TIMES OF ISRAEL
Behind the scenes of the first morning minyan in Manama in over 70 years
by Raphael Ahren
June 28, 2019

…I had tried to arrange a visit to the city’s synagogue for weeks ahead of my trip to Manama [Bahrain] for the US-led economic workshop, but the local Jewish community was initially hesitant to open its doors to Israeli journalists. Aware of the acute sensitivity of being a Jew in a Muslim country that does not have formal relations with Israel, I sent several messages, through different channels, to community leaders asking for a private visit, to no avail…Jews, mostly of Iraqi origin, have been living in Bahrain since the 1880s, which is why the country claims to be home to the Gulf’s only indigenous Jewish community. READ MORE