""The call to fight terrorism must come from representatives of all religions alike. Here in Bahrain, people of all religions live without any fear, and we will continue to allow Jews to live a peaceful and quiet life and to observe their lifestyles, customs, and religious precepts without any fear," said the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, at an impressive reception for representatives of religions held at the Royal Palace in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
The Jews were represented, at the king's invitation, by Rabbi Moshe Levin, director general of the Conference of European Rabbis, who was received very warmly.
Rabbi Levin was seated next to the king during the special event held with representatives of all religions, in which they called for a war on terror and true peace between peoples.
Rabbi Moshe Levin told King Al Khalifa that we are in the midst of the days of Hanukkah, which increase light in the world, and that in Judaism there is a concept: 'A little light repels a lot of darkness.'.
""Bahrain under your leadership is a little light in a dark world of extremist fundamentalists," he said.
He thanked the King on behalf of the conference president, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, and the rabbis of Europe for his special treatment of Jews.
This evening, a modest ceremony was held at the synagogue in Naama, during which Rabbi Levin lit a second Hanukkah candle.
Members of the Jewish community, numbering about fifty people, sang with great excitement "Maoz Tzur Yeshuati." Muslim neighbors and representatives of the royal family and parliament attended the ceremony.
A member of the Jewish community, former Bahraini ambassador to the United States, Attorney Hawada Ezra Ibrahim, said that all members of the community are very excited. "Since 1948, a Hanukkah candle has not been lit in a synagogue in Bahrain," she noted.
After the ceremony, the Royal Palace held a special dinner, attended by Bahrain's Ministers of Justice and Interior, along with Rabbi Levin.
Rabbi Levin, who also serves as a close advisor to the rabbi of France and the rabbi of the French gendarmerie, who arrived in Bahrain with the French imam Hassan Shalogumi, said that King Al-Khalifa truly loves Jews and that, inspired by him, Jews receive preferential and special treatment from the authorities, which is expressed in many areas of life.
Bahrain is a small and very wealthy country, part of the Gulf bloc. The kingdom, located between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, extends over 33 islands, the largest and most central of which is Bahrain Island.
This island is home to the country's capital, which is also its largest city, Manama. Its economy, like its neighbors, is based mainly on the oil industry. The Jewish community numbers about fifty people. The capital, Manama, has several streets with Jewish-owned shops. These streets are nicknamed "Jewish streets" on Saturday, due to the fact that all the shops there are, of course, closed on Saturday.
There is a Jewish cemetery in the capital, and the synagogue, which has unfortunately not been active since 1948, when hundreds of Jews left, is forbidden by the king to be converted into an events center.
Since his tenure, King Al Khalifa has shown particularly warm treatment to Bahraini Jews, and he has invested efforts in expanding the Jewish community in the country. In a meeting with members of the Bahraini community in London at the annual graduation ceremony of the cadets of the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where his son studied, the king said that the Jews who were born in his country and left are citizens in every sense of the word, and expressed his desire to see them return to Bahrain.
A few years ago, Al-Khalifa appointed Attorney Hawada Ezra Ibrahim - the first Jewish woman ever appointed to the position of ambassador of an Arab country - to another country - as Bahrain's ambassador to the United States.
His special attitude towards Jews is also reflected in other issues. Jewish businessmen in Bahrain have been given senior positions in the country's "Shura Council" - the upper house of the country's parliament. One of the community's most prominent representatives, Nancy Khaduri, is a member of the Bahraini parliament.
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