The largest Jewish wedding in the history of the Persian Gulf took place in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday evening as the Rav of the UAE, Rav Levi Duchman, got married to Léa Hadad from Brussels.
Hadad is the daughter of Belgian Chief Rabbi Menachem Hadad.
There were around 1,500 guests in attendance from around the world, including Emirati royals and officials and prominent Rabbanim.
Those singing at the wedding include Avraham Fried, Ami Cohen, Itche Meir Helfgot and the Neshama choir.
Rav Duchman, who has been living in the UAE for eight years, in is one of the founders of the Jewish kehilla in the UAE and has been instrumental in establishing the infrastructure of a Jewish kehilla.
Today, the kehilla in the Emirates is the fastest growing Jewish community in the Arab world. In the last two years, another four couples of shluchei Chabad have moved to the UAE to assist Rav Duchman.
Much of the supplies, from locally slaughtered kosher chickens to imported kosher wine, as well as a growing plethora of Jewish services, are all available locally through a constellation of Jewish institutions created by Rabbi Duchman with support from the government. Ahead of, and since, the signing of the Abraham Accords in the fall of 2020, the availability of Jewish amenities in the UAE has greatly enhanced.
Dozens of young children attend Mini Miracles, the country’s first Jewish school, while dozens of other children attend the Talmud Torah, the Jewish educational supplemental program. Both the grades and enrollment are expected to expand year over year in the near future. There is a well-trafficked mikvah, completed last year in Dubai.
With kosher certification and supplies available, privately owned kosher restaurants and caterers have begun to pop up. Many hotels now offer kosher catering and room service, something not often available outside of Israel. There are daily and weekly Torah classes and prayer services held across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The necessities for Jewish communal life are increasingly available in the Emirates. Jews from around the world are finding the UAE a viable place to visit and live because of the growing Jewish infrastructure created by Rabbi Duchman and the kosher options now available as a result.
The Jewish community enjoys strong support from UAE leadership and openly celebrates Jewish life and holidays. With the near daily additions to their expat community and flow of Jews and Israelis to the Emirates, Jewish UAE provides relocation support and business networking.
Hadad received her primary Jewish education in Antwerp, followed by three years at the BMC Center, a seminary in Sainte Agathe, Quebec, near Montreal. After graduation, she returned to Brussels, where she assisted her father in providing kosher certification in the city and ran a host of communal programs.
Twenty-nine years old, the groom is the son of Rabbi Sholom and Feige Duchman. His maternal great-grandparents, Rabbi Bentzion and Golda Shemtov, were longstanding Chabad emissaries in the USSR and then the United Kingdom. They had married impoverished, in Siberia, where Rabbi Shemtov just finished four years of harsh labor as a punishment for the crime of teaching Judaism. A bent spoon served as the improvised wedding band, which stands in stark contrast to the wedding of their great-grandson and the welcoming environment from the government in which he has led the burgeoning Jewish community in the Emirates.
The groom’s father, Rabbi Sholom Duchman was appointed as the director of Colel Chabad by the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. Colel Chabad was founded in 1788 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Chabad Rebbe, and is the longest-operating charity in the Holy Land. Today, it is the largest food-security organization in Israel.
Since in his teens, Rabbi Duchman, who also serves at the Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to the UAE, has been finding creative ways to engage Jews around Jewish practice and life, and with relatives serving in Chabad emissaries all over the world, it was only natural for him to spread his wings and find a place to do the same. Having learned Arabic while assisting his sister and brother-in-law, Chabad emissaries in Morocco, he moved to the Emirates back in 2014 and has since seen the Jewish community become the Arab world’s fastest-growing community.
“I’m excited to live in the UAE,” says Hadad, who plans on learning Arabic. “I look forward to supporting new families coming in and expanding our educational and social programs for those already there.”
In other news, my cousin got married in a big chasuna in Brooklyn
We are soooooooo far from the Geula. We now have to be ”Happy and Excited” when an Arab leader speaks and dances at our Wedding, and show him ”Honor” because we are living in a Foreign land. Very Sad. Mazel Tov to the Couple.
“the Rav of the UAE”
Duchman is not “the Rav of the UAE”. He is the chief Lubavitcher there, rather.
The senior Rav of the UAE is Rav Elie Abadi שליט”א, a son of the region, born in Beirut, and a native Arabic speaker.
Is it 1,5000 as in the title or 1’500 more likely, as in the text?
Can someone please explain who crowned this man as the “chief rabbi of UAE”?
Is Chabad money and “first in” self declaration of Status of Chief Rabbi really the way to be the man who really can be the capable of the job?
There is really no check and balances here on job requirements and actual halachic knowledge.
An Atheist Reform woman rabbi could have just as well proclaimed that job title.!.!.!
مازال توف! مازال توف! قد تستحق أن تبني بيت الفرح والسعادة ، ولعل ضحكات أطفالك تتخلل أجواء مسكنك الجديد …
mazal tuafa! mazal tuafa! qad tastahiqu ‘an tabni bayt alfarah walsaeadat , walaeala dahikat ‘atfalik tatakhalal ‘ajwa’ maskanik aljadid …
Wait, I’m looking at the last four pictures now, and I have no idea who Rabbi Duchman is, where he lives, and what he does. Can you please add a caption or something?
Am I the only one who is uncomfortable seeing the amount of goyim at a chasunah? We are used to seeing a few goyish co-workers show up to our simchas but not an entire entourage of arelim coming to our simchas as if we are chas veshalom one nation!!!
And in a post chupah pose hee Kallah is shoulder to shoulder to an arab dignitary not shomer nigiyah bifarhesyah. This is disgusting where is the HAIM AM LIVODOD YISHKON. YICH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is this the young couples first marriage or second marriages?
His FIL is NOT the Chief rabbi of Belgium
The only great compliment I have is:- ב”ה this is NOT in Germany which needs to remain חרם thru May 8th, 2945
I wish the couple a life of only and much happiness health wealth and holiness… but what a busha vcherpa! Oy how terrible the galus has been that we mix up Haman and Mordechai every day and dance like drunkards and celebrate our own shiflus. May hashem have mercy on His people and redeem us now with great love and forgiveness.
Yid 5782
I looked carefully at that pic. The fingers on the kalla shoulder is the lady in pink. It is hard to really tell if the arab guy is actually touching her as it may just appear so from the camera angle
A week before the yom hadin you should be judging more favorably
Yechezkel18
You sound terribly naive. This chosson obviously spent years building relationships with these “arelim” to enhance yiddishkeit there and did he really have the option not to invite them ?
Ah bissel seichel before you spew & spout
The chilul HaShem is the fact that so many people are choosing to move to an Arab country when E”Y is open and available to every Yid. I assure you that HKB”H is not happy about it.
Yechezkel, you will be happy to learn that Arabs are not areilim!
Mazal Tov????????????
This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen!!!! THIS IS A TISHA B’AV VIDEO!!!!!
ד’ ירחם על כלל ישראל!!!!!
After watching something that shows the EPITOME OF GALUS- Jews and Non-Jews celebrating, dancing and eating TOGETHER people wonder why there is soooo much pain in the world?????????
How low have some of us fallen??? Quickly do teshuva before it’s too late–now is the time!!!!!!
Lubavitcher are the ONLY ONES, who actually CARE about Jews!
No other group has brought more lost Yidden back to Judaism!
All others look down on those who have lost their connection!
You could TRUST these UAE Phonies,
they are from same murderers
THE BIGGEST CONJOB THE YWN HAS BEEN A PART OF.
Copy / Paste of discriptions of pictures are as fake as the hollow job tilted.
It seems like this IS THE BIGGEST A ADVERTIZMENT OF SELF PROCLAIMED CHIEF RABBI.
How many times do we need to see the same picture discription?
“UAE Rabbi Levi Duchman and Lea Hadad leave With 1,500 guests from around the world, including leading rabbis, dignitaries and Emirati royals, the wedding is the largest Jewish event in the history of the Emirates. Rabbi Duchman, with support from the government, has built much of the country’s Jewish infrastructure that has seen the burgeoning Jewish community flourish”.
Chief Rabbi of Grand Bazzar of Fake new.
هذا رائع بشكل لا يصدق !! لقد قضيت وقتًا رائعًا في حفل الزفاف وأعتقد أنه يجب أن تتوقفوا عن الشكوى والبكاء يا رفاق.
– Yidden should not be living in the UAE, it is a sakanah.
– You are not supposed to invite large numbers of Goyim to your chasunah.
– This was a huge chilul hashem and a huge waste of money – not to mention the fact that nearly all the (jewish) women present were not dressed tzniusly…
23 Responses
In other news, my cousin got married in a big chasuna in Brooklyn
We are soooooooo far from the Geula. We now have to be ”Happy and Excited” when an Arab leader speaks and dances at our Wedding, and show him ”Honor” because we are living in a Foreign land. Very Sad. Mazel Tov to the Couple.
“the Rav of the UAE”
Duchman is not “the Rav of the UAE”. He is the chief Lubavitcher there, rather.
The senior Rav of the UAE is Rav Elie Abadi שליט”א, a son of the region, born in Beirut, and a native Arabic speaker.
Is it 1,5000 as in the title or 1’500 more likely, as in the text?
Can someone please explain who crowned this man as the “chief rabbi of UAE”?
Is Chabad money and “first in” self declaration of Status of Chief Rabbi really the way to be the man who really can be the capable of the job?
There is really no check and balances here on job requirements and actual halachic knowledge.
An Atheist Reform woman rabbi could have just as well proclaimed that job title.!.!.!
مازال توف! مازال توف! قد تستحق أن تبني بيت الفرح والسعادة ، ولعل ضحكات أطفالك تتخلل أجواء مسكنك الجديد …
mazal tuafa! mazal tuafa! qad tastahiqu ‘an tabni bayt alfarah walsaeadat , walaeala dahikat ‘atfalik tatakhalal ‘ajwa’ maskanik aljadid …
Wait, I’m looking at the last four pictures now, and I have no idea who Rabbi Duchman is, where he lives, and what he does. Can you please add a caption or something?
Am I the only one who is uncomfortable seeing the amount of goyim at a chasunah? We are used to seeing a few goyish co-workers show up to our simchas but not an entire entourage of arelim coming to our simchas as if we are chas veshalom one nation!!!
And in a post chupah pose hee Kallah is shoulder to shoulder to an arab dignitary not shomer nigiyah bifarhesyah. This is disgusting where is the HAIM AM LIVODOD YISHKON. YICH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is this the young couples first marriage or second marriages?
His FIL is NOT the Chief rabbi of Belgium
The only great compliment I have is:- ב”ה this is NOT in Germany which needs to remain חרם thru May 8th, 2945
I wish the couple a life of only and much happiness health wealth and holiness… but what a busha vcherpa! Oy how terrible the galus has been that we mix up Haman and Mordechai every day and dance like drunkards and celebrate our own shiflus. May hashem have mercy on His people and redeem us now with great love and forgiveness.
Yid 5782
I looked carefully at that pic. The fingers on the kalla shoulder is the lady in pink. It is hard to really tell if the arab guy is actually touching her as it may just appear so from the camera angle
A week before the yom hadin you should be judging more favorably
Yechezkel18
You sound terribly naive. This chosson obviously spent years building relationships with these “arelim” to enhance yiddishkeit there and did he really have the option not to invite them ?
Ah bissel seichel before you spew & spout
The chilul HaShem is the fact that so many people are choosing to move to an Arab country when E”Y is open and available to every Yid. I assure you that HKB”H is not happy about it.
Yechezkel, you will be happy to learn that Arabs are not areilim!
Mazal Tov????????????
This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen!!!! THIS IS A TISHA B’AV VIDEO!!!!!
ד’ ירחם על כלל ישראל!!!!!
After watching something that shows the EPITOME OF GALUS- Jews and Non-Jews celebrating, dancing and eating TOGETHER people wonder why there is soooo much pain in the world?????????
How low have some of us fallen??? Quickly do teshuva before it’s too late–now is the time!!!!!!
Lubavitcher are the ONLY ONES, who actually CARE about Jews!
No other group has brought more lost Yidden back to Judaism!
All others look down on those who have lost their connection!
You could TRUST these UAE Phonies,
they are from same murderers
THE BIGGEST CONJOB THE YWN HAS BEEN A PART OF.
Copy / Paste of discriptions of pictures are as fake as the hollow job tilted.
It seems like this IS THE BIGGEST A ADVERTIZMENT OF SELF PROCLAIMED CHIEF RABBI.
How many times do we need to see the same picture discription?
“UAE Rabbi Levi Duchman and Lea Hadad leave With 1,500 guests from around the world, including leading rabbis, dignitaries and Emirati royals, the wedding is the largest Jewish event in the history of the Emirates. Rabbi Duchman, with support from the government, has built much of the country’s Jewish infrastructure that has seen the burgeoning Jewish community flourish”.
Chief Rabbi of Grand Bazzar of Fake new.
هذا رائع بشكل لا يصدق !! لقد قضيت وقتًا رائعًا في حفل الزفاف وأعتقد أنه يجب أن تتوقفوا عن الشكوى والبكاء يا رفاق.
– Yidden should not be living in the UAE, it is a sakanah.
– You are not supposed to invite large numbers of Goyim to your chasunah.
– This was a huge chilul hashem and a huge waste of money – not to mention the fact that nearly all the (jewish) women present were not dressed tzniusly…