History was made in Dublin on Thursday night when Ambassador Sultan Al Ali of the United Arab Emirates took part in this year's final Chanukah ceremony at the Orthodox synagogue in Terenure.
Accompanied by Israel's ambassador to Ireland Ophir Kariv, he lit the first candle at the prayer service marking the eighth night of Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights.
The event, conducted in accordance with Covid-19 restrictions, marked the first meeting of the ambassadors since the two countries signed an agreement in August to normalise relations.
Chanukah is observed for eight nights and days between late November and late December annually and involves lighting of candles on a candelabrum with nine branches, called a menorah.
All eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival, with Sultan Al Ali lighting the first one on Thursday night. “It is the one which lights all the others,” explained rabbi Zalman Lent, “it shares light and it doesn’t diminish its own light in any way, just the reverse. Let us hope the light and warmth which is spreading across the Middle East, beginning from the United Arab Emirates, will continue in all directions until all of mankind can live together in harmony and in peace.”
Great honour
Sultan Al Ali responded that it was "a great honour for me to share this festival, wishing for all our people in Israel and the United Arab Emirates the best". He thanked the rabbi for the warm welcome and for how he had spoken about the UAE.
He presented Mr Kariv with “a very simple thing”, the logo for the UAE year of peace and tolerance in 2019 “and we hope that peace and tolerance, and respect between people in all the region, will be an example”.
Thanking him, Mr Kariv noted that one of the messages of the festival they were celebrating was that of “spreading the light of hope in our region, starting with the United Arab Emirates to Israel and everything that is between and around us. This is part of the new wave of hope in the region”.
Earlier, in welcoming everybody to the synagogue, Leonard Abrahamson, president of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, described it as "an honour and a privilege" for all to be present to "witness this unique and historic menorah lighting".
It was “an extraordinary and exciting occasion for the Irish-Jewish community, which would have been inconceivable prior to the agreement of August 13th last between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalise their relationship”.
The resulting Abraham Accords, he hoped, would "spread its light across the Middle East and be the catalyst to a resolution of all conflicts in this troubled area".
