Stephen Wise Temple’s Rabbi David Woznica is part of a diplomatic delegation of American rabbis traveling in the Middle East to celebrate the Abraham Accords between the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Israel. Rabbi Woznica and 11 other rabbis (representing Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative communities) were brought to the UAE last week on a trip sponsored by the UAE and Bahrain, both of which are Muslim-majority countries.
During the trip, which began on June 20, Rabbi Woznica and the rest of the delegation are set to meet with government officials and other leaders, and travel to Israel. On his third day in the UAE, Rabbi Woznica met with Dr. Ali Al Nuaimi in Abu Dhabi (pictured above). Dr. Al Nuaimi, a strong supporter of the Abraham Accords, is the Chairman of the Manara Center, established by the UAE in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League this year to promote peace and prosperity through coexistence around the world, combat extremism, and promote inclusion. His position is analogous to the chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Accords, a series of joint normalization statements mediated by the United States in 2020, helped establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. A game-changer in Middle East diplomacy, the Accords marked the first instance of Arab-Israeli normalization since the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed in 1994 by King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin (Z”L).
As Rabbi Woznica continues his trip, he looks forward to sharing his experience and observations with our Stephen Wise Temple community.