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Abu Dhabi plays host to largest Jewish wedding in UAE since Abraham Accords were signed
September 14, 2022
Guests from around the world flew into Abu Dhabi to join celebrations of the biggest Jewish wedding held in the UAE two years on from the historic signing of the Abraham Accords.
Rabbi Levi Duchman, a New Yorker, has lived in the UAE for eight years and married Lea Hadad, from Belgium, at the Hilton Hotel on Yas Island in a ceremony attended by more than 1,500 people on Wednesday evening.
The wedding was the latest example of a commitment to co-existence and religious pluralism in the UAE, a nation where the Jewish community has grown to around 5,000 in recent years.
Rabbi Sholom Duchman
The couple will continue Rabbi Levi's commitment to building the UAE’s Jewish community together from their home in Abu Dhabi.
His father, Rabbi Sholom Duchman, is the director of Colel Chabad, a charity founded in 1788 and the oldest continuously operating charity in Israel for people of all backgrounds. It is also the largest food security organisation in Israel.
“The UAE is the epitome of hospitality,” Rabbi Sholom said.
“We all feel more than at home, it is remarkable.
“To have a special day with this wonderful couple is significant itself, but to know they have been able to build a home and a life in this country makes it an even bigger celebration.
“Levi has chosen to be a pioneer in building Judaism and bringing it to this part of the world.
“So it is not only a celebration for them, but for the entire Jewish population.”
Born in Brooklyn, Rabbi Levi, 29, spent two years in Morocco with his sister Chana and her family, which is where he drew his inspiration to help Jewish life flourish in the Arab world.
Lea Hadad, 27, is of Moroccan heritage and was born and raised in Belgium, the daughter of Chief Rabbi Menachem Hadad. Her grandfather began the tradition of emissary work when he set up the Chabad community in Milan.