nearest ARIS members are the three UAE rabbis tied to Chabad of United Arab Emirates.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2008 | King Hamad invites Levi Shemtov to a meeting with Bahraini Jews in New York |
| Dec 2015 | Hanukkah candle-lighting in Bahrain, attended by the king (as reported) |
| 2016 | Second Hanukkah gathering, with Chabad rabbis present; Times of Israel later reports a controversial visit led by Levi Duchman |
| 2019 | Duchman attends the Bahrain "Peace and Prosperity" conference as part of the UAE delegation and conducts a funeral in Bahrain |
| 15 Sep 2020 | Bahrain signs the Abraham Accords |
| Feb 2021 | Association of Gulf Jewish Communities founded, with a Bahraini president and a Dubai-based rabbi |
| 2022 | Shemtov meets Bahraini officials and the US Fifth Fleet commander; Chabad chaplain Levi Ceitlin in Manama |
| 2023 | Aleph Institute chaplains mark Hanukkah with US troops in Bahrain |
See also
- Chabad-Lubavitch in West Asia
- Zionist connections in Bahrain
- Chabad of United Arab Emirates
- Chabad in Saudi Arabia
- Chabad in Iran
- Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
- Abraham Accords
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 World Jewish Congress, "Community in Bahrain", accessed 19 October 2026. Jewish communal body (non-Chabad).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joshua Runyan, "King of Bahrain Extends Jewish Communal Welcome During State Visit", Chabad.org, 10 November 2008. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "King of Bahrain Hosts Menorah-Lighting Ceremony", CrownHeights.info, 26 December 2016, reprinting VIN News. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Chabad-Lubavitch announces emissary to United Arab Emirates", JNS, 1 November 2020 (republished from Chabad.org/News). Chabad-side.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Shluchim Well Received in Mideast Capitals", COLlive, 11 November 2022. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, "Jews in 6 Gulf nations form first association to enhance regional Jewish life", 15 February 2021. Self-published (non-Chabad).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 AFP, "Bahrain's Jews worship in public for first time in decades", France 24, 14 September 2021. Press.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, "Communities", accessed 19 October 2026. Self-published.
- ↑ Chabad.org, "Chabad Centers in Bahrain", fetched 19 October 2026 (no listings shown; page drawn by script). Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, "Middle East – Centers", Lubavitch.com, accessed 19 October 2026. Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ Nancy K. S. Hochman, "U.S. Troops in Kuwait Celebrate Chanukah", Chabad.org, 14 December 2023. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Raphael Ahren, "Muscling in on Dubai's existing Jewish community, a Chabad rabbi stirs discord", The Times of Israel, 29 June 2020. Critical press.
- ↑ Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, "ARIS Rabbis", accessed 19 October 2026. Self-published; mainly Chabad-led.
- ↑ David Ian Klein, "Matzah in Beirut or a Seder in Samarkand? These rabbis are making it happen.", The Forward, 22 March 2021. Press.