Ross Kriel

Ross Kriel is the President of the Jewish Council of the Emirates,[1] and a key figure of the Jewish Community of the United Arab Emirates.[2]

Early life

Kriel was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.[3]

United Arab Emirates

He arrived to Dubai in 2013, 2 weeks before Rosh Hashanah. He and his wife became the first family in the city to keep kosher.[4]

Kriel reacted positively to the signing of the Abraham Accords, saying:

“Only a week ago, the things happening today were still a dream, like seeing the Israelis [sic] and Emirati flags flying side by side on the front pages of local newspapers. “It’s going to be a warm peace.”[5]

Personal life

His wife, Elli (who is of Greek descent), is the head of Elli's Kosher Kitchen, which was made to accommodate for the Dietary Needs of Jewish tourists in the Emirates.[6][4]

The Kriels live in a villa at the outskirts of Dubai, which is also home to a Synagogue as well as a centre of Jewish life in the UAE.[4]

See also

References
  1. Ahren, Raphael. "Small but growing, UAE's Jewish community to get second full-time rabbi from NY". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  2. "Trailblazing Jews of UAE are paving path to peace". ynetnews. August 29, 2020. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  3. "The UAE - 'Many Jews call this place home' - the Jewish Chronicle". Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  4. "UAE's kosher caterer hosts US and Israeli delegations". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  5. Beck, Eldad (August 18, 2020). "'Going to be a warm peace': Jewish leader in UAE reacts to normalization". JNS.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  6. YAISH, Shatha. "'The main challenge is obtaining ingredients': UAE gets ready to go kosher". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
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