Jewish community opens Gulf’s first kosher supermarket in Dubai
The Arabian Gulf’s first kosher supermarket opened in Dubai on Monday evening, catering to the emirate’s fledging Jewish community.
Rimon, meaning pomegranate in Hebrew, was officially opened by the United Arab Emirates’ Rabbi Levi Duchman in the Al Wasl area of Dubai.
“It is a symbol of the incredible progress that our Jewish community in the UAE is making and the freedom we've been thankfully granted, to enable all of this - and an answer to a true need for kosher food throughout the year,” Duchman said in a statement.
The new store intends to answer the growing demand for food that abides by the dietary standards of Jewish law, as the number of Jews living in and traveling to the UAE continues to grow.
Rimon offers meat and chicken products classified as ‘mehudar,’ the highest standard of kosher food, among other items.
Its shelves are stocked mainly from produce imported from Israel, Europe, and the US.
The store will also host a Jewish food market every weekend.
“We hope that with this project we will enable many more Jewish families to move and live in the UAE, making their daily lives even more comfortable,” Duchman added.
“So far the feedback from the local and global Jewish community -- as well as many non-Jewish friends -- is amazing.”
The Jewish community has flourished in the UAE since the Gulf country normalized relations with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Traditional restrictions on Jews practicing their religion openly were eased, part of wider reforms to encourage expatriates to settle in the country whose population is made up of mostly foreign residents.
Rabbi Duchman has resided in the emirates since 2014 and has been instrumental in setting up Jewish institutions in the country.
“Our wonderful community, which keeps growing and prospering here in the UAE, most gratefully continues to benefit from the extraordinary embrace we have received from the Emirates government and local authorities, for over a decade now,” he said.
“It is a symbol of the incredible progress that our Jewish community in the UAE is making and the freedom we've been thankfully granted, to enable all of this - and an answer to a true need for kosher food throughout the year,” Duchman said in a statement.
The new store intends to answer the growing demand for food that abides by the dietary standards of Jewish law, as the number of Jews living in and traveling to the UAE continues to grow.
Rimon offers meat and chicken products classified as ‘mehudar,’ the highest standard of kosher food, among other items.
Its shelves are stocked mainly from produce imported from Israel, Europe, and the US.
The store will also host a Jewish food market every weekend.
“We hope that with this project we will enable many more Jewish families to move and live in the UAE, making their daily lives even more comfortable,” Duchman added.
“So far the feedback from the local and global Jewish community -- as well as many non-Jewish friends -- is amazing.”
The Jewish community has flourished in the UAE since the Gulf country normalized relations with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Traditional restrictions on Jews practicing their religion openly were eased, part of wider reforms to encourage expatriates to settle in the country whose population is made up of mostly foreign residents.
Rabbi Duchman has resided in the emirates since 2014 and has been instrumental in setting up Jewish institutions in the country.
“Our wonderful community, which keeps growing and prospering here in the UAE, most gratefully continues to benefit from the extraordinary embrace we have received from the Emirates government and local authorities, for over a decade now,” he said.