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First Jewish wedding held at Abrahamic Family House in UAE
February 23, 2023
The first Jewish wedding has been held at the newly inaugurated Abrahamic Family House in the United Arab Emirates.
Former assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, Avi Berkowitz, got married at the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, one of three houses of worship in the interfaith building in Abu Dhabi.
Berkowitz worked alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was the leading force behind the Abraham Accords, which saw Israel normalise ties with UAE and Bahrain.
The Abrahamic Family House is the first of its kind in the Middle East and was designed by British architect, Sir David Adjaye.
In 2019, Adjaye’s company was selected to design the Abrahamic Family House. “Essentially, the inspiration was to understand that the three religions really emanate from this extraordinary region,” Adjaye said last year.
The synagogue features a main sanctuary, two mikvot, beit midrash and a residence for a young rabbinical couple who will live on site.
Located in the Saadiyat cultural district in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, visitors are now welcome to pray in the three houses of worship whilst public access and guided tours will be available from 1 March.