UAE Strangely Refers to Missing Shliach as “Moldovan Citizen”

By COLlive reporter

The Interior and Foreign Ministries of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially confirmed that they are searching for Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad Shliach who has been missing since Thursday and is feared to have been abducted.

Strangely, both statements by UAE authorities identified Rabbi Kogan as a Moldovan citizen without mentioning his Israeli citizenship (Kogan also held Moldovan citizenship) or his rabbinical position with Chabad of United Arab Emirates – Jewish Community Center.

Rabbi Kogan is married to a U.S. citizen and has been working with the Jewish community in Abu Dhabi and Dubai under the leadership of Rabbi Levi Duchman, Chief Rabbi of the UAE.

The UAE’s Ministry of the Interior, led by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, wrote:

“The Ministry of Interior announced that it had received a report from the family of a Moldovan national named “Zvi Kogan,” stating that he has been missing and out of contact since last Thursday.

“The ministry confirmed that the specialized authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report.

“It also urges the public to rely on official sources for information and to avoid heeding malicious rumors or misleading news aimed at causing confusion in the community.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote:

“His Excellency Majed Al Mansoori, Director of the Foreign Nationals Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), affirmed that the Ministry is closely monitoring the case of the missing Moldovan citizen, Zvi Kogan, and is in close contact with his family to provide them with all means of necessary support. His Excellency also highlighted that the Ministry is in continuous contact with the Embassy of Moldova in Abu Dhabi in this regard.

“His Excellency underscored that the Ministry of Interior (MoI) is implementing extensive measures in its search for the missing person, affirming that the relevant authorities in the UAE have initiated the search operations and investigations immediately following the receipt of the report. Furthermore, His Excellency called on the public to obtain information from official resources.”

@uaeinhebrew, an account on X run by a private UAE citizen, wrote: “Many of you have noticed that official announcements from the government mention that he is a Moldovan citizen. This is because he probably entered the country with a Moldovan passport and not an Israeli one. I hope he is found safe and sound and returned to his family.”

According to reports, Rabbi Kogan’s vehicle was found about an hour and a half from Dubai. i24NEWS said that complaints were made to both the Dubai Police and the Abu Dhabi Police on Thursday, yet no actions were taken by either.

“There is tremendous anger in Israel at the Emiratis, who did not respond to the suspicious signs and did not act in time,” i24NEWS reported. “In fact, actions were only taken after the intervention of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.”

The story has troubling echoes of the abduction by Iranians of German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd; he was kidnapped from Dubai to Iran via Oman and was eventually executed, the outlet reported.

The public is asked to daven for Zvi Hacohen ben Etel.