The VIP Reception of the Historic Peace Deal

By COLlive reporter
Photos: Jon Austin / Shmulik Almany

Following Tuesday’s historic signing ceremony at the White House of the Abraham Accords formalizing a normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel, Jewish communal and business leaders joined the President of the Jewish Community Center of the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Solly Wolf, for a special VIP Glatt Kosher reception at the prestigious Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC.

The event featured a number of heads of Jewish organizations including the Conference of Presidents, AIPAC, Jewish Federations, B’nai Brith International, Orthodox Union, American Jewish Committee, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and others.

Also in attendance were several senior officials from the Departments of Treasury, State, Justice and Labor.

Spotted business leaders and philanthropists at the event and speaking with Jewish guests from the UAE included Howard Friedman, Sander Gerber, Mark Goldfeder, Marc Jason, Betsy and Doug Korn, Simon and Jana Falic and Nily Falic, Jack Nakash, Yitz Applbaum, Daniel Slotopolsky, Avrom Schron, Haim Saban, Binyomin Philipson, Ralph Herzka, Chaim Sieger, Avraham Sieger, Mark Wilf, Eddie Sugar, Dan Sacks, Abe Spira, Jerry Wolasky, and others.

One major challenge was the current Phase-2 regulations currently in place in the District of Columbia due to the Coronavirus, enforceable once off Federal property such as the White House.

Among those rules are a strict prohibition on events of more than 50 people, even outdoors. This required a close watch on the number of guests there at one time, many who had been out in public for the first time.

Rabbi Levi Duchman, spiritual leader of the JCC of the UAE, where he lives, and where he has established and led numerous Jewish efforts in Dubai and the capital, Abu Dhabi, led the recital of a special prayer established for the Sheikh and ruling family of the Emirates.

Mr. Wolf then welcomed the guests and introduced the dignitaries, sharing his special insights into Jewish life in the Emirates, where he has resided for many years.

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, a resident of New York but is active with the community in the UAE and travels there periodically, joined the event and shared brief greetings as well.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), who has been close to and worked with many Arab leaders in the Gulf both discreetly and publicly for well over a decade, shared insights into the Rebbe’s longstanding vision for peace in the region hopefully coming closer to fruition with this historic signing and other similar developments.

Guests then continued to marvel at the historic day and wish each other well for the Jewish New Year.