Rabbis, Many from Muslim Countries, Convene,
Welcoming a New Era in First Since Abraham Accords
Conf Puts Spotlight on Chabad-Lubavitch's Broad, Growing Impact in Region,
While Also Celebrating Long History There
Chabad-Lubavitch Shluchim—emissaries, and chief rabbis from across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East gathered today in Morocco for a three-day rabbinic conference. The conference is aimed at strengthening Jewish life, awareness and practice in Muslim-majority countries as well as those with relatively small Jewish populations and celebrates the renaissance of Jewish life in these regions. The conference is also the largest rabbinic conference in the Middle East (outside of Israel) and is the first since Morocco joined the Abraham Accords in late 2020.
The conference puts a spotlight on Chabad-Lubavitch's broad and growing impact in the region, while also highlighting Chabad's long history there--as the conference marks more than 70 years since the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, began sending his Shluchim around the world, the first were to Morocco in 1950.
Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin, the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus attended the conference. During his speech he was honoured to speak about his community, which is working to make a positive impact in their local areas. The Jewish Community’s dedication is commendable. It is through the efforts of the rabbis of each city that communities can thrive and make a difference in the world. Rabbi Raskin spoke about the specific initiatives and projects that the Jewish community is involved with in Cyprus.
"Rabbis coming together in a Muslim country for the purpose of strengthening Jewish life, is an important indication of the future of Jewish life in the region," said Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, a Chabad emissary in Turkey and Chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States.
Almost 40 Countries Participating
The conference for Chabad-Lubavitch emissary couples and Jewish communal leaders will have participants from Angola, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Ghana, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Nigeria, Cyprus, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Zambia.